| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Millennium Commission
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) on what date, and by whom, instructions were first given to the Millennium Commission with regard to the holding of, and management of, reserves; [148658]
- (2) what reserves were held by the Millennium Commission on 31 December (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000; and what plans there are for the (i) management and (ii) disposal of these reserves. [148657]
Mr. Chris Smith: This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I will write to the right hon. Member in my capacity as Chairman of the Commission, and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of both Houses.
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 447W
New Opportunities Fund
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list for each of the past 12 months (a) income and (b) expenditure of the New Opportunities Fund; and what the latest figure is for his (i) unused and (ii) uncommitted reserves of that fund. [148860]
Kate Hoey: Monthly income and expenditure figures from January to December 2000 are shown in the table. At 31 December 2000 the New Opportunities Fund's cumulative income since its establishment in July 1998 was £724 million, including interest; £636 million has been awarded as grants. The balance available in the National Lottery Distribution Fund is £553 million, of which £511 million is committed to grant recipients.
(1) An adjustment to hard commitments in August created the credit balance
Note:
Hard commitments outstanding at 31 December 2000 were £277,621,583.01
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 448W
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the New Opportunities Fund grants to schools in the Harrow, West constituency in each year since May 1997. [148324]
Kate Hoey: The New Opportunities Fund has made five awards to projects in the Harrow, West constituency through the Out of School Hours Child care programme, totalling £91,674. Details of awards are shown in the table.
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 447W
| Date of Award | School | Organisation Running Project | Amount (£) | Provision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Earlsmead F and M School | Earlsmead F and M School | 3,559 | 16 before and 16 after school places for children aged 5 to 14 years old |
| 1999 | Harrow High School and St. Gregory's High School | Kufi Educational Service | 10,000 | Summer School |
| 2000 | St. George's School | St. George's School and Parents and Staff Association | 23,200 | 35 additional after school, 20 before school and 20 holiday places for children aged 3 to 11 years old |
| 2000 | Schools local to Rayners Lane Estate | Rayners Lane Estate Tenants and Residents Association | 6,915 | 25 place holiday club for children ages 5 to 11 years old |
| 2000 | Kenmore park First School, Roxeth Manor Middle School and Horsenden School | Chosen Generation Services | 48,000 | 84 after school and 40 before school places for children aged 3 to 11 years old |
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 447W
The Fund has also allocated £718,884 to Harrow local education authority under the Information and Communications Technology Training for Teachers programme.
Playing Fields
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish a report on the findings of the Playing Fields Monitoring Group. [148696]
Kate Hoey: The Playing Fields Monitoring Group has met three times since being established in April last year. The Group is currently working to produce a comprehensive and unified set of statistics from the DfEE, DETR and Sport England on playing fields, which will
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 448W
give a clear indication of the position of playing field disposals for publication later this year. I should like to pay tribute to the assistance which the Central Council of Physical Recreation and the National Playing Fields Association are providing to the work of the Group.
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the oral answer of 22 January 2001, Official Report, column 637, to the right hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones), what criteria are used by his Department to define school playing fields. [148698]
Kate Hoey: In the context of my answer of 22 January 2001, Official Report, column 637, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones), my Department uses the definition of school playing fields as
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 449W
set out in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999. These Regulations define school team game playing fields as
- "any playing fields within the meaning (in relation to both England and Wales) of section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 which, having regard to their configuration, are suitable for the playing of team games and which are laid out for that purpose."
PRIME MINISTER
Mobile Phone Industry
Mr. Green: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the meetings he has had with representatives of the mobile phone industry since 1 January 2000. [148532]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 5 February 2001]: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals. As with previous Administrations it is not my practice to provide details of all such meetings.
Hinduja Brothers
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress made by the inquiry conducted by Sir Anthony Hammond; and what representations he has received relating to the scope of the inquiry. [148952]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her right hon. and hon. Friends by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 30 January 2001, Official Report, column 167W.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister if he will notify Sir Anthony Hammond of the information he has received from the Intelligence services on the Hinduja brothers. [148388]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 2 February 2001, Official Report, column 335W.
ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Road Surfaces
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions which sections of concrete roads are planned to be surfaced with quieter materials in the financial year beginning in April 2001; and what criteria were used to select them for priority treatment. [145445]
Mr. Hill: The Highways Agency is consulting on proposed criteria for prioritising the resurfacing of concrete roads with quieter materials to meet the Government's commitment that all concrete trunk roads will be resurfaced within 10 years. As indicated in the Agency's consultation letter, copies of which are in the
6 Feb 2001 : Column: 450W
Libraries of the House, the sections of concrete roads that are planned to be resurfaced in the financial year beginning April 2001 are:
- M5: part of Junction 26 to Junction 27
- M25: Junction 26 to Junction 27
- M27: Junction 2 to Junction 4 (both directions)
- M42: Junction 9 to Junction 10 (northbound)
- A1: Winthorpe to north Muskham
- A12: part of a section from M25 to Witham (Essex).
Waste Incinerators
Mr. Temple-Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the relationship between the temperature at which municipal solid waste incinerators burn and the impact on the health of local residents associated with emissions from such incinerators; and if he will make a statement. [147509]
Mr. Meacher: There have been no specific studies focusing directly on the relationship between the burn temperature of an incinerator and the health of local residents.
Temperature is not the only factor affecting emissions. It is an important component but the content of emissions is also reliant on residence time within the secondary chamber, the associated oxygen content and the turbulence of gases within this chamber.
The UK is ultimately concerned with emissions, rather than temperature in its own right. The new Waste Incineration Directive sets a minimum temperature for operation but acknowledges that this need not be met where the required emissions limit values can be achieved notwithstanding. The UK will transpose this Directive into domestic legislation by 28 December 2002.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |