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Wembley Stadium

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the prospects for opening the new stadium at Wembley. [150337]

Kate Hoey [holding answer 13 February 2001]: I understand the Football Association and Wembley National Stadium Ltd. are currently holding discussions with their financial advisers on when to restart the process of loan syndication. The timing of this is entirely a matter for them.

Regional Film Theatres

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to

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ensure that publicly funded regional film theatres do not compete unfairly with the purely commercial sector; and if he will make a statement. [150544]

Mr. Chris Smith: Regional film theatres tend to show a wider range of films than commercial cinemas. Public funds also support screenings for minority audiences or for educational purposes and in rural areas. There are also initiatives between public and commercial sectors aimed at making available a broader programme at mainstream cinemas. I am not aware of any difficulties arising from these longstanding policies. The Film Council is developing a strategy for cinema exhibition which it aims to complete by September, building on the work of the British Film Institute.

Digital TV (Audio-described Programmes)

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he plans to make available to blind and partially sighted people equipment for the reception of audio described programmes for digital TV. [150270]

Janet Anderson: No. The Government's role is to set the legislative framework within which audio description and other services for people with sensory impairments can be provided. Requiring broadcasters to meet statutory targets is the most effectve and practicable way to ensure the provision and expansion of these services. We have recently announced plans to increase the target for subtitling on digital terrestrial television (DTT) to 80 per cent. of programming and to extend the current targets for subtitling, signing and audio description on DTT to digital cable and digital satellite when legislation permits. We also introduced half-price television licences for the blind last April.

Creative Partnerships

Valerie Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to make an announcement on creative partnerships. [151191]

Mr. Chris Smith: On Wednesday 21 February, I will announce the locations in which my Department plans to develop creative partnership pilots: an initiative which will provide sustained opportunities for schools to work in partnership with creative arts organisations and individuals. I will also give details of the local consultation that will begin in these areas to determine the partners involved. Copies of this announcement will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Flood Defences (Leicestershire)

Mr. Reed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the total expenditure on improving flood defences in the Soar Valley since the Easter 1998 floods. [149998]

Mr. Morley: In addition to their own expenditure of £156,000, the Environment Agency estimates that local authorities have spent approximately £1 million on improving flood defences in the Soar Valley since Easter 1998.

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Mr. Reed: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much has been spent by the Environment Agency on improving the flood defences in (a) Leicestershire and (b) the Soar Valley since Easter 1998. [149997]

Mr. Morley: I understand that since Easter 1998 the Environment Agency has spent some £840,000 on improving flood defences and warnings in Leicestershire, of which £156,000 was spent in the Soar Valley. In addition some £350,000 a year is spent on maintenance.

Fishing

Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the annual revenue generated by commercial fishing in the west country in each of the last three years. [149549]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 February 2001]: Following are the landings by the UK fleet into Devon, Cornwall and the Scilly Isles for the calendar years 1998-2000.

Year	£ million
1998	67.34
1999	53.79
2000	58.49

Departmental Expenditure Limit

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals there are to amend the Forestry Commission Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2000-01. [151102]

Mr. Morley: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class X, Vote 3 (Forestry Commission), the Forestry Commission Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2000-01 will be increased by £4,100,000, form £76,065,000 to £80,165,000. The increase is required to meet the net cost of a fall in receipts from sales of timber offset by savings in other net expenditure. The increase will be a charge on the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes are proposed to the gross running cost control and Departmental Expenditure Limits for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Intervention Board for 2000-01. [151232]

Mr. Nick Brown: The Gross Running Cost Control Limit for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will be decreased by £9,605,000 from £316,371,000 to £306,766,000 and the Gross Running Cost Control Limit for the Intervention Board will be increased by £954,000 from £70,092,000 to £71,046,000.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Intervention Board's joint Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £101,326,000 from £1,362,859,000 to £1,464,185,000.

The increase is the net effect of an Intervention Board (IB) increase of £83,884,000 comprising administration transfers of £980,000 from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and £120,000 from HM Customs and

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Excise and a transfer of £146,000 to the National Assembly for Wales Agriculture Department; and increases in programme provision of £71,489,000 for the Over Thirty Months Scheme (BSE), £398,000 for the Selective Cull Scheme (BSE) and £11,043,000 for Dairy Agrimonetary Compensation; and a net MAFF increase of £17,442,000 comprising an increase of £1,646,000 for the BSE Inquiry--funded by transfers from the Department of Health, the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Executive and the National Assembly for Wales; £2 million for flood defence works--being part of the £51 million Flood Defence package announced on 23 November 2000; £1.87 million from the Scottish Executive as a contribution to the development costs of web-based access to Cattle Traceability Scheme data; and £14.5 million in respect of the Agrimonetary Compensation scheme for Arable Area Payments announced on 2 November 2000. These increases are offset by net transfers to the DETR of £41,000 in respect of work carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA); £654,000 to the Department of Health in respect of surveillance work on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs); £470,000 to the Cabinet Office for Government Pathway costs; and a decrease of £429,000 in net provision for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) resulting from projects under the Wider Markets Initiative.

Within the DEL there will be a transfer of £980,000 from MAFF to IB to cover the cost of administrative work on Pig Welfare Disposal, Modernising Government and the Over Thirty Months Scheme (OTMS).

The Supplementary Estimate also provides a transfer of £5.691 million Supplementary Credit Approvals capital and £1.35 million programme provision from the MAFF non-voted DEL to voted DEL.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Departmental Expenditure Limit

Mr. Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for changes to the Departmental Expenditure Limits and Running Costs Limits for 2000-01. [151099]

Mr. Straw: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimates, the Departmental Expenditure Limit, which covers Class IV Vote 1 (Home Office administration, police, probation, immigration and other services, England and Wales) and Vote 2 (Prisons, England and Wales), will be increased by £66,499,000 from £8,867,256,000 to £8,933,755,000. The Running Costs Limit will be decreased by £6,000 from £2,353,684,000 to £2,353,678,000.

The changes are the net effect of the following transfers: £200,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) and £70,000 from the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) in respect of contributions for the Integrated Business Information Systems Unit; £130,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2), £29,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1), £23,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) and £76,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) in connection with Youth Justice Board inspections;

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£3,000,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) in respect of the reorganisation of responsibility for the Children and Family Court Advisory Services; £23,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1), £7,000 from the Scottish Executive and £3,000 from the Northern Ireland Office (Class XV Vote 1) towards membership costs of the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO); £3,500,000 from the Department of Social Security (Class XII Vote 2) in connection with housing benefit for residents in approved hostels; £32,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund and £32,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) for criminal justice system interface development; £112,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1) for the partnership development fund; £150,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) in support of the project "communicating with professional audiences"; £43,000 from the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1) for crime reduction costs; £39,000 to the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) for the funding of the drug service commissioners handbook and the Methadone Alliance and £120,000 in respect of the training of drug workers; £131,000 to the National Assembly for Wales (Class XIV Vote 1) in respect of drug projects to be supported by the Confiscated Assets Fund; £404,000 to the Single Intelligence Vote (Class XVII Vote 2) in respect of drug projects to be supported by the Confiscated Assets Fund; £21,700,000 from the Capital Modernisation Fund in respect of the Airwave project; £50,000 to the Department for Education and Employment (Class I Vote 1) for the Connexions Direct project; £99,000 from HM Customs and Excise (Class XVI Vote 4) £99,000 from the Department for Education and Employment (Class I Vote 1) and £221,000 from the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) towards the costs of drug action teams; £315,000 from the Department of Health (Class II Vote 2) for the recruitment of drug action teams; £1,130,000 to the Single Intelligence Vote (Class XVII Vote 2) as a contribution towards three overseas drugs prevention projects; £78,000 from the Scottish Executive as a contribution to the animal rights national index; £95,000 from the Electoral Commission (Class XVIIIC Vote 1) in respect of set up costs; £5,100,000 to the Scottish Executive in respect of local authority asylum support costs; £38,000,000 from the Department of Social Security (Class XII Vote 2) in respect of closure of the housing benefit loophole; £1,200,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service (Class V Vote 4) and £467,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) in respect of the youth justice pledge; £559,000 to the Cabinet Office (Class XVII Vote 1) to resource the news co-ordination centre; £860,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department (Class V Vote 1) following postponement of the transfer of warrant enforcement from the police; £306,000 from the DEL Reserve in respect of free travel for Metropolitan police officers; £14,200,000 in respect of expenditure from the Capital Modernisation Fund for an increase in prison capacity; £1,400,000 in respect of expenditure from the Capital Modernisation Fund on the video links project; and £2,000,000 from the Departmental Unallocation Provision to cover additional non-Voted expenditure on the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections.

The increase in the Department's running costs limit is the net effect of the following transfers: £200,000 from the Lord Chancellor's Department and £70,000 from the

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Crown Prosecution Service in respect of contributions for the Integrated Business Information Systems Unit; £130,000 to the Department of Health, £29,000 to the National Assembly for Wales, £23,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department and £76,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service in connection with Youth Justice Board inspections; £112,000 to the National Assembly for Wales for the partnership development fund; £50,000 to the Department of Health in support of the project "communicating with professional audiences"; £43,000 to the National Assembly for Wales for crime reduction costs; £95,000 from the Electoral Commission in respect of set up costs; £2,263,000 from capital expenditure provision in connection with the costs of the Sirius programme; £1,200,000 to the Crown Prosecution Service and £467,000 to the Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of the youth justice pledge; £465,000 to the Cabinet Office to resource the news co-ordination centre; and £125,000 from the Departmental Unallocated Provision to cover additional non-Voted expenditure on the 1999 European Parliamentary Elections.

These changes will be offset by transfers or a charge on the Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

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