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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

English Heritage

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects a new Chief Executive to be appointed to English Heritage. [6062]

Dr. Howells: English Heritage advertised for a new chief executive on 9 September and are considering the applications they received. They plan to hold interviews in mid-November and hope to make an appointment at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, Carole Souter has been appointed as Acting Chief Executive.

WPC Kaur

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what briefings she has

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received on the progress of the Croydon Employment Tribunal case involving her, the Royal Parks Constabulary and WPC Kaur; [7407]

(2) if she will estimate the cost to her Department's budget of preparing for and the hearing of the employment discrimination case of WPC Kaur; [7408]

(3) if she will make a statement on (a) the claim and (b) the response in her name to the discrimination case of WPC Kaur; [7406]

(4) if she will discuss the discrimination claim of WPC Kaur with (a) the operational head of the Royal Parks Constabulary and (b) the Police Inspectorate. [7409]

Dr. Howells: Responsibility for the subject of this question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency under its Chief Executive, William Weston. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from William Weston to Peter Bottomley, dated 18 October 2001:

I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about the Employment Tribunal involving WPC Kaur, because this is an operational matter for which the Royal Parks Agency is responsible.

We have fully briefed the Secretary of State on the case, and the decision to defend it. There is no need to keep her informed of the case as it progresses, but we shall, of course, inform her of the outcome and of any issues that arise from it. She will make a statement on the case, if it is appropriate for her to do so, depending on its outcome. It would be inappropriate for her to discuss the case with the Police Inspectorate because the Royal Parks Constabulary is not a Home Office Police Force.

The Agency's legal fees up to the time that the hearing began were approximately £53,500, to which will have to be added counsel's fees for presenting the case and the costs of the RPC officers involved (and of former officers who now work for the British Transport Police) attending throughout the hearing. These can not be reasonably estimated until we know how long the hearing will last, and the full costs of the case cannot be assessed until the outcome is known.

Football

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much has been invested by the Government in the promotion of grassroots football in the years (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; [7838]

(2) if she will make a statement on the Government's support for the promotion of grassroots football. [7837]

Mr. Caborn: Support for grassroots sport is a Government priority. As the nation's most popular participatory sport, football has a vital role to play in increasing levels of participation. The Government's support for grassroots football has been channelled through the Football Foundation since July 2000. In 2000–01, the Foundation received £7 million in Lottery funding from Sport England and £3.4 million from the Reduction in Pools Betting Duty, and the majority of this went to funding the sport at the grassroots. A further £30 million has been ring-fenced for football in the New Opportunities Fund's PE and school sport programme.

Prior to 2000–01, grants of Lottery funding to the Football Association's youth development programmes were made by Sport England, and totalled £20 million between 1995 and 1999. Children's and recreational

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football also benefited during this period from substantial Sport England Lottery funding for multi-use capital projects, and the financial benefits to grassroots football cannot be quantified.

Additional, direct Government funding for the FA's grassroots work totalled £165,000 in 1998–99 and £144,000 in 1999–2000.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with representatives of the Nationwide Conference League on its proposal to increase the number of teams promoted into the football league. [8549]

Mr. Caborn: This is a matter for the football authorities. However, I met the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nationwide Conference on 16 July to discuss a range of non-league football matters including the proposal for an additional promotion and relegation place to and from the football league. My officials have also discussed the progress of negotiations with the Conference over recent months.

Films

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for the distribution of UK-produced films. [8053]

Dr. Howells: As part of its objective to help develop a sustainable British film industry, the Film Council is looking at the question of support for the UK film distribution sector. The Film Council currently invests in individual film productions which can, on a case-by-case basis, include support for the distribution of that film in the UK.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many British-made films have benefited from EU funds in the last five years; and if she will make a statement; [8055]

(2) if she will list the films produced in the UK in the last five years which have received EU funds, stating the sum involved in each case. [8057]

Dr. Howells: EU funding for film over the last five years was discharged through the MEDIA II programme. The MEDIA programme is intended to encourage the development of European films and the distribution of films around Europe. The total funding awarded by MEDIA II to UK films in the last five years was approximately 14 million euros (approximately £8.8 million at today's rates) for film development and approximately 38 million euros (approximately £23.9 million at today's rates) for theatrical film distribution. The distribution figure was the sum awarded outside the UK for distribution of British films in Europe.

I am placing more detailed information on the MEDIA II Programme and the awards made in the Libraries of both Houses.

Departmental Spending

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate total

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annual staff costs for her Department and its agencies by nation and region of the UK; and if she will make a statement. [6775]

Dr. Howells: My Department's estimated total costs are £20.97 million—London: £20.58 million, Regions: £0.39 million.

Youth Hostel Association

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the financial loss being experienced by the Youth Hostel Association; if she will introduce grant aid; and if she will make a statement. [8129]

Dr. Howells: We have received a number of representations on the Youth Hostel Association's financial losses. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Rural Affairs has met representatives of the YHA to discuss their difficulties and possible sources of help. I am also due to meet them shortly. The Minister for Rural Affairs is currently considering, in the light of the recommendations of the Rural Task Force published yesterday, what further help might be made available to the YHA.

Rugby

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the 2001 Super League Grand Final. [8434]

Mr. Caborn: I was at Old Trafford for the Grand Final and enjoyed watching a tremendous game with the Bradford Bulls playing superb rugby.

I was pleased to be part of the presentation party presenting the winners trophy to Bradford Bulls Team Captain Robby Paul and reiterate my congratulations to the whole team.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance she has provided to the Rugby Football League to persuade the Australian Rugby League authorities to continue with the tour of Great Britain. [8431]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend has had no direct involvement with the Rugby Football League on this matter. However, I have been in regular contact with the RFL.

Tourism

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding she makes available to local authorities to establish tourism officers. [8439]

Dr. Howells: Funding is allowed for tourism as part of the Environmental Protective and Cultural Services block of the Rate Support Grant and it is up to individual local authorities to allocate their funds in accordance with statutory requirements and local needs and priorities. We are keen that local authorities both recognise the true significance of tourism to their local economies and community well-being and also ensure that they have sufficient data to make informed decisions about allocating their resources, whether in relation to provision of tourism infrastructure, services, personnel or marketing.

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Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote rural tourism. [4688]

Dr. Howells: At the regional, national and international level, new tourist websites and visitor hotlines have provided exposure and a clear picture of what rural Britain can offer. Leaflet information has also been used successfully. Much of the £18 million in additional funding provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and English Tourism Council (ETC) has been used in a strategic advertising and marketing campaigns to motivate potential customers and provide information on what is available. Furthermore, DCMS Ministers attended a number of high profile domestic events to increase rural tourism's exposure and encourage visitors.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to make tourist boards co-terminous with regional areas. [8548]

Dr. Howells: It is not within Government's powers to direct the Regional Tourist Boards (RTBs) on this issue as they are not public bodies—almost all are private companies limited by guarantee. While they do receive some public funding from this Department (via the English Tourism Council), they are funded primarily by their members and from their commercial activities. Thus they need valid commercial reasons to choose to change their boundaries to be in line with other regional partners. In principle we would like to see all RTBs having the same boundaries as the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and closer alignment is happening in many regions, although in some cases two RTBs share one RDA area or vice versa.

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 17 July 2001, Official Report, column 151W, on tourism, which representatives of the (a) Scotland Office, (b) Scottish Executive and (c) Scottish Tourist Board attended the United Kingdom summit on tourism on 6 March. [R] [7100]

Dr. Howells: Alasdair Morrison MSP, Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning and Gaelic in the Scottish Executive, who attended in March 2000, was invited to the second annual Tourism Summit 6 March 2001, but was unable to attend due to prior commitments on that date. A draft report of the Summit was circulated to Ministers for clearance, including Alasdair Morrison, prior to its publication on the DCMS website (www.culture.gov.uk).

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