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Ministerial Duties

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list for each week from Monday 23 July to Monday 8 October which departmental Ministers will be on duty (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in London. [4902]

Dr. John Reid: Throughout the summer break, a Minister will be on duty for the Department, in line with para. 68 of the current Ministerial Code.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Annual Reports

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Solicitor-General when the Director of the Serious Fraud Office intends to publish her annual report. [6043]

The Solicitor-General: I can confirm that I have today placed copies of the annual report in the Libraries of the House.

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Solicitor-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions will publish his annual report. [6044]

The Solicitor-General: I can confirm that I have today placed copies of the annual report in the Libraries of the House.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Sporting Talent

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what evaluation methods are in place for projects designed to nurture sporting talent among young people competing at a national level, with special reference to cricket, rugby and tennis; and what results evaluations have shown about the success of such projects. [4592]

Mr. Caborn: The lottery funded World Class Potential and World Class Start programmes administered by Sport England are designed to support and nurture talented English athletes.

The World Class Potential programme aims to assist the development of talented athletes with the potential to win medals, or equivalent, in significant future international competitions and events within the next eight years (2 Olympic Cycles). The World Class Start programme aims to identify and nurture a specific number of English athletes who have the necessary characteristics to achieve future World Class success.

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The first awards to the national governing bodies under the Potential and Start programmes were made in January 2000. Funding for Cricket has been agreed but the programmes have yet to be implemented; Tennis does not receive lottery funding support from Sport England (the Lawn Tennis Association administers its own sports development programme); and Rugby has been offered funding of £8 million over 8 years, but the governing body has yet to accept the award.

As the programmes for cricket and rugby have not started, no evaluation has taken place. However, both sports have identified a performer development model to reflect the transition of the athletes through the Start and Potential Programmes. It is too early to measure the success of these programmes, but I am confident that the lottery investment will enable our talented athletes to achieve success at the highest level.

Gambling

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the Gambling Review, chaired by Sir Alan Budd, to report. [5878]

Mr. Caborn: The report was laid before Parliament and published on 17 July.

Mr. Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she will take to implement the recommendations by the Gaming Board for Great Britain on the stakes and prizes in gaming machines. [6350]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have considered the Board's recommendations very carefully. We are grateful to them and to the industry associations for the work which has gone into their proposals.

We have also had to bear in mind the proposals for the far-reaching changes to the current law on gambling regulation which have been made by the independent review body chaired by Sir Alan Budd. This makes specific recommendations about the level of stakes and prizes in gaming machines. In laying the report before the House on 17 July, my right hon. Friend made clear her wish to undertake public consultations on the report before reaching firm decisions. For this reason, and bearing in mind that there are substantial points of difference between the two sets of recommendations, we do not propose to take any action to give effect to the Gaming Board's proposals before the consultations have been concluded.

Historic Environment

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on the historic environment and the English Heritage document "Power of Place"; and if she will make a statement. [6349]

Tessa Jowell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and I will issue a statement setting out the Government's vision for the historic environment and how we intend to work towards it. We will publish the statement in the autumn. Copies will be available from my Department at 2–4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH and from the

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Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions at Eland House, Bressenden Place, London, SW1E 5DU, and will be available at the Department's website at www.culture.gov.uk and www.dtlr.gov.uk. Copies will also be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Office of Communications

Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Government will appoint the Chair of the Office of Communications. [6351]

Tessa Jowell: It depends on the passage of the Office of Communications Bill. The Government do not intend to appoint the Chair of OFCOM before Spring 2002 at the earliest. This means that the process of appointing the rest of the Board of OFCOM for its preparatory work could not be completed before the summer of 2002.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Speaker's Advisory Panel

Ms Drown: To ask the President of the Council what progress has been made in setting up the Speaker's Advisory Panel. [6352]

Mr. Robin Cook: Following the debate in the House on 5 July 2001, I am pleased to announce that the Speaker has appointed to the Advisory Panel the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Allan), my hon. Friends the Members for Cambridge (Mrs. Campbell) and for Streatham (Keith Hill), the hon. Members for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) and for West Derbyshire (Mr. McLoughlin), my hon. Friends the Members for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) and for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Twigg), as well as the Director of Finance and Administration, the Head of the Fees Office and the Director of Communications. It is hoped that the first meeting of the panel will be held soon.

PRIME MINISTER

US Export Administration Act

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Prime Minister what consultations he has had with the US Administration in relation to the US Export Administration Act in the past four years; and if he will make a statement. [3741]

The Prime Minister: I have had no contact with the United States Administration in relation to the US Export Administration Act in the past four years.

Performance and Innovation Unit

Ms Shipley: To ask the Prime Minister what additional projects are planned for the Performance and Innovation Unit; and if he will make a statement. [6182]

The Prime Minister: I have asked the Performance and Innovation Unit to undertake a further project looking at how to improve the Government's management of risk.

Effective management of a wide range of risks is essential both for the delivery of improved public services and for the achievement of the Government's wider goals.

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The project will identify best practice in decision- making on risks and the best methods for promoting this within public services. The work will build on some of the steps that have already been taken to address the concerns raised by the Phillips Inquiry into BSE about the handling of risk and uncertainty across Government. The project will look at communications with the public and also at approaches to risk where some of the responsibility may fall to the private and voluntary sectors or to individuals.

The PIU will complete its work early next year.

The Minister of State, Cabinet Office will be the Sponsor Minister.

Public Duties Allowance

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Prime Minister what effect the abolition of the Office Costs Allowance will have on the Public Duties Allowance payable to former Prime Ministers. [6187]

The Prime Minister: The Public Duties Allowance can be claimed by former Prime Ministers for expenses incurred for their continuing work for the public service and charity. The allowance, which was formerly linked to the Office Costs Allowance, will from 5 July 2001 be set at the same level as the ceiling under the new centralised arrangements for the payment by the House Authorities of the support and secretarial staff of Members of Parliament with London constituencies. This is currently £70,000.

Business Appointments

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Prime Minister if he has received the fourth report of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. [6188]

The Prime Minister: The Committee has submitted its fourth report to me. Since 1975 the Committee has advised the Prime Minister of the day on the propriety of any business appointments that Crown servants take up when they leave Crown service. Following a recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, it also provides advice directly to former Ministers on their business appointments. I am grateful to the Committee for all their work on this. This report gives an account of their work in 2000–01. I have today placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses.

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