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Rent Assessment Panels

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he expects to publish the report on the Financial Management and Policy Review of Rent Assessment Panels in England. [132557]

Mr. Mullin: I have today published a report on a review of Rent Assessment Panels in England, recommending a range of measures for improving the quality and effectiveness of the Panel service.

We want to retain the Rent Assessment Panels as independent and expert bodies to deal with fair rent appeals and resolve disputes between leaseholders and landlords. However, there are a number of areas where the Panels, and the committees and tribunals drawn from them, need to improve their performance and make themselves more accessible to parties who use them.

The report lays the foundation for raising standards of expertise and ensuring best practice across the Panels. A flexible, more simplified process for all parties and changes to the way in which the Panels are managed and organised will reduce the time taken for decisions to be reached by committees and tribunals. We are looking to implement the report recommendations as soon as possible.

Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

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Local Government

Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what responses he has received to the consultation papers, "The Local Government Bill 2 Consultative Draft of Proposed Guidance and Regulations on New Constitutions for Councils", and "The Local Government Bill; The Conduct of Referendums and Elections for Directly-Elected Mayors". [132626]

Ms Armstrong: To date we have received 122 written responses to "The Local Government Bill 2nd Consultative Draft of Proposed Guidance and Regulations on New Constitutions for Councils" and 28 responses to "The Local Government Bill; The Conduct of Referendums and Elections for Directly Elected Mayors". The responses, which we are now considering carefully, contain a wide range of helpful comments and suggestions, with clear support for many of the amendments made after the first consultation round.

A list of all the responses has today been placed in the Library of the House and full copies of the responses are available from my Department's library.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Welsh Soccer

Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has made to the BBC calling for increased coverage of Welsh soccer and Welsh soccer league results; and if he will make a statement. [130927]

Janet Anderson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made no such representations to the BBC.

It is a well established principle of the Government's approach to broadcasting that we do not seek to intervene or comment on detailed issues of programming content or scheduling. These matters are properly for broadcasters' editorial judgment subject to independent regulation.

Millennium Dome

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to allocate the revenue from the sale of the Millennium Dome (a) towards the running costs of the NMEC Exhibition at the Dome and (b) to English Partnerships for regeneration programmes. [130848]

Janet Anderson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11 July 2000, Official Report, columns 481-82W, to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth).

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if stamp duty will be payable on the disposal of the Dome. [131372]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 18 July 2000]: As in all acquisitions of assets, stamp duty will become payable in accordance with the Stamp Acts.

New Millennium Experience Company

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what the value is of net

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VAT payments made by the New Millennium Experience Company (a) prior to and (b) since 31 December 1999; and if he will make a statement; [131375]

(2) what estimate he has made of net VAT (a) payments by and (b) receipts from the New Millennium Experience Company in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000 and (d) 2000-01; [131374]

(3) what VAT liability applies to payments and receipt of sponsorship funds to the New Millennium Experience Company; [131370]

(4) if he will list by category, the sources of income and expenditure of the New Millennium Experience Company to which VAT applies. [131371]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 18 July 2000]: We have contacted the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) to request the information required, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letters in the Library of the House.

Mr. Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he will make available to the House the Annual report and financial statement for the period ended 31 December 1999 of the New Millennium Experience Company. [132564]

Mr. Chris Smith: I have today placed copies of the New Millennium Experience Company's Annual Report and Financial Statements for the period ending 31 December 1999 in the Libraries of the House.

Osborne Estate

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for East Surrey on 19 June concerning the Osborne Estate (reference 127308). [131973]

Mr. Chris Smith: I answered the hon. Member's question on 19 July 2000, Official Report, columns 212-13W.

Grace and Favour Accommodation

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what self-contained accommodation in the occupied Royal Palaces is occupied by employees of the Royal Collection Department; what rental is paid; and how the rentable values are calculated; [132021]

(2) if he will update the information provided by the Department of National Heritage to the Committee of Public Accounts in Annexe 1 of its report on Property Services in the English Occupied Royal Palaces, Session 1994-95; which of the officials referred to pay rent; and on what basis rent is calculated. [132023]

Mr. Alan Howarth: We have contacted the Royal Household to request the information required. I shall write to my right hon. Friend as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Library of the House.

Hospitality

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what sporting occasions his Permanent

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Secretary has been invited to this year; how many such invitations he has accepted; and at what cost to the public purse. [131759]

Mr. Chris Smith: My Permanent Secretary has been invited to three sporting occasions which have taken place this year: the London Marathon, the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis championships and the Davis Cup match against Ecuador. He accepted and attended the second only. There was no cost to the public purse.

Communications White Paper

Mr. Woolas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress is being made towards preparation of the Communications White Paper. [132563]

Mr. Chris Smith: As announced on 17 May 2000, Official Report, columns 130-31W, we invited a number of experts to prepare papers which they have now presented at a seminar held on 3 July. We asked them to examine a range of policy issues against some guiding objectives for the Communications White Paper.

These are:

(i) The creation of the most dynamic market possible for communications services, especially in the light of the growth of the e-economy;

(ii) Ensuring universal access to diverse services of the highest quality;

(iii) Guarding consumer interests--protection, choice and value for money.

A report on the seminar has been prepared by the chair of the event, Sir Quentin Thomas. Copies of all the papers, which represent the personal views of the authors, have been placed in the Library and also on the Communications White Paper website http://www.communicationswhitepaper.gov.uk. They offer an important contribution to the debate.

We have also received 139 submissions, which are also being placed on the website, and are currently analysing those alongside the issues discussed at the seminar, with a view to publication of the White Paper later this year.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the current arrangements for asylum claims to be made by post. [132556]

Mrs. Roche: We are at present receiving about 700 postal applications for asylum a month and estimate that about half come from applicants living in London. We take the view that asylum applications should normally be made in person so that the proper checks, including fingerprinting, can be made to establish identity and prevent fraudulent or multiple applications. From 31 July, postal applications received from persons living in any of the London boroughs will be required to attend for screening at Croydon before their claim is recorded and processed. We will be seeking to extend similar arrangements to other parts of the country as soon as possible.

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