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Millennium Commission

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what statutory requirements would need to be fulfilled in order to extend the funding life of the Millennium Commission. [134611]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 26 October 2000]: An Order extending the Millennium Commission's funding life (by setting a later date on which its funding will stop) has to be laid and approved by each House of Parliament before 31 December 2000.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to extend the funding life of the Millennium Commission; and if he will make a statement. [134612]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 26 October 2000]: I intend to lay an Order and have it approved by each House of Parliament before 31 December 2000. This is consistent with the previous administration's announced intention to extend the Millennium Commission's funding life to enable it to meet its commitments.

Further details of the Order will be published in due course.

Millennium Dome

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the costs of decommissioning the Millennium Dome. [134492]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 26 October 2000]: Decommissioning costs will depend on the future use of the Dome site and are currently commercially confidential while negotiations are taking place with contractors.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from the New Millennium Experience Company regarding a prime ministerial visit to the Dome. [134604]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 26 October 2000]: I have not received any representations from the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) regarding a prime ministerial visit to the Dome.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the Lazards report on the Dome. [134487]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 26 October 2000]: Lazards have not produced a report. They, and other professional advisers, have contributed to work being carried out by English Partnerships on the review of options for the Millennium Experience site. This is work in progress, which remains commercially sensitive and confidential while discussions with Legacy plc are continuing.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to use the (a) building and (b) site of the Millennium Dome for sporting activity. [134360]

Janet Anderson: There are no present plans to use (a) the building or (b) the site of the Millennium Dome for sporting activity.

30 Oct 2000 : Column: 330W

Special Advisers

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the duties of his Department's special advisers include the drafting of answers to parliamentary questions. [134830]

Mr. Chris Smith: The duties and responsibilities of Special Advisers are set out in Schedule 1 (Part 1) of the Model Contract for Special Advisers, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Within the terms of their contracts, Special Advisers may draft answers to Parliamentary Questions.

Deaf Viewers (Subtitles)

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on subtitling for the deaf on satellite and other digital channels. [134823]

Janet Anderson: We are reviewing the statutory requirements for the provision of subtitling, signing and audio description services on digital terrestrial television. We issued a consultation paper in July, and are considering the responses. As part of the review, we are also considering other aspects of the provision and reception of these services, including on cable and satellite television channels. We expect to announce our conclusions later this year.

Charities

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on the direct income of charities of the National Lottery. [134831]

Kate Hoey: My Department has made no such assessment. However, in 1997 the Institute for Fiscal Studies conducted a statistical analysis of charitable donations, which found no independent effect of the National Lottery on donations to charities.

Steroids

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the extent of the use of steroids in sport in the United Kingdom. [134702]

Kate Hoey: There has been no formal assessment of the extent of the use of steroids in competitive sport in the United Kingdom. The UK Sport Testing Programme focuses on elite competitive sports. While this programme includes tests for anabolic agents (including anabolic steroids), its findings may include UK and non-UK athletes.

The most recent research undertaken into the use of steroids in the UK was published in 1993 and indicated that 35 per cent. of athletes attending weight training gymnasiums were found to be using anabolic steroids. This Government firmly believe that there is no place for drugs in sport and we will continue to work through UK Sport and the national governing bodies of sport to reduce doping in sport through the implementation of an effective testing programme and a comprehensive education programme.

30 Oct 2000 : Column: 331W

The Government spend over £1 million a year on ensuring the quality of an out of competition drug testing programme in the UK.

Art Exports

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the members of the

30 Oct 2000 : Column: 332W

Committee on the Export of Works of Art and the dates of their appointment. [134367]

Mr. Alan Howarth: The Reviewing Committee on the Exports of Works of Art consists of eight permanent members who have expertise in one or more fields of art. The current membership and the dates of their appointments are as follows:

30 Oct 2000 : Column: 331W

		Dates
Chairman
Sir John Guinness CB	First appointment	1 December 1995--30 November 1998
	Second appointment	1 December 1998--30 November 2001
Members
Sir Jack Baer	First appointment	1 June 1992--31 May 1995
	Second appointment	1 June 1995--31 May 1998
	Final appointment	1 June 1998--31 May 2001
Professor Rosemary Cramp	First appointment	1 March 1994--28 February 1997
	Second appointment	1 March 1997--28 February 2000
	Final appointment	1 March 2000--28 February 2003
Dr. Richard Dorment	First appointment	1 August 1996--31 July 1999
	Second appointment	1 August 1999--31 July 2002
Mr. Ian Gow	First appointment	1 December 1994--30 November 1997
	Second appointment	1 December 1997--30 November 2000
	Final appointment	1 December 2000--30 November 2003
Mr. Alastair Laing	First appointment	1 February 1996--31 January 1999
	Second appointment	1 February 1999--31 January 2002
Mr. Martin Levy	First appointment	1 March 1997--29 February 2000
	Second appointment	1 March 2000--28 February 2003
The hon. Georgina Stonor	First appointment	1 February 1993--31 January 1996
	Second appointment	1 February 1996--31 January 1999
	Final appointment	1 February 1999--31 January 2002

30 Oct 2000 : Column: 331W

Olympic Games

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans the Government have to support a British bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. [134482]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 26 October 2000]: We are committed to supporting a viable Olympic bid but the decision on whether or not to bid is for the National Olympic Committee--the British Olympic Association (BOA). The BOA have been carrying out extensive studies on the viability of a London bid for 2012 and have promised to submit their conclusions to the Government by the end of the year.

Ministerial Engagements

Mr. Ian Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the engagements that were accepted by the Minister for the Arts with non-Governmental bodies over the past year; and if he will list in each case (a) if he fulfilled the engagement, (b) if the engagement was cancelled and by whom and (c) if he was represented by another person. [134635]

Mr. Alan Howarth: For legitimate reasons of confidentiality, it is not the practice of Ministers to publish details of their schedule of engagements.

Television Violence

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department about the possible impact of violence on television on the level of violent crime. [134703]

30 Oct 2000 : Column: 332W

Janet Anderson: None. Under the United Kingdom's arrangements for broadcasting, it is the responsibility of broadcasters and broadcasting regulators to set and enforce standards. In doing so, they must reflect the codes of the Broadcasting Standards Commission, which are informed by its research into public attitudes towards the portrayal of violence in broadcast programmes.

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