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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 21 December 2000
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Allocation of Funds
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been allocated to (a) charities by the National Lottery and (b) sports clubs by Sport England, by constituency, since 1998. [141949]
Kate Hoey: I have placed copies of a table showing National Lottery awards to registered charities and by Sport England since 1 January 1998 to each UK parliamentary constituency in the Libraries of both Houses. These tables are taken from my Department's National Lottery Awards Database, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributing bodies. It is not possible to separately identify awards to sports clubs from other awards made by Sport England. Awards by Sport England to charities appear in both columns.
Communications White Paper
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to whom copies of the Communications White Paper were supplied before 15.30 on 12 December other than the Vote Office of the House of Commons. [143403]
Janet Anderson [holding answer 20 December 2000]: In accordance with paragraph 92 of the Ministerial Code copies of the Communications White Paper were made available outside Government before 15.30 on 12 December, but embargoed until that time, as follows.
A number of journalists were invited to read the White Paper on 12 December in a Government conference room, which was locked until the Secretary of State made his Statement to the House.
I understand that one copy was also made available to each of those who had been most closely involved in the development of the White Paper: the Office of Telecommunications; the Office of Fair Trading; the Independent Television Commission; the Radio Authority; the Broadcasting Standards Commission; the Governors of the BBC; the National Consumer Council; and the group of eight expert advisers.
Copies were also made available to: the spokesmen of the main political parties in both Houses; the First Minister of Scotland; the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales; the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly; the Chairmen of the Culture, Media and Sport and Trade and Industry Select Committees; and through the usual channels.
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Ministerial Travel
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list, for each year since 1995, the numbers of flights including helicopter flights taken by Ministers within his Department for UK and overseas visits; on how many occasions (a) charter flights were used and (b) first and club class tickets obtained; and who accompanied the Ministers on each trip. [143868]
Mr. Chris Smith: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Free Television Licences
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements he is making to extend free television licences for people aged over 75 to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. [144032]
Janet Anderson: The cost of providing free television licences in the United Kingdom will be met from public funds. Whether or not to fund such a concession in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man is a matter for the island authorities. Free television licences for the over-75s have already been introduced in the Isle of Man and the Guernsey authorities have announced their intention in principle to introduce this concession.
Departmental Projects
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the projects undertaken for his Department by (a) outside consultants, (b) academic researchers and (c) university departments since 1 May 1997, giving the total expenditure incurred in each category. [144071]
Mr. Chris Smith: We are tabulating the information requested, and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.
CABINET OFFICE
Regulatory Compliance Costs
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans the Deregulation Unit has to consider the costs of regulatory compliance borne by not-for-profit organisations, with special reference to the Bolton and District Hospital Saturday. [143680]
Mr. Stringer: In 1998, the Prime Minister announced that no regulatory proposal with an impact on business, charities or the voluntary sector should be considered by Ministers without a thorough assessment of the costs, benefits and risks. This process of regulatory impact assessment was strengthened in August 2000 with the publication of rigorous new guidance which separates policy and compliance costs and helps ensure that regulations are fair, meaningful and simple to understand.
In addition the Public Sector Team, within the Regulatory Impact Unit, has carried out extensive work in conjunction with other Departments to reduce the burden
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of red tape and bureaucracy on front-line public sector workers. This includes a current study on GPs' paperwork.
Charities (Internet)
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps have been taken by the office of the e-envoy to encourage the effective use of the internet by charities and not-for-profit organisations. [143689]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The UK online report, produced by the office of the e-envoy, contains 25 recommendations for action by Government to encourage people and organisations in all sectors of the UK economy to make effective use of the internet. The report, and updates on progress, can be found at www.e-envoy.gov.uk.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what research has been commissioned by the office of the e-envoy into the use of the internet by charities and not-for-profit organisations. [143690]
Mr. Ian McCartney: The "Virtual Society?" programme funded by the Economic and Social Research Council includes a research project on re-shaping the voluntary and community sectors in the information age. Further details are available on the "Virtual Society?" website at www.virtualsociety.sbs.ox.ac.uk.
Ministerial Travel
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list, for each year since 1995, the number of flights, including helicopter flights, taken by Ministers within her Department for UK and overseas visits; on how many occasions (a) charter flights were used and (b) first and club class tickets obtained; and who accompanied the Ministers on each trip. [143867]
Marjorie Mowlam: Ministers are under a duty to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. This Government have given a commitment to publish an annual list of visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing more than £500 as well as an annual figure on spend by all Ministers on overseas visits. The list for 1999-2000 was published on 28 July 2000, Official Report, column 969W.
Detailed information in the form requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
'Modernising Government' White Paper
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much for each financial year from 1998-99 until the latest date for which sums have been allocated, her Department has spent and expects to spend on the implementation of the 'Modernising Government' White Paper. [143695]
Mr. Ian McCartney: Amounts used by Departments for the implementation of the White Paper on Modernising Government are integral and not separately identifiable within the resources allocated in the Comprehensive Spending Review and the Spending Review 2000. These and departmental plans are set out in the respective White Papers, "Modern Public Services for Britain", Cm 4011, "Public Services for the Future",
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Cm 4181, and "Spending Review 2000", Cm 4807 and Cm 4808. Details of individual departmental outturns are available in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper for 1999-2000 Cm 4812.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
British Carpets
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to support and encourage the export of British carpets. [143167]
Mr. Alan Johnson: My Department, through Trade Partners UK, the joint Department of Trade and Industry/Foreign and Commonwealth Office organisation responsible for export promotion, provides a full range of export promotion services which are fully available to the carpet sector. In particular, TPUK is providing assistance through Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad (SESA) to 15 UK carpet companies exhibiting at DOMOTEX in Hanover on 13-16 January 2001.
Minimum Wage
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many calls were made to the minimum wage hotline in each month since its inception. [143423]
Mr. Alan Johnson: The following table gives the number of calls made to the national minimum wage telephone helpline for each month since the national minimum wage was introduced on 1 April 1999.
| 1999 | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| January | -- | 4,308 |
| February | -- | 5,154 |
| March | -- | 6,461 |
| April | 40,715 | 6,480 |
| May | 11,919 | 6,879 |
| June | 10,473 | 8,779 |
| July | 8,409 | 6,069 |
| August | 5,906 | 5,145 |
| September | 6,405 | 8,566 |
| October | 5,204 | 9,159 |
| November | 5,138 | 4,577 |
| December | 2,878 | -- |
In addition, a private sector helpline took some 50,000 calls between January and March 1999.
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