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NATO
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions (a) the United Kingdom and (b) all other NATO countries have exercised a national veto on proposed actions during a NATO operation since 1989. [99466]
Mr. Hoon: Decisions at NATO are taken by consensus. During operations and deployments, procedures allow national commanders to satisfy themselves that a proposed course of action complies with the basis on which the operation was approved, consulting national authorities as required. Neither the UK nor NATO maintains records of how many times these procedures have been used since 1989.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Post Offices
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the principal activities of his Department and its agencies which provide business for (a) Crown post offices and (b) other post offices; if he will assess whether the level of business generated in each case is likely to increase or decrease over the next five years; and which new areas of business for post offices are likely to be developed by his Department and its agencies over the same period. [99551]
Mr. Chris Smith: My Department and its agencies have no functions which directly provide business for (a) Crown post offices or (b) other post offices. It is not likely that this situation will change in the future. However, we have significant business with both Royal Mail and Parcelforce, who provide the bulk of our mail collection and delivery services.
Digital Television
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what projections his Department has made of the number of households with digital television in 2006 (a) with a digital licence fee supplement as proposed by the Independent Review Panel into the future funding of the BBC and (b) without such a supplement. [100046]
Janet Anderson: We do not have these specific figures at present. However, DCMS commissioned an independent report from Nera in 1998, which suggested between 13.8 million and 18.5 million households would have digital capability by 2008. The potential impact of a digital licence supplement on take up of digital television is something we are considering in reaching our conclusions on the independent review panel's recommendations. As part of that process, we will look at all the available evidence on this issue.
Recognised Sports
Charlotte Atkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what sports are recognised by the Sports Councils within the United Kingdom. [100292]
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Kate Hoey:
The Sports Councils do not 'recognise' sports, but there are 112 sports that are eligible for funding and other support. These are:
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the amount of funding given by the National Lottery to disabled projects for disabled people in England and Wales during the last 12 months. [100443]
Kate Hoey:
National Lottery projects are designed to benefit all sections of society, including people with disabilities. Since November 1998, around £280 million has been awarded to over 4,000 projects designed primarily to benefit people with disabilities.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government financial grants have been made available to the Royal Opera House modernisation programme. [100441]
Mr. Alan Howarth:
No grants have been made directly from Government to the Royal Opera House for its redevelopment. The Arts Council's National Lottery capital programme awarded the Royal Opera House £78.5 million for the restoration, refurbishment and extension of the Covent Garden site.
Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his estimate is of the value of land, property and heritage assets (a) in Scotland, (b) in England and (c) in total (i) owned by or (ii) under the responsibility of his Department. [99827]
Mr. Alan Howarth
[holding answer 26 November 1999]: The Department is at present implementing resource accounting and values have been derived from audited accounting information. The first year of published resource accounts will be in respect of 1999-2000.
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The Net Book Value of assets held by the Department as at the end of March 1999 was £40.398 million (including the Royal Parks Agency). This figure relates to land, property and heritage assets in England only as my Department does not hold any such assets in Scotland.
The Heritage Assets held by the Department are valued at nil. These assets include Trafalgar Square, Apsley House, part of Osborne House, Wellington Arch, Marble Arch and nine statues (and the Government Art Collection, which has some 11,500 items).
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reasons the Bournemouth Sinfonietta's funding has been ended. [100791]
Mr. Alan Howarth:
The Arts Council announced on 13 October its plans for giving the subsidised orchestras a fresh start backed by at least £10 million to enable them to move to a more flexible way of working and to enable them to have scope to offer a more imaginative repertoire to audiences. The Council made it clear at the time of the announcement that they would be in immediate discussions with Bournemouth about a new model for their work. Out of those discussions has come the decision by the Bournemouth Orchestra's Board to close the Sinfonietta as a regrettable preliminary to securing the long-term future for orchestral provision in the South and South-West.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the Legal Aid Board's policy is on seeking possession of vacant properties when an outstanding debt to the Board is secured against the property. [100123]
Mr. Lock:
The Legal Aid Board secures debts against property in a number of circumstances.
Where an assisted person wins his or her case but some costs are outstanding, section 16 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 allows the Board to recover them from the property that was in dispute, through the "statutory charge". Where the assisted person's home was in dispute, or the winnings in the case are to be used to purchase a home for the assisted person, enforcement can be postponed and the Board will register a charge against the home. In those circumstances the property in question is not vacant. Should it become vacant, the Board will expect the property to be sold and the statutory charge paid off immediately.
The other circumstances are: where the court has made a costs order in favour of an assisted person, and the Board is seeking costs from the other side; where the assisted person has failed to make the required contributions towards the cost of their legal aid; where a legal aid certificate has been revoked, in which case the full cost of the help given has to be repaid; and where an assisted person has been granted an emergency certificate but has not been given a full certificate. In all these
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circumstances the Board can secure debts owed to it on any property, including vacant property, and will be in the same position as any other secured creditor.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the average length of time between debts to the Legal Aid Board being secured against domestic property and being settled. [100124]
Mr. Lock:
The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the value is of debts to the Legal Aid Board that are secured against (a) domestic property and (b) vacant domestic property. [100125]
Mr. Lock:
The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. As at 31 March 1999, the principle value of all debts to the Legal Aid Board that are secured by way of the statutory charge was £206,792,000. The total value of other secured debts to the Board, in respect of liabilities such as unpaid contributions, costs owned under revoked certificates, or costs awards in favour of assisted persons, is not recorded centrally.
Aikido, American Football, Angling, Archery, Arm Wrestling, Association Football, Athletics, Australian Rules Football, Badminton, Ballooning, Baseball, Basketball, Baton Twirling, Biathlon, Bicycle Polo, Billiards and Snooker, Bobsleigh, Boccia, Bowls, Boxing, Camogie, Canoeing, Caving, Chinese Martial Arts, Cricket, Croquet, Crossbow, Curling, Cycling, Disability Sport, Dragon Boat Racing, Equestrian, Fencing, Fives, Flying, Gaelic Football, Gliding, Golf, Gymnastics, Handball, Hang/Para Gliding, Highland Games, Hockey, Horse Racing, Hovering, Hurling, Ice Hockey, Ice Skating, Jet Skiing, Ju Jitsu, Judo, Kabaddi, Karate, Kendo, Korfball, Lacrosse, Lawn Tennis, Life Saving, Luge, Modern Pentathlon, Motor Cycling, Motor Sports, Mountaineering, Movement, Dance and Fitness, Netball, Orienteering, Parachuting, Pentaque, Polo, Pony Trekking, Pool, Quoits, Racketball, Rackets, Racquetball, Rambling, Real Tennis, Roller Hockey, Roller Skating, Rounders, Rowing, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Sailing, Sand/Land Yachting, Shinty, Shooting, Skateboarding, Skiing, Skipping, Snowboarding, Softball, Sombo Wrestling, Squash, Skater/Street Hockey, Sub-Aqua, Surf Life Saving, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tang Soo Do, Tenpin Bowling, Trampolining, Triathlon, Tug Of War, Unihoc, Volleyball, Water Skiing, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Yoga.
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