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Foot and Mouth (Tourism)

Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with (a) the British Tourist Authority and (b) other tourist bodies regarding the impact of foot and mouth disease on the tourist trade. [157027]

Janet Anderson: Close contact is being maintained with the British Tourist Authority on the impact of foot and mouth disease on the tourism trade. In addition, we have been in frequent contact with tourism industry

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representatives both at formal meetings and through visits around the country; for example, on 5 April 2001 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hosted a summit meeting of industry representatives to discuss foot and mouth.

Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the impact of foot and mouth disease on non-rural tourism in Britain. [157030]

Janet Anderson: We are making inquiries of a range of tourism-related bodies to determine the impact of foot and mouth disease on both rural and non-rural tourism businesses. This research is at an early stage but it would seem that while the responses are very variable, it is clear that many businesses have been affected.

Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had with official veterinary agencies of foreign Governments on the giving of advice on travel to the United Kingdom. [157029]

Janet Anderson: My Department has not had discussions with any official veterinary agencies of foreign Governments.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through its posts overseas, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have been in close contact with veterinary authorities, agriculture ministries and other parts of government worldwide to reassure them that, provided individuals observe the standard guidance on travel to the countryside, there is no reason why visitors should not travel to the UK.

Lindisfarne Gospels

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the British Museum about exhibiting the Lindisfarne Gospels in the north of England: and if he will seek the inclusion of Holy Island in any future programme to exhibit the Gospels outside London. [156969]

Mr. Alan Howarth: The Lindisfarne Gospels are a national treasure. They are the property of the British Library under the British Library Act 1972. We appreciate the particular importance of the Gospels to the people of the North-East where they have been exhibited recently. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently met a delegation, led by the Bishop of Durham. Following that meeting, my right hon. Friend has written to the Chairman of the British Library inviting them to discuss with the delegation the feasibility of exhibiting the Gospels in the North-East on a more regular basis. No doubt the question of an exhibition of the Gospels on Holy Island could form part of such a discussion.

Music Librarians

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures he is taking to encourage the recruitment and retention of music librarians by public libraries; and if he will make a statement. [157562]

Mr. Chris Smith: My responsibility under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 is to ensure that library authorities in England meet their statutory duty to provide

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a "comprehensive and efficient" public library service. The day-to-day management of library services, however, is for library authorities, who must make their own decisions about the detailed nature of the library service they provide, based on local resources and priorities. This includes such matters as the numbers, grading and qualifications of staff, and where they are employed within the library service.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authorities employ full-time music librarians; and how many did so in 1996-97. [157563]

Mr. Chris Smith: This information is not collected centrally. The CIPFA Public Library Statistics, which are available in the Library of the House, provide information on the numbers of professional, other non-manual and manual posts in public libraries but do not identify the numbers of posts in the various libraries and departments of any library authority.

Concessionary Television Licences

Mr. Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to amend the regulations governing the Accommodation for Residential Care concessionary television licence scheme to prevent residents losing their entitlement to the concession following changes introduced by their housing managers. [157854]

Mr. Chris Smith: A number of hon. Members have expressed concern about residents in sheltered accommodation losing their entitlement to the £5 Accommodation for Residential Care television licence fee concession, as the result of changes to the way their accommodation is provided or managed. The Government share these concerns. We propose to introduce measures to preserve the rights of beneficiaries of the concessionary scheme who remain in a sheltered housing complex or residential home provided or managed by a local authority, a housing association or a development corporation, when the social mix or the level of warden cover change. We are consulting with the BBC on the formulation of the necessary amendments to the regulations governing the concessionary scheme.

UK Standards Authority for Sport

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the establishment of the UK Standards Authority for Sport; and what the membership is of the authority. [156487]

Kate Hoey: Over recent months, I have been in discussion with sporting and medical experts over whether there is a need for a UK Standards Authority for Sport and Exercise Medicine which could ensure that adequate standards are in place to minimise the risk of injury or illness through sport.

In order to consider current provision, and whether such an authority should be established, I have convened a working group who will meet over the next few months to explore the key issues involved. The working group will then make recommendations to me on whether there is a need for a UK Standards Authority for Sport and Exercise Medicine, and if so what its role and remit might be, and how it might be established.

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Under the chairmanship of Sir Oliver Popplewell, the group met for the first time on 27 March and have now begun a process of consultation with experts from a range of medical and sporting backgrounds.

The other members of the working group are David Oxley, OBE, Chairman of the Central Council for Physical Recreation; Peter Hamlyn, consultant neurosurgeon; Professor Donald Macleod, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons; Dr. Stephanie Cook, MBE, modern pentathlon gold medal winner at Sydney 2000; Dr. Nick Webborn, Medical Adviser for the National Sport Medicine Institute; and Karen Hambly, Sports Medicine Co-ordinator for the UK Sports Institute.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

India

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about the (a) medical supplies and (b) other help the UK sent to India following the recent earthquake there. [157411]

Clare Short: During my statement in the House on Monday 29 January I announced an overall allocation of up to £10 million to support the emergency relief effort in Gujarat without reducing spending in other parts of India. To date nearly £9 million of the total allocation has been spent.

We provided immediate support to the Search and Rescue effort with a UK team of 69 personnel as well as supporting the Russian Ministry of Emergencies to deploy a team of 75 with an airmobile hospital. In addition we transported numerous relief items to the region (on behalf of agencies such as the Red Cross and Save the Children Fund) including medical supplies, tents and plastic sheeting. We have also channelled funds through a number of agencies for the provision of essential relief items such as tents, blankets, medical supplies, food, water and sanitation. We also established an Emergency Field Office in Gujarat to monitor DFID funded projects and ensure effective targeting of relief assistance.

TREASURY

Homosexual Couples

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to treat inheritance tax for homosexual couples in the same way as for heterosexuals. [157486]

Dawn Primarolo: The inheritance tax rules make no special provision for couples, whatever their sexual orientation. Spouse relief is available for transfers between partners in a marriage; we have no plans to alter the scope of this relief.

Office of Government Commerce

Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set for the OGCbuying.solutions trading fund for 2001-02. [158058]

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Mr. Andrew Smith: I am pleased to announce that the new Office of Government Commerce trading fund, OGCbuying.solutions, came into being on 3 April 2001. The new trading fund is based on The Buying Agency, but includes certain managed services provided in the past by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency. I announced the creation of OGCbuying.solutions in a written answer on 19 December 2000, Official Report, column 162W.

I have set the following challenging targets for the trading fund for 2001-02.

OGCbuying.solutions: Targets for 2001-02

1. By comparison over a representative basket of goods and services bought regularly by central Government, the Agency will demonstrate that it offers on average a 5 per cent. price advantage, on a like for like basis, to users of its contracts.

2. The Agency will put in place tools to measure and an action plan to improve the match between its range of contracts and the needs of central civil Government.

3. The Agency will increase the proportion of its business done with central civil Government by 10 per cent. by 31 March.

4. The Agency will ensure 90 per cent. of the goods and services offered through its catalogues are available for electronic ordering by customers. Furthermore the Agency will put in place an incentivisation scheme aimed at increasing dramatically the take-up of e-commerce by its customers.

5. The Agency will achieve levels of customer satisfaction above 90 per cent. as measured by regular customer feedback.

6. The Agency will generate 8 per cent. Return On Capital Employed (ROCE).

7. To explore options for collaborative PPP arrangements to implement an e-commerce system to enhance the service to customers.

A copy of the new framework document for OGCbuying.solutions has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. A copy of their business plan for 2001 can be found on their website: http://ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk.

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