---

Public Service Delivery

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 16 July 2001, Official Report, column 22W, on public service delivery, how he has identified that targeted efficiency improvements cover more than half of non-transfers spending. [8142]

Mr. Andrew Smith: The assessment was made on the basis of Departments' performance against their efficiency targets, published in the spring 2001 departmental reports.

Corporation Tax

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much money was raised in corporation tax in the past financial year at the (a) starting rate, (b) small companies rate and (c) main rate; and if he will list his prediction for the same figures in the current financial year. [7783]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Provisional estimates of corporation tax receipts in 2000–01 are given in the ONS publication "Financial Statistics". A forecast for the current year will be published in the pre-Budget report. Estimates of the amounts of taxable profits at the various rates of tax (and the rates of tax) are given on the Inland Revenue website www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/ stats../s11corporatetaxation2.pdf.

Pensioners (Tax)

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to reduce the tax burden on old age pensioners. [9655]

Mr. Andrew Smith: Following our personal tax and benefit changes, pensioner households will be £600 a year better off on average compared to 1997. As a result of our policies, seven out of 10 pensioners pay either no tax, or pay tax only at the 10p rate. We have pledged to extend tax allowances further so that by 2003 no pensioner pays tax until their income reaches £127 per week.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Special Advisers and Press Officers

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) special advisers

24 Oct 2001 : Column: 262W

and (b) press officers were employed (i) full time, (ii) part time and (iii) on a contract basis by her Department in each year since 1992. [6885]

Tessa Jowell: Details for my Department (previously the Department of National Heritage) are shown.

Special Advisers

A total of 18 special advisers have been employed under contract over different periods since 1992 (15 full-time and three part-time) to maintain a maximum complement of one post in the years 1992 to 1995 and two posts from 1996 onwards.

Press Officers

A total of 82 press officers have been employed under contract over different periods since 1992 (81 full-time and one part-time) to maintain a maximum complement of seven posts during the years 1992 to 1998 and eight posts from 1999 onwards.

Foot and Mouth

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding is available to local authorities with cases of foot and mouth disease in their district for the promotion of tourism. [8436]

Dr. Howells: Over £90 million each year is available to local authorities to promote tourism. Funding is allowed 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.

The regional development agency business recovery fund was established in April to provide targeted help for rural businesses, including funding for local and regional promotion and incentive schemes to encourage visitors to return.

The English Tourism Council received £3.8 million in additional funding to run an advertising and promotion campaign and provide other support to help offset the effects of foot and mouth disease on the domestic tourism industry; £2 million of this funding went directly to regional tourist boards.

In addition the British Tourist Authority received an extra £14.2 million to support a tactical marketing campaign to promote Britain as a great place for a holiday.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants are available to encourage tourism in areas affected by foot and mouth disease. [8437]

Dr. Howells: The regional development agency business recovery fund, established in April, was designed to provide targeted help for rural businesses, focused primarily on measures to enable them to develop in the medium term. The fund is one element in a package of recovery assistance for tourism that includes additional funding for marketing, business rate relief and deferral of tax payments. These measures and existing programmes will help to encourage tourism.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to help the tourist industry recover from the effects of foot and mouth disease and the events of 11 September. [9714]

24 Oct 2001 : Column: 263W

Dr. Howells [holding answer 23 October 2001]: Since 1 March, my Department has provided an additional £3.8 million to the English Tourism Council and £14.2 million to the British Tourist Authority. The regional development agency business recovery fund, established in April, is designed to provide targeted help for rural businesses, including tourism businesses, affected by the consequent implications of foot and mouth disease. On 18 October, the Government allocated a further £24 million to the fund, taking the total to £74 million. The fund is one element in a package of recovery assistance for tourism that includes business rate relief and deferral of tax payments.

In-bound international tourism data for the month of September will not be available until November 2001. When these statistics are available, an assessment of the initial impact of the events of 11 September on tourism can be made.

Tourism (Lake District)

Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the state of the tourism industry in the Lake District following the foot and mouth outbreak and the events of 11 September; and if she will review the case for further Government assistance. [7516]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 18 October 2001]: Lord Haskins, appointed by the Prime Minister as rural recovery co-ordinator for Cumbria, has published his report on the effects of foot and mouth on Cumbria and we will be considering the need for further assistance in the light of this report.

It is not yet possible to provide an estimate of the impact of the events of 11 September on tourism at this point in time. Official in-bound international tourism data for the month of September 2001 will not be available until November 2001. When these statistics are available, a more thorough assessment of the initial impact can be made.

Football World Cup

Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to meet representatives of the BBC and ITV to discuss the televising of the football world cup in 2002. [8760]

Dr. Howells: I have no such plans, but welcome the announcement made by the BBC and ITV on 18 October that they have signed an exclusive deal to broadcast the world cup finals tournament in 2002 and 2006.

Communications White Paper

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will publish its response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's report on the Communications White Paper. [8672]

Dr. Howells: The Government will shortly be publishing their response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on the Communications White Paper.

24 Oct 2001 : Column: 264W

S4C

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has had with S4C to discuss the company's financial arrangements. [8751]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no such meetings, but financial issues were raised during my visit to S4C in Cardiff on 10 July and I am due to meet the Chair of S4C again on 6 December.

Regional Broadcasting

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with the Independent Television Commission to discuss regional broadcasting. [9437]

Dr. Howells: None, but the Communications White Paper made clear our commitment to retain and strengthen the regional dimension to public service broadcasting, and ensure that it continues to meet the needs of different communities and cultural interests.

Late-night Licences

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her response to the recent judgment on late-night flights into Heathrow; what impact this decision has had on her Department's policy on bar licence hours; and what her policy is on late-night noise disturbance in city centres. [9196]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 22 October 2001]: The Government are carefully studying the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Hatton and Others v. the United Kingdom, and its possible implications for a range of issues including our policy on alcohol licensing hours. If appropriate, it will be carefully taken into account before a Bill to reform the alcohol and public entertainment licensing laws is presented in Parliament.

Permitted licensing hours for licensed premises in England and Wales are set out in the Licensing Act 1964. Our current policy on the reform of these laws provides that opening hours would be attached as a condition of individual premises licences. It also provides that local residents will have the right to object to the grant of a licence, or to apply for the hours of opening to be restricted, or to seek a review of an existing licence on grounds of public nuisance, including noise disturbance. Where the local authority denies such an objection, the objector would be entitled to appeal to the magistrates courts. In addition, on 1 December this year, we shall be bringing into force section 17 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 which provides new powers in England and Wales for the police to close instantly for up to 24 hours licensed premises which are causing disturbance to the general public as a result of excessive noise emitted from the premises.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library the guidelines issued by her Department regarding noise abatement best practice in relation to conditions set by councils on late-night licence applications; and if she will make a statement. [9195]

24 Oct 2001 : Column: 265W

Dr. Howells [holding answer 22 October 2001]: Guidance on conditions which might be attached to public entertainment or late-night refreshment house or night café licences in England and Wales concerning noise abatement has not been issued by the Department or by the Home Office when it was responsible for this policy area. In the case of public entertainment licences, local authorities have a broad discretion to impose such conditions, terms and restrictions as they see fit. In the case of late-night refreshment houses and night cafés, conditions may be imposed to prevent unreasonable disturbance to local residents, and "closing orders" may be imposed to the same end. Some local authorities have sought agreements with parts of the licensed trade on standardised conditions which might be adopted in connection with public entertainment licences. From time to time local authorities publish advice on associated matters in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive. The majority of local authorities in making licensing decisions generally adopt similar standards to those which they adopt in enforcing the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Noise Act 1996.

Alcohol licensing in England and Wales is the responsibility of licensing justices and not the local authority, and they have a broad discretion to refuse various extensions beyond normal permitted licensing hours to prevent unreasonable disturbance to people living in the neighbourhood.

---