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Sports Funding

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many young people from (a) the south-east, (b) London and (c) the UK have been given financial assistance for training for national squads in (i) boxing, (ii) cricket and (iii) football in the current financial year. [158210]

Mr. Chris Smith: The financial assistance provided by Sport England to assist young people with the potential to reach the national squads is currently provided through the lottery funded world class programmes: performance, potential and start.

The funding is provided to both the national governing body for the main costs associated with the programmes and also to individual athletes included in the plans.

In the current financial year, boxing has been awarded funding for world class performance, potential and start. The potential squad includes 14 young people around the ages of 18/19 who are receiving individual financial assistance. Two are from the south-east, one of whom is from London. Cricket similarly has been awarded financial support for its world class programmes. However, while no young people currently receive individual assistance they will benefit from the £2 million programme award. Football does not have a world class programme due to the lack of financial need, which therefore means that no young people currently receive financial assistance through the world class programmes.

Helplines

Mr. Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what telephone helplines to assist the public are administered by his Department and its agencies. [159507]

Mr. Chris Smith: My Department operates a public enquiry unit to assist the public. The unit can be reached on 020 7211 6200 or at [e-mail].

The Department and the Royal Parks Agency operate no other helplines.

Creative Industries Task Force

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the membership and terms of reference of the creative industries taskforce; what publications and reports have been completed to date; what work is under way; and what measures the group has taken to promote creative works among members of ethnic minorities, including the Irish community in Britain. [159554]

Janet Anderson: The creative industries taskforce was established in 1997. Its terms of reference were

"to provide a forum in which Government Ministers could come together with a few senior industry figures to assess the value of the creative industries, analyse their needs in terms of Government policies and identify ways of maximising their economic impact".

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It commissioned the first creative industries mapping documents, published in November 1998, and agreed a work programme in December 1998 to analyse key generic issues impacting on the creative industries.

The reports and publications commissioned by the creative industries task force were:

Creative Industries Mapping Document, November 1998


Exports: Our Hidden Potential, November 1999


UK Television Exports Inquiry, November 1999


Internet Inquiry: Snapshot of a Rolling Wave, February 2000

The Regional Dimension: the Report of the Regional Issues Working Group, February 2000


Report from the Intellectual Property Group of the Creative Industries Task Force, March 2000


Your Creative Future, April 2000


Report on the Finance Conference: Connecting Creativity with Capital, May 2000


Creative Industries Mapping Document, March 2001.

Having fulfilled its initial remit, the taskforce was wound up in June 2000. The work of ensuring its analysis is turned into action is now being carried forward by the ministerial creative industries strategy group, whose current membership is:

Right hon. Chris Smith, MP


Right hon. Hilary Armstrong, MP


Patricia Hewitt, MP


Stephen Timms, MP


Janet Anderson, MP


Dr. Kim Howells, MP


Michael Wills, MP


Baroness Scotland of Asthal


Michael McGimpsey, MLA


Jenny Randerson, AM


Allan Wilson, MSP.

In terms of activities currently under way, we are working with Universities UK towards establishing a creative industries higher education forum to promote better communication between education and industry; we are encouraging the development of innovative approaches to funding creative businesses and are planning a finance good practice workshop this summer; we are examining the possibility of organising a workshop on creative industries in a rural environment to be held this autumn; we will shortly report to the better regulation taskforce on the regulatory burden facing creative businesses; Scottish Enterprise has identified the creative industries as a key industry cluster and announced a £25 million support programme over five years; the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure, in partnership with three other Departments in the Northern Ireland Assembly, has launched a consultation exercise called "Unlocking Creativity" providing a career path from school to work; and we have established a creative industries statistical review group to consider how to improve data collection on the creative industries.

We are also encouraging regional players such as the regional development agencies and cultural consortiums to work together to maximise the potential of the creative industries in their area, and similarly with local authorities, in terms of developing their cultural strategies.

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Through efforts at these levels, we look to promote creative opportunity for all, including the Irish community in Britain.

Analogue Switchover

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to include in the forthcoming communication Bill a statutory duty on OFCOM to promote (a) take up of digital television and (b) early analogue switchover date. [159600]

Janet Anderson [holding answer 30 April 2001]: The Government are committed to encouraging the take-up of digital television and the early switchover from analogue to digital television so that the benefits of digital broadcasting can be universally available. Many responses to the communications White Paper, "A New Future for Communications", argued that we should place a specific duty on OFCOM to achieve this. We are currently considering them.

World Cup 2002

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has held with the Kirch group about their proposals to restrict the viewing of World cup 2002 matches to pay-per-view only. [159830]

Kate Hoey: We understand that the Kirch group intends to hold an open auction for the live UK broadcasting rights to the 2002 World cup finals tournament but that they intend to comply with the UK listed event legislation. Through correspondence and a meeting with officials, we have made the Kirch group fully aware of the extent of this legislation: that the whole of the World cup finals tournament (all 64 matches) is a listed event, and that any broadcaster purchasing live rights from Kirch would have to comply with the provisions of the 1996 Broadcasting Act.

Regional Arts Councils

Dr. Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has held with the Arts Council about their proposals to reorganise regional arts councils. [159831]

Mr. Alan Howarth: My right hon. Friend and I were consulted by the chairman and chief executive of the Arts Council prior to the recent announcement of the proposed changes and further discussion will occur as the proposals develop.

Special Advisers

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many special advisers worked in his Department from 1997 to date. [160030]

Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 1 May 2001]: Since 3 May 1997, no more than two special advisers have been in post at any one time.

Inheritance Tax

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the allocations of items accepted in lieu of inheritance tax, made in the financial

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year 2000-01 under sections 9(3) and (4) of the National Heritage Act 1980. [160256]

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Mr. Alan Howarth: The information that my hon. Friend requests is as follows:

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Allocations made under National Heritage Act 9(3) of items accepted in lieu of tax in the financial year 2000-01--permanent allocations

Item	To whom permanently allocated
Paintings by Jan Steen, Aelbert Cuyp and Adriaen van Ostade	The National Trust for display at Waddesdon Manor and Ascott
A collection of mostly 18th and 19th century architectural drawings	Victoria and Albert Museum
A pair of rococo silver candelabra and a 17th century silver tankard	Victoria and Albert Museum
A group of Limoges Renaissance enamels	The National Trust for display at Waddesdon Manor
Paintings by Jan van Goyen	National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (Walker Art Gallery)
Five sculptures by Barbara Hepworth	Fitzwilliam Museum (three on display at Snape, Suffolk and one at Churchill College)
A silver-gilt William and Mary communion set	Winchester Cathedral
Two paintings by William Gear	Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Four portraits of the Meynell family by Francis Grant and John Hoppner	Temple Newsam House, Leeds
Two Longton Hall 'Snowman' figures	Stoke on Trent, Potteries Museum
Cimabue: Virgin and Child Enthroned	National Gallery
Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger: Portrait of an Unknown Woman	Tate
The Dacre Beasts	Victoria and Albert Museum
Henry Moore: Mother and Child	Leeds City Art Gallery
William Gomm Library Furniture	Stoneleigh Abbey Preservation Trust
Richard Wilson: Landscape	National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (Walker Art Gallery)
George Romney: Viscountess Bulkeley as Hebe	National Museum and Gallery, Cardiff
Thomas Jones: Landscape	National Museum and Gallery, Cardiff

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Allocations made under National Heritage Act 9(4) of items accepted in lieu of tax in the financial year 2000-01--temporary allocations (and not yet superseded by a permanent direction)

Item	To whom temporarily allocated
Chippendale and Adam Chairs	National Gallery of Scotland for Duff House
The archive of Sir Ernest Makins and Baron Sherfield	Bodleian Library, Oxford University
Three mediaeval books	The National Library of Scotland
Walter Smith: The Wydow Edith (1525)	British Library
The Wentworth Muniments	Sheffield Record Office and North Yorkshire Record Office
A 14th century ivory mirror back	Victoria and Albert Museum
John Crome: Fishmarket at Boulogne	Norwich, The Castle Museum
Metsu: Lady at a Spinet	English Heritage for display at Kenwood
Tinteretto: Portrait of an Unknown Man	Leighton House, Kensington
George Stubbs: Lord Rockingham's Arab Stallion	National Gallery of Scotland
George Ehret: Deliciae Botanicae	National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside
Hendrick Goltzius: Drawing	National Gallery of Scotland
Three mediaeval books	National Library of Scotland
A collection of 18th century Scottish silver	National Museum of Scotland
A Norwegian 14th century ivory crozier head	Victoria and Albert Museum
Land at Ham Hill, Somerset	South Somerset District Council

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