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Millennium Festival
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on progress with the Millennium Festival in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom. [129931]
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Janet Anderson: Through the commitment of the 11 UK National Lottery distributors, working in partnership with the New Millennium Experience Company, a £100 million Millennium Festival fund has been made available for national, regional and local Millennium celebrations in the year 2000.
The Millennium Festival in Scotland has provided £11 million to fund over 500 events throughout Scotland from the Highlands to the Borders. Highlights have included "The Thrie Estaties", a re-creation of one of Scotland's oldest pieces of drama recently performed in Fife and the Commonwealth Youth Games which will see young people from 14 countries coming to Edinburgh to compete in eight different sports. There have also been many hundreds of community events held across the country from Stewartry in Dumfries and Galloway to Inverness and Arbroath. The feedback received by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) from smaller and local groups has been very positive.
A further £89 million has been made available for thousands of events, festivals, arts and sports activities which have been taking place throughout the year, across the rest of the UK. The Millennium Festival of Cycling celebrated the millennium with local family fun days, bike surgeries and a Cycle to Work day; the National Trust Coast Show has toured the UK coast with the Grand Turk, a replica 18th century frigate, providing an on-board exhibition of the maritime conservation work of the Trust and promoting public access to Britain's coastline; while the voice of young Britain has been heard on the internet radio station Youth FM, which has toured the UK with its mobile studio.
BBC (Independent Production Quotas)
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to receive the report of the Director General of Fair Trading into the BBC's compliance with the independent production quotas for the year ending 31 March 1999; how long it has taken to report in previous years; for what reasons there was a delay this year; and if he will set a deadline for receiving such reports in future. [131568]
Janet Anderson: The Report of the Director General of Fair Trading into the BBC's compliance with the independent production quotas for the year ending 31 March 1999 is expected to be published in September. This is later than would normally be the case. The reporting period corresponds with the BBC's financial year (1 April to 31 March) and the Director General's report is usually published towards the end of the calendar year. The delay has been caused by the need to reach agreement on some issues of legal interpretation arising from the introduction of digital channels.
Hyde Park Cycle Way
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many accidents caused by cyclists there have been on the Hyde Park cycle way since it was opened. [131998]
Mr. Alan Howarth: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, William Weston. I have asked them to arrange for a reply to be given.
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Letter from William Weston to Mr. Bernard Jenkin, dated 25 July 2000:
- I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of accidents caused by cyclists on the Hyde Park cycle way since it was opened.
- I am afraid I am unable to give you the information you have asked for. We keep a record of accidents involving injury to park users that are reported to the park manager or the Royal Parks Constabulary. The police do not investigate the cause of an accident on the cycle way unless there is evidence (or an accusation) that the cyclist was riding recklessly or dangerously, in which case the police would consider reporting the cyclist for prosecution.
- The original cycle route in Hyde Park was opened in 1975 and records are no longer available for earlier years. We have no record of anyone being reported for prosecution for dangerous cycling as a result of an accident since the Royal Parks Agency came into existence in 1993.
Free Television Licence
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people living in the London Borough of Wandsworth will benefit from the introduction of a free television licence for a person aged 75 years or over. [131952]
Janet Anderson: Television licences cover households rather than individuals. Figures for the number of households which will benefit from the concession are not available. However, the 1991 Census County Report Series, published by the Office for National Statistics, shows the population of the London Borough of Wandsworth as 252,425 of which 2.10 per cent. were men aged 75 and over and 4.47 per cent. were women aged 75 and over.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000, Official Report, column 21W, if he will provide a breakdown of the £23.4 million cost of administering the concessionary television licence scheme for people aged 75 years and over. [131655]
Janet Anderson [holding answer 24 July 2000]: The estimated costs of administering free television licences for people aged 75 or over in 2000-01 are £24.3 million rather than £23.4 million as stated in my reply to the hon. Member of 2 May 2000, Official Report, column 20W, a transposition error for which I apologise. £3.3 million of these costs represent a carry over of set-up costs incurred in 1999-2000.
These costs will be met by the Department of Social Security, via payments to the BBC. The BBC is responsible for the administration of the scheme and has advised that a detailed breakdown of these costs is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and by diverting resources which would otherwise be devoted to the successful implementation of the scheme.
Stonehenge
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total amount is spent by (a) his Department and its predecessor and (b) English Heritage since its establishment on (i) design work, (ii) public consultation and inquiries and (iii) other identifiable costs in connection with Stonehenge. [131535]
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Mr. Alan Howarth [holding answer 24 July 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 October 1999, Official Report, column 427W, giving details of costs up to mid October 1999. Since that date English Heritage has spent; (i) no money on design work, (ii) £23,758 on public consultation and inquiries, and (iii) £778,570 which includes consultancy fees relating to the new visitor centre, the World Heritage Site Management Plan and contributions towards the cost of the A303 improvement scheme at Stonehenge.
My Department and its predecessor Departments have not incurred any directly attributable costs in connection with Stonehenge. It is not possible meaningfully to apportion the cost of official time spent in respect of consultations and correspondence.
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what price was paid for the site of the proposed Stonehenge visitors' centre at Countess East; and what price was paid for Countess Farm. [131534]
Mr. Alan Howarth [holding answer 24 July 2000]: The site for the new visitor centre at Countess Farm East has not yet been purchased. English Heritage is currently in negotiations with the owners so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage. Countess Farm West was purchased by the National Trust and no public money was involved.
World Cup
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date the Minister for Sport wrote to the Football Association seeking information on the cost of England's World Cup 2006 bid. [132521]
Kate Hoey: As I advised the hon. Member in my answer to him on 24 July 2000, Official Report, column 416W, I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Football Association on 20 June 2000 to request details of his plans to publish accounts for the 2006 World Cup bid.
British Tourist Authority
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he will review the services and functions of the British Tourist Authority. [132835]
Janet Anderson: I am pleased to announce that, as part of a regular programme of reviews of non-departmental public bodies, my Department is commencing a review of the British Tourist Authority.
The terms of reference for the review, which will be conducted in two stages, are as follows:
- To review the continuing need for the services and functions carried out by the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and consider how they can be provided more effectively in the future.
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Stage One: Getting the organisation right
To determine whether there is a continuing need for the services provided by the BTA and to assess whether these services are best delivered by an NDPB.
To consider specifically:
the role and functions of the BTA, how its role has been affected by devolution and how and to what extent its functions contribute to the delivery of wider DCMS and governmental objectives;
the links BTA has or should have with other parts of the public sector and with private and voluntary sectors;
BTA's past performance against its aims, objectives, key targets and quality standards;
what BTA's customers and other interested parties (including their staff and trade unions) think about its role, performance and responsiveness to their needs; and whether there are any groups whose needs should be, but are not being addressed;
how the BTA should be organised to deliver responsive, efficient and quality services in future, and whether there is scope for other organisational options, such as abolition, market testing, merger, rationalisation, privatisation or strategic contracting out; and
examples of good practice in how BTA has delivered its services.
Stage Two: Improving performance
Taking account of the Stage One report, to consider how the BTA might make improvements in efficient, effective and responsive service delivery.
To consider specifically:
the BTA's aims and objectives and the part they play in delivering wider DCMS and governmental objectives;
performance targets and whether they are sufficiently comprehensive and stretching, and properly reflect the BTA's aims and objectives;
the structure and effectiveness of BTA's organisation and how it involves staff, including those at the front line, and their trade unions in the way it works;
partnership arrangements and opportunities for joint working with other bodies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery;
how the BTA can make better use of new technology to improve the delivery of its services and functions;
the BTA's relationship with its stakeholders and the stakeholders' views on how it can best meet their needs, and the way BTA could improve its responsiveness;
whether the BTA needs different freedoms and flexibilities to improve the delivery of its services;
the scope for increasing the current level of efficiency savings and income and to improve the utilisation of assets; and
whether the roles and reporting arrangements of the BTA, the Department and Ministers need clearer definition and whether they provide proper support for operational and policy work.
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