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Religious Broadcasting

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to enable religious organisations to obtain a local digital licence. [1573]

Dr. Howells: The recent White Paper "A New Future for Communications" announced that the Government will bring forward legislation to allow religious bodies to hold a local terrestrial digital radio licence.

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is regarding the change from analogue radio licences to digital licences for (a) Christian broadcasters and (b) non-Christian broadcasters. [1574]

Dr. Howells: Religious bodies are currently disqualified from holding digital radio licences. The recent White Paper "A New Future for Communications" announced that the Government will bring forward

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legislation to allow religious bodies to hold a local digital licence and invited comments on relaxing the ownership of other licences by such bodies. We are currently considering the responses. The Government will publish details of their proposals in a draft Bill as announced in the Queen's Speech.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with United Christian Broadcasters about their desire to obtain a new licence. [1661]

Dr. Howells: None. However, the former Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Janet Anderson), met with representatives of United Christian Broadcasters several times. The last meeting was on 4 April.

School Sport

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with the Department of Education and Skills in relation to increasing the number of hours spent on sport in schools. [2151]

Mr. Caborn: DCMS and DfES have been working closely together to deliver a significant amount of investment to allow greater opportunity for young people to spend more time on sport in and outside of schools. Work to date includes the school sport co-ordinators programme, NOF's opportunities for young people: PE and sport in schools initiative, space for sport and arts and the action points on education contained within the Government's plan for sport, published earlier this year. In June, my officials met colleagues at DfES to discuss the framework for enabling schools to offer two hours of high quality PE and school sport to their pupils, as set out by the Prime Minister on 11 January this year. We will continue to work together to bring about improvements in physical education and in the time spent by children in sport and other forms of physical activity.

S4C

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Under-Secretary will next meet the senior management of S4C. [1756]

Dr. Howells: I am due to visit S4C in Cardiff on 10 July.

Cricket

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action she is taking to prevent further crowd trouble at international cricket matches. [1718]

Mr. Caborn: Following my meeting on 27 June with representatives of English cricket and my right hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Home Office, I have today appointed a review group to consider recent problems of disorder at cricket matches and make recommendations on practical measures for ensuring the safety of spectators and players. The group will be chaired by a senior official from my Department, and will include representatives of the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers and the cricket authorities. A representative of the Football Licensing Authority will

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join the group to provide expert guidance on issues of stadium safety. I expect the group to report to me within six weeks.

Free Television Licence Scheme

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in relation to extending the free television licence scheme to all pensioners. [2137]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no such discussions. The Government have no plans at the present to extend free television licences to pensioners below the age of 75.

Football Transfers

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the football authorities on proposed changes to the transfer system. [1662]

Mr. Caborn: I will be having introductory meetings with a number of football's governing bodies over the next few weeks, including the Football Association, the FA Premier League, the Football League and the Nationwide Conference. These discussions will cover a range of issues, among which will be the proposed changes to the international transfer system, on which FIFA and UEFA reached an in-principle agreement with the European Commission on 5 March. The Government support the sport's UK governing bodies in working with the international football authorities towards a new transfer framework which fully protects the interests of smaller clubs.

National Stadium

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Mr. Pickthall) of 25 June 2001, Official Report, column 37W, if the review of the Wembley Stadium project being undertaken by Mr. Patrick Carter covers the re-inclusion of an athletics facility. [1789]

Mr. Caborn: The terms of reference for the review published by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 25 July 2001 specifically excluded athletics from the scope of the review of the national stadium being undertaken by Patrick Carter.

Office of Communications

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to create a shadow office of communications prior to reform of broadcasting and media legislation. [1781]

Dr. Howells: As announced in the Queen's Speech on 20 June, a draft communications Bill will be published later this session. In the meantime we are looking at practical measures to ensure that the office of communications is able to assume regulatory functions as quickly as possible after that Bill receives Royal Assent.

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Children's Hospices

Dr. Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what will be the impact on children's hospices of the new opportunities funds. [1843]

Mr. Caborn: The new opportunities fund is currently developing a new grants programme for children's palliative care services. The programme, worth £48 million in England, will fund community, respite and bereavement services. It will provide grants to support new activities and to sustain existing good quality services which require a specific and time limited intervention. Children's hospices may be providers of these services, as may statutory sector providers and partnerships.

The new opportunities fund is currently consulting on the best way to deliver the programme and is required to commit the resources to projects by 2004.

The fund is also developing palliative care programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, although the split between services for children and services for adults has yet to be decided. The focus of the programme is currently the subject of consultation.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Jurors (Expenses)

Mr. Clapham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to review the out-of-pocket expenses of jurors. [1418]

Mr. Wills: The financial loss and subsistence allowances paid to jurors are reviewed on an annual basis. The increase from the most recent review came into effect on 4 June of this year.

"Making Decisions"

Lynne Jones: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when she plans to introduce legislation to implement the proposals in "Making Decisions" (Cm 4465). [1476]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government recognise the need for a fundamental reform of mental incapacity law and will therefore introduce legislation to implement the proposals in "Making Decisions" when parliamentary time allows.

HEALTH

NHS Trust Core Targets

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definitions he has set for green, amber and red performance for NHS trust core targets for 2001–02. [2210]

Mr. Hutton: The core targets for 2001–02 can be found in the NHS plan. The criteria that will be used to assess traffic light national health service performance during 2001–02 have yet to be determined.

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Medical Negligence

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reform the law relating to medical negligence claims; and if he will make a statement. [49]

Ms Blears: The current system for dealing with clinical negligence claims is distressing, costly and time consuming, both for patients making claims against the National Health Service and for those defending claims, including doctors, nurses and other NHS staff involved. The need for reform—to address the spiralling costs, the length of time taken to resolve claims and the proportion of costs taken up in legal charges—is clear, and was reflected both in last year's NHS plan and in the Government's election Manifesto. We are currently considering how best to take this forward and will announce our plans in due course.

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