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Wembley Stadium

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with Wembley National Stadium Ltd. about the Government becoming a stakeholder in it; and if he will make a statement. [160280]

Mr. Chris Smith: I have had a number of recent discussions with the Football Association and Wembley National Stadium Ltd. about the Wembley Stadium project. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 2 May 2001, Official Report, columns 851-61.

Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a progress report on proposals for the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium. [160393]

Mr. Chris Smith: I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House on 2 May 2001, Official Report, columns 851-61.

Tourism Promotion

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the terms of the agreement are between the British Tourist Authority and the Premier League on promoting tourism. [160273]

Janet Anderson: The Premier League, concerned about the impact of foot and mouth disease on Britain's tourism industry, recently approached the British Tourist Authority with an offer to use the worldwide television coverage of its competition to help promote Britain to potential visitors from overseas. The exact details of the agreement are still under discussion between the BTA and the Premier League, but I understand that, among its provisions, BTA advertisements will appear on the perimeters of pitches in the 178 countries where Premiership games are screened.

BBC Fair Trading Policies

Mr. Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the outcome of the review of the BBC's fair trading policies; and if he will make a statement. [160693]

Mr. Chris Smith: Further to my written answer of 25 January 2001, Official Report, column 696W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, East and Saddleworth (Mr. Woolas) about an independent review of the BBC Commercial Policy Guidelines and Fair Trading Commitment by Richard Whish, Professor of Law at King's College, I am today publishing, jointly with the BBC, the findings of that review. Professor Whish has concluded from his scrutiny of the documentation that:

"the BBC's Fair Trading Commitment and the Guidelines are appropriate to ensure that the BBC does not distort competition in commercial markets."

Sir Christopher Bland has written to me on behalf of the BBC Governors to acknowledge the report's findings and to inform me that when the Guidelines are next reviewed they will take into account Professor Whish's suggested clarifications to the existing format.

He has also informed me that the BBC has been awarded the British Standards Institute's ISO 9001:2000 accreditation for its fair trading compliance procedures.

8 May 2001 : Column: 114W

I am arranging for copies of Professor Whish's report to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Working Group on Human Remains

Mr. Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will announce the membership and terms of reference of the Working Group on Human Remains. [160694]

Mr. Alan Howarth: I am delighted to do so. The main tasks of the Working Group on Human Remains will be to examine the current legal status of human remains within the publicly funded Museums and Galleries in the United Kingdom, to consider the desirability of a statement of principles (and supporting guidance) relating to the care and safekeeping of human remains and to the handling of requests for return, and to prepare a report for the Government.

The Membership of the Group will be:

Chairman: Professor Normal Palmer, Professor of Commercial Law, University College, London


Mr. Tristram Besterman--Director, Manchester University Museum, Convener, Museums Association Ethics Committee


Dr. Neil Chalmers--Director, The Natural History Museum


Dr. Maurice Davies--Deputy Director, Museums Association


Professor Caroline Forder--Professor of European Family Law, University of Maastricht


Mrs. Hetty Gleave--Solicitor, Hunters, Chair ArtResolve


Dr. Sally MacDonald--Manager, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, University College London


Dr. John Mack--Senior Keeper, British Museum

Professor Sir Peter Morris--Nuffield Professor of Surgery at the University of Oxford and President-elect of the Royal College of Surgeons of England


Dr. Laura Peers--Lecturer in Ethnology and Curator of Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford


Professor Marilyn Strathern--Department of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge.

The terms of reference for the Group are set out. The Government intend that the group should start work as soon as possible.

Terms of reference for Working Group on the Potential Return of Human Remains

To examine the current legal status of human remains within the collections of publicly funded Museums and Galleries in the United Kingdom.

To examine the powers of museums and galleries governed by statute to deaccession, or otherwise release from their possession, human remains within their collections and to consider the desirability and possible form of legislative change in this area.

To consider the circumstances in which material other than, but associated with, human remains might be properly included within any proposed legislative change in respect of human remains.

To take advice from interested parties as necessary.

Consider the desirability of a Statement of Principles (and supporting guidance) relating to the care and safekeeping of human remains and to the handling of requests for return. If the Panel considers appropriate, to draw up the terms of such a Statement and guidance.

To prepare a report for the Minister for the Arts and make recommendations as to proposals which might form the basis for a consultation document (to be used for consultation under the Regulatory Reform Bill).

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CABINET OFFICE

Helplines

Mr. Levitt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what telephone helplines to assist the public are administered by her Department and its agencies. [159500]

Marjorie Mowlam: The Cabinet Office has responsibility for the following telephone helplines:

1. An order line for reports from the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

2. An order line for printed Civil Service career information.

3. A delegate helpline for the "Women Unlimited" event run by the Women's Unit.

4. An order line for reports published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO).

5. An inquiry line for Civil Service pensioners.

6. Helplines for the public on foot and mouth disease and fuel availability.

COI Communications, which reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, includes telephone inquiry service management within its wider remit as the procurer of publicity services for Government. Overall authority for such services rests with the commissioning Department.

Ethnic Minority Monitoring

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to issue new guidance with respect to the inclusion of an Irish in Britain category in ethnic minority origin categories for monitoring purposes. [160323]

Mr. Stringer: For the purposes of monitoring the origin of employees in the Civil Service, the Cabinet Office has issued guidance to Departments and agencies that reflects the ethnicity categories in the Census 2001, including an Irish category.

The Office for National Statistics has published an interim standard classification of ethnic groups for Government statistics more generally. This also includes an Irish category.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Special Advisers

Mr. Evans: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many special advisers worked in his Department from 1997 to date. [160024]

Ms Quin [holding answer 1 May 2001]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 1 May 2001, Official Report, column 607W.

Mr. Evans: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the total cost was of employing special advisers in his Department from 1997 to date. [160042]

Ms Quin [holding answer 1 May 2001]: Since 3 May 1997, a total of five special advisers have worked in the Ministry, two when my right hon. Friend the Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) was Minister of Agriculture, and three since my right hon. Friend the Member for

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Newcastle upon Tyne, East and Wallsend (Mr. Brown) has been Minister. No more than two special advisers have been in post at any one time.

GM Communications Unit

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) when the GM communications unit was formed; [144347]

(2) if he will make a statement on the GM communications unit. [144264]

Mr. Nick Brown [holding answer 8 January 2001]: The GM communications unit in the Cabinet Office was set up in July 1999 to co-ordinate across government on GM issues and provide a one-stop shop for journalists. The Cabinet Office continues to play a co-ordinating role in GM policy.

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