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Millennium Dome

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on attendance figures for the Millennium Dome. [120806]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 5 May 2000]: Attendance at the Dome to date totals 2.1 million, making it the most popular pay-to-visit attraction in the UK. Visitor figures are posted on the Dome website (www.dome2000.co.uk) weekly.

The latest independent survey shoes that visitors have overwhelmingly enjoyed their day at the Dome with satisfaction levels of over 80 per cent. This is borne out by the largest monthly attendance to date of 579,333 visitors in April and May day's record attendance of 32,192 visitors.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many responses were received to the dome legacy competition; if he will publish them; and if he will make a statement. [121953]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 12 May 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Local Government and the Regions gave my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Linton) on 17 January 2000.

Road Closures

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has

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received regarding the cancellation of sporting and charitable events due to the imposition of charges for road closures; and if he will make a statement. [121358]

Kate Hoey: My Department has received three letters recently about the cancellation of athletics events on the public highway. The Association of Chief Police Officers is undertaking work on the staging of sporting events on the public highway and I am consulting it on the current position. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as I have had a response, placing copies of my reply in the Library.

Broadcasting (Religious Freedom)

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reason religious groups are prohibited from applying for local digital radio licences. [121320]

Janet Anderson: Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Act 1990 (as amended by the Broadcasting Act 1996) disqualifies a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a religious nature from holding local digital multiplex or digital sound programme service licences.

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many letters have been received by his Department since 1 May 1997 supporting greater religious freedom in broadcasting. [121323]

Janet Anderson: Since 1 January 1999, my Department has replied to around 16,500 letters on religious broadcasting. Figures relating to the period since 1 May 1997 are not available.

Creative and Cultural Education

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards implementing the recommendations of the report of the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education; and if he will make a statement. [121950]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 12 May 2000]: The Secretary of State for Education and Employment and I announced the Government's response to the NACCCE report, "All our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education", in January and have placed copies in both Libraries of the House. We have made significant progress in implementing the commitments, notably: guidance on creative development for pre-school children is available to accompany the new Early Learning Goals; schools will be working with a more flexible National Curriculum from September with greater emphasis on the need for creative and cultural education; guidance on building partnerships between schools and arts practitioners has been published; an arts award for schools is being developed and will be piloted shortly; the creation of the National Foundation for Youth Music and the injection of £180 million has made a huge impact on the teaching of music.

We will also be making £150 million available to create multi-purpose sports and arts facilities for primary schools; and work by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on the role of arts and creativity in the curriculum will further strengthen standards of teaching and learning.

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This is a substantial body of work and underlines the importance we place on creativity and culture in education. But this is just a small snapshot of where we have got to so far. The real value of the NACCCE report is the influence it is continuing to have as our thinking develops.

Museums (North-west)

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds museums in the North West of England will receive from the amounts which his Department has allocated to cut museum entry fees; and which museums will receive the money. [119101]

Mr. Alan Howarth: Due to an error my answer was incorrectly printed. The correct version is as follows:

In 1990-2000 to enable free admission for children at the two museums funded by my Department in the North-West which are affected, the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (NMGM) received £719,000 and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MSIM) £188,000. In 2000-01, to enable free admission for children and people over 60, NMGM has been allocated £855,000, and for free children only MSIM has been allocated £188,000. The allocation of funds to cut museum entry fees at the museums and galleries funded by my Department in 2001-02 is still under consideration and no detailed figures are available yet. An announcement will be made in due course.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

European Humanitarian Office

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what is the remit of the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office; what public reports it has issued; and what are the (a) percentage and (b) total of United Kingdom Overseas Development funds that are channelled through the European Union. [121637]

Clare Short: The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is mandated to provide humanitarian assistance to people outside the European Union, particularly in developing countries, who are affected by natural disasters or man-made crises.

Since 1993 ECHO has published an Annual Report, periodic information updates (ECHO News and ECHO Files) and special reports on particular aspects of its activities such as disaster preparedness. A full list of current publications is available on the ECHO website (http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/index.html).

Some 30 per cent. of UK development funds are currently channelled through the EC. In 1998-99 (the latest year for which confirmed figures are available), the total DFID contribution to EC external spending was approximately £706 million.

Ethiopia

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much food aid was

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promised by the European Union through ECHO to Ethiopia in 1999; and when and where it was delivered. [121094]

Clare Short: Food Aid is the responsibility of the EC's DG-Development rather than ECHO. The EC pledged some 150,000 metric tonnes (MT) of food aid in 1999 and delivered about 190,000MT. EU pledges against Government of Ethiopia Emergency appeals are effectively multi-annual. Food pledges one year may not be delivered in the same year. The process is in effect a rolling programme of support with food from the year before filling gaps in the food pipeline. We do not have details of where the food was distributed.

European Community Humanitarian Office

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much food aid has been committed to Ethiopia by the European Union through ECHO in 2000; and when and where it will be delivered. [121095]

Clare Short: Food aid is the responsibility of the EC's DG-Development rather than ECHO. The EC has committed 432,526 metric tonnes (MT) of food aid this year. A further 110,000MT will be provided by July 2001. Britain contributes 17 per cent. of the cost. Two shipments carrying 46,500MT of cereals have arrived. We do not have details of where the food was distributed.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if ECHO is committed to finding the cheapest appropriate food aid on the open market in responding to humanitarian need in Ethiopia and other such crises. [121097]

Clare Short: Food aid is the responsibility of EC DG-Development. EC procurement rules for food aid include assurances on value for money and takes quality and quantity into account.

CABINET OFFICE

Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology

Commission

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when she expects to announce the new chair of the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission; and what role this body will fulfil with regard to the GM farm scale trials. [120717]

Marjorie Mowlam: Appointments to the AEBC will be made shortly.

The Commission will have a wide-ranging remit to provide Government with independent strategic advice on developments in biotechnology and their implications for both agriculture and the environment.

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