Previous Section Index Home Page


Sex and Relationship Guidance

Ms McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects his Department's sex and relationships education guidance to be published. [129976]

Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment published the sex and relationship education guidance on Friday and sent a copy to each Member of Parliament. It will be a

10 Jul 2000 : Column: 416W

significant step forward in supporting schools, teachers and governors to deliver effective sex and relationship education. It is underpinned by the Personal, Social and Health Education framework and the National Healthy School Standard. This fulfils a commitment in the Government's Teenage Pregnancy Report to issue new guidance on sex education as part of our drive to tackle teenage pregnancy. Copies are available in the Library.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Sports and Arts

4. Mrs. Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if primary schools will be able to apply for funding under the space for sports and arts scheme. [128198]

Kate Hoey: Yes; the SSA scheme will make an important contribution to improving sporting facilities in primary schools.

World Cup (Television Coverage)

17. Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Broadcasting Act 1989 with regard to television coverage of the 2002 and 2006 football world cup finals tournaments. [128213]

Janet Anderson: In 1998 I extended the list of events protected under Part IV of the Broadcasting Act 1996 to cover all matches in the FIFA World Cup final tournament. Under the terms of that Act, as amended by the Television Broadcasting Regulations 2000, live television coverage of the event must be offered on fair and reasonable terms to broadcasters who meet the qualifying conditions as set out in those regulations and listed in the Independent Television's Code on Listed Events. These broadcasters are currently BBC 1, BBC 2, Channel 3 (ITV) and Channel 4.

Concessionary Television Licences

19. Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he will take to ensure that pensioners aged over 75 years who get free television licences are able to receive terrestrial television channels free of charge. [128215]

Janet Anderson: People aged 75 years or over who receive free television licences from 1 November this year will have free access to analogue terrestrial television services and to any free-to-air digital services, in exactly the same way as other viewers.

Football Facilities

20. Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase investment in local football facilities. [128216]

Kate Hoey: The Government will shortly announce full details of the Football Foundation, a new partnership body including the Football Association, the FA Premier League and Sport England. All three partners will contribute to the Foundation's income, which will include 5 per cent. of the FA Premier League's next broadcasting contract and substantial Lottery funding.

10 Jul 2000 : Column: 417W

The Foundation will fund community and education initiatives and will continue the stadium safety work of the Football Trust. The greater part of its income, though, will go to funding the sport at the grass roots, including the provision of facilities and coaching.

Physical Education

21. Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he last discussed physical education in schools with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. [128217]

Kate Hoey: I talk regularly to DfEE colleagues about physical education in schools and the Government's strategy for sport. The last time I discussed this with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment was on 4 July 2000.

Lottery

22. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement about the criteria taken into consideration in determining awards from national Lottery funds. [128218]

Mr. Chris Smith: The criteria vary from distributor to distributor and from funding programme to funding programme. They are based on the National Lottery Financial and Policy Directions which I have issued to Lottery distributors, and also on distributors' own policies and strategic plans.

25. Mr. Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that funding from the national lottery fund is targeted at the communities with greatest social and economic need to promote participation by young people in performing music. [128221]

Mr. Alan Howarth: The National Foundation for Youth Music, an independent charitable body, was set up by the Department using £30 million in Arts Council Lottery funds to provide and facilitate opportunities for young people to access music making. The Foundation has a key aim to reach young people who are currently deprived of access, improving provision to geographical regions and areas of special need where there are few opportunities for music making.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the criteria for the awarding of funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund. [128214]

Mr. Chris Smith: The Heritage Lottery Fund's criteria for assessing applications under particular schemes are set out in guidance notes in their application pack. The HLF's current Strategic Plan also sets out the four main priorities for allocating grant funding. They are heritage conservation, national heritage, local heritage and heritage education and access.

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what estimate he has made of the annual costs to local authorities and other public bodies directly arising from applications to Lottery funding bodies; [129535]

10 Jul 2000 : Column: 418W

Kate Hoey: None. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has, however, directed the independent Quality Efficiency and Standards Team (QUEST) to look at the cost to all applicants of making applications for lottery grants, and consider how these costs could be contained without compromising the demands of proper accountability in decisions about how to spend public money. The first phase of QUEST's report, which focuses on applications for lottery grants of up to £100,000, will be published shortly. The second phase, dealing with applications for grants of £100,000 plus, will be published later in the year.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the number of Lottery awards given to (a) the North West, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland. [128830]

Kate Hoey: The following table shows the number of awards in the North West, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since the start of the Lottery, according to my Department's National Lottery awards database.

LocationNumber of awards
North West3,827
Scotland8,991
Wales5,525
Northern Ireland1,339

Millennium Dome

23. Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the financial situation of the Millennium Dome. [128219]

Janet Anderson: The New Millennium Experience Company's (NMEC) current business plan is based on 6 million revenue-generating visitors. Should visitor numbers fall below this level the business plan will need to be reviewed. Details of the business plan are commercially confidential. NMEC's most recent budget, contained within the business plan, is as follows:








10 Jul 2000 : Column: 419W








Next Section Index Home Page