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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 13 November 2000

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

UK Sports Institute

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the establishment of the UK Sports Institute. [135647]

Kate Hoey: The UK Sports Institute's aim is to provide our best sportsmen and women with the facilities and support services that they need to compete and win at the highest level. It will provide much needed world class facilities and a higher standard of co-ordinated support services than the UK has ever had before.

Recruitment of the key staff of the UKSI Central Services team has been completed. From November 2000, sports will have access to the technical, operational and programme support provided through the UKSI Central Services Team.

The UKSI is also made up of a network of Institutes operated by the home country sports councils. The establishment of the English Institute of Sport of the UKSI is on-going. The Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome in Manchester and the Ice-Centre in Nottingham are already available to athletes. In May-June 2000, the water-based hockey pitches in Birmingham and Cannock were among the first completed new projects. At Loughborough, Lottery funding of up to £2.1 million has been agreed for the development of swimming facilities, an indoor athletics centre, international hockey pitches, a gymnastic centre, facilities for badminton and netball together with athlete support services. Over £50 million of new Lottery funding has been committed by Sport England to date for additional facilities for the English network. It is expected that the majority of the remaining Lottery applications, representing over £60 million of further investment in network facilities in England, will be made in the next six months. Once the full building programme has been completed, there will be over 80 facilities that go to make up the English Institute of Sport network.

In addition, the UKSI Scottish Institute of Sport, funded by Sport Scotland, has been established and operating for 18 months and The Sports Council for Wales has been operating and developing UKSI Cymru for sometime. Both have been providing a range of services direct to athletes including technical training and support, conditioning guidance and supervision, preventive and reactive sports medical support and sports science. The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has identified the University of Ulster as their preferred partner to develop in partnership the UKSI network centre for Northern Ireland. Initial principles of agreement have been signed by both parties and work is under way to identify the most appropriate format to operate the network centre.

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Copies of the UKSI Quarterly Update report for August 2000--produced by UK Sport--have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses to provide further information on progress of the UK Sports Institute.

National Lottery

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reason he has not dismissed the National Lottery Commissioners who were in post at the time of the decision which resulted in the resignation of the Chairman of the Commission. [136243]

Mr. Chris Smith: I have no grounds for dismissing the National Lottery Commissioners. The former Chairman of the National Lottery Commission, Dame Helena Shovelton, resigned from the Commission for personal reasons. I appointed Lord Burns to take her place on the Commission, and gave him a clear remit, alongside the other Commissioners, to conduct the selection process with absolute fairness and impartiality between the applicants. The Government have every confidence in their ability to do so.

Millennium Commission

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 1 November 2000, Official Report, column 476W, what undertaking was sought by the Millennium Commission from (a) the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Lord Falconer or (b) the New Millennium Experience Company in return for its most recent award of grant. [137222]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 7 November 2000]: This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I will write to the hon. Member in my capacity as Chairman of the Commission, and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of the House.

Looted Cultural Assets

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response he plans to make to the proposal of the Vilnius International Forum on Holocaust Era Looted Cultural Assets that Governments establish a central reference point to provide information and help on queries regarding looted cultural assets and claims. [137409]

Mr. Chris Smith: My officials are in contact with Resource (the Council for Museums Libraries and Archives) to discuss the outcome of the study they have commissioned into the feasibility of an advisory unit to offer expertise and advice to help museums, galleries, libraries and archives in handling this issue.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timetable is for consultation on the case for legislation to permit national museums and galleries to return human remains and objects which were wrongfully taken during the period 1933 to 1945; and if he will list the organisations which are being consulted. [137410]

Mr. Chris Smith: I am currently consulting the Chairman of the National Museum Directors' Conference (NMDC), the Chairman of the NMDC's standing Repatriation Committee and the Chairman of the

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NMDC's Working Group on Spoliation, together with the Director of Resource and the Director of the Museums Association.

Millennium Dome

Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on his plans for the use of the Millennium Dome. [136989]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 8 November 2000]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 6 November 2000, Official Report, columns 55-56W.

Chess

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to designate chess a sport. [137992]

Kate Hoey: I have currently no plans. Any decision to recognise chess as a sport would have to be agreed by all four home country sports councils and departments.

Regional Theatre

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has for funding regional theatre in the areas covered by (a) the South East Arts Board, (b) Waverley district council and (c) Mole Valley district council, with particular reference to (i) the Redgrave Theatre, Farnham and (ii) the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead. [137687]

Mr. Alan Howarth: This is a matter for the Arts Council of England, as the main funding body for the arts in England, in collaboration with South East Arts, as the regional arts board, to decide within the context of their current review of theatre. The Arts Council have already announced additional funding for theatre from 2002-03, and decisions on how this will be distributed will be made in the near future.

Television Subtitling

Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 30 October 2000, Official Report, column 330W, on subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing on digital, cable and satellite television, for what reason the scope of his Department's review has been extended to include satellite and cable TV; and what other aspects of provision and reception of subtitling, signing and audio description services are also being reviewed. [137919]

Janet Anderson: The review was widened to include other aspects of the provision and reception of subtitling, signing and audio description services in order to inform Government in the development of future broadcasting policy and legislation in this area. Other aspects being considered are the possibilities of different targets for different broadcasters, the prioritisation of certain programmes/channels, the costs of providing and receiving these services and the availability of skilled subtitlers, signers and audio describers.

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European Union Baroque Orchestra

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the level of (a) Government and (b) European Communities support for the European Union Baroque Orchestra is. [138084]

Mr. Alan Howarth: The European Union Baroque Orchestra is an official cultural training initiative of the European Parliament and the European Commission, and receives funding from the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture. The orchestra also receives major sponsorship from industry and other organisations and individuals. The level of that funding is for those organisations to determine; no additional support comes from Government.

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