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MOD Accommodation
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many empty Ministry of Defence houses in the United Kingdom are earmarked for (a) officers and (b) other ranks broken down by individual service; and if he will make a statement. [118651]
Dr. Moonie: Service Families Accommodation(SFA) is managed on a tri-Service basis and is provided according to entitlement i.e. rank and family size. A breakdown by individual Service is not therefore
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available. The figures given are for SFA on mainland UK. As at 5 May 2000, there are 2,092 unoccupied officers' properties, of which 752 are allocated and 216 are undergoing refurbishment. There are also 12,437 unoccupied other ranks' properties, of which 4,007 are allocated and 1,359 are undergoing refurbishment.
The majority of empty Service quarters are only temporarily so. There are over 22,000 Service family moves a year and this requires a management margin of empty stock ready for incoming occupants. An on-going modernisation programme and Defence reorganisations also demand that a considerable number of properties are empty while work is completed and further plans are clarified. Come 6,500 surplus properties are planned for disposal during the next two years.
As at 2 May 2000, in Northern Ireland, there are 50 unoccupied officers' quarters of which 17 are allocated and three are undergoing refurbishment. There are also 423 other ranks' quarters of which 118 are allocated and 11 are undergoing refurbishment.
Western European Union
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken by the Ministerial Council of the Western European Union to fill the post of Secretary General of the Western European Union. [120739]
Mr. Vaz: I have been asked to reply.
Javier Solana was appointed as Secretary General by the Council of the Western European Union on 25 November 1999. He is also the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Secretary General of the Council.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Museums and Galleries (Entry Charges)
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the number of establishments that will benefit from the £1 single entry charge for museums and galleries. [120613]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Funds have been set aside and will be made available to enable the following currently charging national museums and galleries funded by my Department to introduce an admission charge of £1 from September 2001:
- National Museum of Science and Industry
- Natural History Museum
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Imperial War Museum (Lambeth Road)
- National Maritime Museum
- Royal Armouries--Museum of Artillery, Fort Nelson.
I am also considering the extension of these arrangements to the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds; the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester; the Museum of London; the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside; and Tate St. Ives.
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Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the application of the £1 single entry charge to institutions which offer composite ticketing arrangements which allow entry to more than one institution on the same ticket. [121368]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Calculations of compensation for the introduction of the £1 single entry charge are based on estimates of the total visitor income for the individual institutions concerned, including the estimated proceeds from composite tickets. If trustees of institutions wish to introduce joint ticketing arrangements, that is a matter for their discretion.
Badminton Association
Mr. White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) public and (b) Lottery funds have been given to the Badminton Association of England in each of the last 10 years. [121103]
Kate Hoey: Details of Exchequer funding by Sport England to the Badminton Association of England is readily available only for years since 1994-95. These are:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Year | Amount |
| 1994-95 | 240,000 |
| 1995-96 | 240,000 |
| 1996-97 | 247,000 |
| 1997-98 | 286,000 |
| 1998-99 | 268,000 |
| 1999-2000 | 280,000 |
Lottery funding for the Badminton Association of England's World Class Programme is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Period | Amount |
| 1 September 1997 to 31 August 1998 | 1,327,155 |
| 1 September 1998 to 31 August 1999 | 1,735,909 |
| 1 September 1999 to 31 August 2000 | 1,955,441 |
The Badminton Association of England has also received a Lottery award of £3,653,847 for a National Badminton Centre.
Funding (Audits)
Mr. White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) financial and (b) other audits his Department carries out on bodies funded through the Sports Council or by Lottery grants. [121102]
Kate Hoey: Sport England carries out, on its own and on UK Sport's behalf (until October this year), a rolling programme of management audits of bodies in receipt of Exchequer funding which ensures that such bodies are reviewed at least once every three years. Audits cover corporate governance, accounting and financial management, asset management, financial stability, contracting and procurement, personal issues, grant conditions and current issues.
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Sport England also undertakes financial and award compliance checks on all schemes in receipt of lottery funding. These ensure adherence to award conditions and the avoidance of fraudulent claims. All lottery projects are also subject to post-completion monitoring which includes the operation and management of the facility.
Athletics Facilities
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from the Wenlock Olympian Society concerning funding for improvements for facilities for athletics; and when he will respond to them. [121356]
Kate Hoey: I received a letter from the Wenlock Olympian Society on 1 May. I will respond to the letter shortly.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from the Midland Counties Athletic Association concerning the provision of athletics facilities at Much Wenlock. [121354]
Kate Hoey: My Department has not received any representations from the Midland Counties Athletic Association.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if it is the policy of the Sports Lottery Council not to grant-aid athletics tracks of less than 400m in length; and if he will make a statement. [121357]
Kate Hoey: The Council of Sport England's policy in considering applications for lottery funding for athletics tracks is to follow the recommendations of UK Athletics as set out in the "National Athletics Facilities Strategy". The normal requirement is for a 400m track. However, the strategy allows some flexibility and states that where the criteria for the provision of such tracks are not met
- every encouragement will be given to lower key training facilities designed to meet local needs for certain disciplines, such as a sprint straights with a bend, pole vault run ups, high jump beds etc.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Friends of Europe
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those (a) civil servants, (b) ministers, (c) special advisers and (d) FCO Think Tank members who have addressed the Friends of Europe since its inception; in what capacity they spoke; at what cost; and if he will deposit the text of the speeches in the Library. [119814]
Mr. Vaz: At the request of the Centre for European Reform, Sir John Kerr, PUS, addressed a Friends of Europe/Centre for European Reform seminar in his official capacity on 14 April at the Belgian Ambassador's Residence in London. The title of the session was 'How much treaty reform does the EU need?' It was at no additional cost. He did not speak from a written text.
Mr. Roger Liddle, in his capacity as a special adviser in the Prime Minister's Policy Unit, addressed an audience in Brussels on 24 January. The event was co-hosted by the Friends of Europe and the British
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Embassy in Belgium. The title of his talk was 'Economic Reform and Social Justice in a modern Europe'. The cost to the British Embassy of the event, including a reception afterwards was £1,690.03. Mr. Liddle did not speak from a written text.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Mr. Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made in the composition of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. [122291]
Mr. Vaz: My noble Friend Lord Sewel has replaced my noble Friend Lord Kennet as a member of the delegation.
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