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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 17 July 2001
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
National Museums and Galleries
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding has been allocated to each of the national museums and galleries to facilitate the introduction of free admission where this does not already apply (a) in the current year, (b) in 2002–03 and (c) in 2003–04. [2691]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 9 July 2001]: The amount of public funding allocated to each national museum and gallery to facilitate free admission is listed in the following table:
| 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Museum of Science and Industry(1) | 3.2 | 6.5 | 6.6 |
| Natural History Museum | 3.4 | 6.7 | 6.8 |
| Victoria and Albert Museum | 1.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| National Maritime Museum | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Museum of London | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Royal Armouries | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Imperial War Museum | 1.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 |
| Tate St. Ives | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Totals | 13.7 | 28.0 | 29.3 |
(1) Including the National Coal Mining Museum for England
Tourism
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to make further funds available for the marketing of Britain as a tourist destination. [120]
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what additional funding for marketing she expects to provide to the British Tourist Authority in response to the foot and mouth disease crisis. [189]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 25 June 2001]: As in other sectors of the economy, businesses themselves take the lead in marketing their services to overseas markets. We as a Government back those efforts only where they need special co-ordination. In this case the Government have pledged additional funding of £14.2 million, supplemented by £2.1 million re-deployed by the British Tourist Authority from existing plans. This provides in full what was sought by the British Tourist Authority, after full consultation with the industry, for the whole of 2001.
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Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the European Investment Bank regarding assistance for tourism businesses affected by foot and mouth disease. [135]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 25 June 2001]: I have had no discussions with the European Investment Bank. However, Government Ministers have discussed the problems of business affected by the outbreak with the British Bankers Association. The association has undertaken to help businesses by providing extra lending, deferring repayments, waiving arrangement fees and providing information and advice.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she was first informed about deduction of VAT from the money paid to the British Tourist Authority as part of the tourism recovery plan; and if she will make a statement. [3852]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 13 July 2001]: The British Tourist Authority brought to my Department's attention on 24 May that, under their long-standing agreement with Customs and Excise, VAT would need to be payable for goods and services paid for with the additional funds allocated for the authority's recovery plan. We are assessing the implications of this with BTA, and the recovery plan is going ahead as planned.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals she has to encourage domestic tourism in England. [2435]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 16 July 2001]: Building on "Tomorrow's Tourism", the sound strategy for tourism that we developed in our previous term of office, we will also consider giving greater emphasis to three areas: (a) changing the perception of the industry as an employer through further Government-industry partnerships; (b) continuing to drive for better and less regulation so that the industry can concentrate on growth and increasing our international competitiveness; and (c) examining whether the marketing of Britain as a tourism destination could be more efficiently co-ordinated.
The recent foot and mouth disease outbreak has highlighted the importance of tourism to the domestic economy and we will do what we can to ensure a speedy and sustained recovery. In addition to taking forward strategy, experience so far has shown that we clearly need better and more up-to-date statistics and economic data for the sector and we will need to work with the industry to that end.
British Museum
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many British Museum staff have been made redundant, dismissed, or taken early retirement over the past 12 months; at what costs; and with what period of notice in each case. [90]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 25 June 2001]: During the 12 months from 1 June 2000:
- a) There were no redundancies.
- b) One member of staff was dismissed on 5 October 2000. He was given five weeks' notice, but did not work the notice period. The total cost for five weeks' salary was £2,227.
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- c) Six staff were retired early and two members of staff took voluntary early retirement. The costs were met from the Principal Civil Service Pension Fund, not from the Museum's budget.
- d) The total cost of payments made by the British Museum during the period to staff who had been given notice before 1 June 2000, including out of court settlements, is £368,021.
BBC
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about (a) the BBC's application for new children's channels and (b) network digital radio channels. [3709]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a range of representations on all the BBC's proposals for new digital television and radio services including the children's channels and network digital radio channels, both supporting and opposing the application. Those who have commented include broadcasters, production companies, regulatory bodies, platform providers, and organisations representing listeners and viewers.
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how she monitors the actions of the BBC in providing a distinctive schedule of benchmark quality programmes on all its services. [3708]
Dr. Howells: This is a matter for the BBC Board of Governors, who review and publish their objectives in the BBC Annual Report.
Drug Testing
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who represented her Department at the meeting of the first international drug testing seminar on Wednesday 4 July; and if she will make a statement. [3733]
Mr. Caborn: Only 4 July, the Medicines Control Agency held a public seminar on the issue of sports supplements. The Director of the Anti-Doping Unit at UK Sport, and the Chair of the Nandrolone Review Group, which was set up by UK Sport, both attended that seminar. UK Sport is the non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport with responsibility for the drug testing programme in the UK.
The Nandrolone Review committee reported in January 2000 and gave a strong warning to sport about the potential dangers of using supplements which may be incorrectly or inadequately labelled. Since then, considerable research has been undertaken on supplements, both in the UK and abroad, to see whether they can be responsible for producing adverse findings among athletes. Doping remains a strict liability offence in sport in order to protect athletes from those who do seek to cheat by misusing drugs. This means that athletes must be confident that what they are putting into their bodies will not lead to an adverse finding. The Nandrolone Review Group will be considering research findings in further depth and are due to produce a follow up report shortly.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent staff have been employed to test for drug usage per sport in Britain in each of the last five years. [3732]
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Mr. Caborn: Drug testing arrangements are organised on a UK rather than British basis to provide a consistent standard across all UK sportsmen and women subject to this type of testing. UK Sport is currently the agency with responsibility for the drug testing policy and programme and they employ 12 staff to oversee the testing operation, policy, education, information, research and international advocacy roles. UK Sport also contracts a team of 85 independent sampling officers to carry out sampling. This figure will rise and fall depending on need. For example, it will increase when international competitions are held in the UK, as next year when we host the Commonwealth Games.
Prior to the reorganisation of the GB Sports Council in UK Sport in 1997, five full-time officers, and a considerable number of part-time independent sampling officers were employed in the fight against doping in sport. It is also the case that a number of governing bodies of sport employ staff, on a full, or part-time or voluntary basis in the anti-doping field. To calculate the number of staff on a per sport basis would be extremely difficult as there are currently no centrally held statistics which would accurately reflect the individual arrangements of all governing bodies. Also, calculation on a per sport basis would not provide an accurate reflection of the complexity of anti-doping procedures in the UK.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many drugs tests were conducted per sport (a) in Britain and (b) outside Britain on British sportspeople in each of the last five years. [3731]
Mr. Caborn: Drug testing arrangements are organised on a UK rather than British basis to provide a consistent standard across all UK sportsmen and women subject to this type of testing. UK Sport is currently the agency with responsibility for the drug testing policy and programme. The complexities of the drug testing programme are such that it is not possible to break down figures in the way which my hon. Friend has requested. For example, footballers playing in the football league in England and Wales might not be British but may be subject to testing as they are participating in a domestic competition. Also, UK Sport does not have records of all UK athletes tested overseas unless they have commissioned the testing themselves. Where UK athletes are tested overseas at the request of the International Federation or as part of the host nation's testing programme, this information is relayed to individual governing bodies, not to the national anti-doping organisation of the athlete.
A summary of the UK drugs testing programme for each of the last five years is as follows:
| Total number of samples | Number of findings | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 4,327 | 89 |
| 1996–97 | 4,469 | 90 |
| 1997–98 | 4,574 | 79 |
| 1998–99 | 5,147 | 76 |
| 1999–2000 | 6,141 | 119 |
A full breakdown by sport is available in UK Sport's Anti-Doping Programme Annual Reports. I will arrange
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for copies of these for each of the past five years to be placed in both Libraries of the House, and for copies to be sent to my hon. Friend directly.
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