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Lambeth and Southwark Sports Action Zone
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) priorities and (b) budget for the Lambeth and Southwark sports action zone are for 2001. [149511]
Kate Hoey: The key priority is to produce a detailed needs assessment for the zone. The zone manager, who was appointed in September 2000, has been working with key agencies and organisations--e.g. health and education action zones, local authorities and the police--as well as the local community to produce the assessment which will inform a five-year action plan. Key themes will be the
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contribution which sport can make to health, education and lifelong learning, social inclusion, regeneration and community safety.
The budget for the zone is £70,000 a year for five years, which is paying for the zone manager, administrative support and a small operational budget for the needs assessment. Future funding for the zone will be assessed against the provisions of the action plan, although in the meantime projects within the zone will remain eligible for consideration for funding from schemes such as capital awards, awards for all, the active communities development fund and the school sports co-ordinator programme. An award of £291,732 has been made under the school sports co-ordinators programme for the Lambeth and Southwark action zone.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure was in his Department for the financial years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99 and (d) 1999-2000, and what the planned expenditure and breakdown of expenditure for 2000-01 is on (i) public opinion research, (ii) television, radio and newspaper advertising and (iii) direct mail. [149258]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 8 February 2001]: My Department has let only one contract for public opinion research during the period in question. In order to preserve commercial confidentiality I am unable to provide details of the cost. The following table shows the cost of newspaper advertising to attract candidates for the many public appointments for which I am responsible.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 0 |
| 1997-98 | 0 |
| 1998-99 | 242,700 |
| 1999-2000 | 139,501 |
| 2000-01(1) | 72,000 |
| 2000-01(2) | 85,000 |
(1) Spend to date
(2) Planned spend
No expenditure has been either incurred or is planned for television or radio advertising or direct mail.
Press Releases
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many press releases were issued by his Department in the financial years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99 and (d) 1999-2000; how many have been issued in the current financial year; and what his estimate is of the total number for the current financial year. [149249]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 8 February 2001]: The number of press releases issued by my Department for the following financial years are as follows:
| Year | Press releases |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 411 |
| 1997-98 | 314 |
| 1998-99 | 334 |
| 1999-2000 | 294 |
Over the same period my Department has also issued 116 invitations to the media.
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For the current financial year 2000-01, my Department has issued 300 releases to date.
Television Reception
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many television licences were issued and how many licence holders were entitled to refunds on the basis of interference or bad reception for the last year for which figures are available. [149670]
Janet Anderson: Television licensing statistics relate to licences in force rather than licences issued. As at 31 March 2000, there were an estimated 23.3 million television licences in force. The licence fee is a payment for permission to install or use television to receive television programmes and not for the provision of a service. Refunds are therefore not available in cases of interference or poor reception.
"Seeing Salvation" Exhibition
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he made to the National Gallery regarding the content of the "Seeing Salvation" exhibition. [149697]
Mr. Chris Smith: I and the DCMS have warmly congratulated the National Gallery on the excellent and highly successful "Seeing Salvation" exhibition.
Lottery Grants
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the value to date of national lottery grant applications made by organisations in the London borough of Waltham Forest and the London borough of Redbridge; how many Lottery grant applications have been made by organisations in the London borough of Waltham Forest and the London borough of Redbridge; and how many lottery grant applications in Chingford and Woodford Green have been approved. [149826]
Kate Hoey: We have contacted the national lottery distributing bodies to request such information as they hold, 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.
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been paid out in grants, from lottery funds, to the (a) London borough of Waltham Forest and (b) London Borough of Redbridge in (i) cash terms and (ii) as a percentage of the London total. [149825]
Kate Hoey: According to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the national lottery awards database, the total amount awarded from the national lottery to recipients located in the London borough of Waltham Forest is £12,982,165, which amounts to 0.54 per cent. of the total amount awarded to the London region. The total amount awarded to recipients located in the London borough of Redbridge is £8,771,018, which amounts to 0.37 per cent. of the total amount awarded to the London region.
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SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Burnett: To ask the Solicitor-General when he proposes to conduct another survey into the morale of the Crown Prosecution Service; and if he will place details of the survey in the Library. [R] [149692]
The Solicitor-General: The CPS conducted its first staff attitude survey and stress audit in mid-2000. As a result, the CPS board agreed a number of measures to improve morale. Substantial additional resources available to the CPS next year will build on work that has already been done to alleviate the causes of stress.
The CPS recently published its commitment regularly to assess staff attitudes in its 2001-02 business plan and proposes to run further surveys to establish how staff perceptions have changed on a comparative basis. The next survey is planned for 2002, but no decisions have yet been made on the exact scope, extent or distribution arrangements for that survey.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces Pay Review Body
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the report and recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. [150175]
Mr. Hoon: The 2001 report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body has been published today. Copies of the report are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I wish to thank the chairman and members of the review body for their hard work in producing this report.
The AFPRB has recommended an increase in basic military salary of 3.7 per cent. for all ranks. The AFPRB has also recommended increases in the rates of additional pay (eg flying pay, submarine pay and diving pay) in the reserves' bounties, and in charges.
These recommendations fully support the armed forces strategic personnel policies, in particular in relation to recruitment and retention. The additional cost to the defence budget will be £222 million. This will be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.
The AFPRB's recommendations are to be accepted in full with implementation effective from 1 April 2001.
In addition, alongside the copies of the review body's report, I have placed in the Library a copy of a supplementary letter from the chairman of the AFPRB recommending the introduction of two financial retention incentives for certain categories of aircrew. The additional cost of these measures will be £16.8 million in 2001-02, which will also be met within existing departmental expenditure limits.
Sierra Leone
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many UK military personnel are deployed on the ground in Sierra Leone; [146483]
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- (2) if he will make a statement on the progress made in training of the Sierra Leone Army by the UK training teams. [146482]
Mr. Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2000, Official Report, column 89W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Mr. Shaw) and on 26 January 2001, Official Report, column 725W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell).
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