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Tate Modern

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government funding has been given to the Tate Modern Gallery. [10268]

Dr. Howells: In 2000–01 the Government provided £24.9 million in grant-in-aid for the Tate Gallery of which £5 million was to cover the first 10 months of free admission at Tate Modern. In 2001–02 we increased this to £26.9 million of which £6 million is to enable free admission to continue at Tate Modern.

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Galleries and Museums

(Concessionary Admissions)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to encourage concessionary admission for pensioners to galleries and museums in the UK. [10267]

Dr. Howells: Our policy is to encourage all museums and galleries to offer the widest possible access to their collections but it is for their governing bodies to offer concessionary admission for pensioners.

In the case of the national museums and galleries funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that currently charge, funds have been made available to permit free access for people over 60 since April 2000. However, decisions on admission charges rest with the Trustees. Attendances by people over 60 have risen by 40 per cent. in the first year since free admission was introduced.

TV Licences

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many reminders are sent by the TV Licensing Authority to households that are not recorded as holding licences and at what cost in the latest year for which figures are available. [10665]

Dr. Howells: For the financial year 2000–01, the Television Licensing Authority sent 16,602,766 mail items to households that were not recorded as holding television licences. This does not include reminder letters which were sent to households where the licence was about to expire or had just expired.

The cost of this type of mailing is not readily available. The Corporation finds direct mailing the most cost- effective way of contacting television licence fee payers and seeks to maximise, wherever possible, bulk discounts with Royal Mail.

Lottery Bids (Stoke)

Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many bids to the National Heritage Lottery Fund have been received from the Stoke-on-Trent unitary authority since 1997. [10288]

Dr. Howells: Since 1 January 1997 the Heritage Lottery Fund has received 28 funding applications relating to projects within the Stoke-on-Trent unitary authority area. 15 of these were made by the authority itself, of which 14 were approved and one withdrawn. Funding awarded to the authority over this period totals £5,626,367.

Listed Buildings

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many buildings were (a) listed and (b) delisted in each year since 1990; and how many had their listing changed (i) from Grade 1 to Grade 2 and (ii) from Grade 2 to Grade 1. [10557]

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Dr. Howells: The information is as follows:

Year	Added	Removed
1990	3,633	131
1991	2,144	94
1992	1,984	64
1993	3,227	89
1994	3,909	95
1995	2,070	84
1996	1,843	89
1997	1,349	141
1998	1,945	74
1999	2,299	124
2000	1,300	67

Data relating to changes from one category to another are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Millennium Commission Grants

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects that have been awarded a grant from the Millennium Commission specifically relate to the ethnic minority communities; and what the amount received by each project was. [11401]

Dr. Howells: This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I will write to my hon. Friend in my capacity as Chair of the Commission, and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of both Houses.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Illegal Drugs

13. Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with coalition partners relating to the international traffic in illegal drugs. [8797]

Mr. Bradshaw: Our coalition partners are aware that Afghanistan has for many years been the source of nearly all the heroin reaching the streets in Britain and Europe.

On 11 October representatives of the main donor countries to the United Nations International Drugs Control Programme and of countries close to Afghanistan met in Vienna to discuss Afghan drugs issues.

International Terrorism

15. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with foreign Governments on international terrorism since 11 September. [8799]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has been involved in daily contact with our international partners in the coalition against terrorism.

The media have reported on my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's many overseas visits to forge the political coalition against terrorism. He will continue to engage partners in this dialogue and process.

22. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current condition of the alliance of nations engaged in the fight against terrorism. [8806]

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Mr. Bradshaw: The international consensus is strong and deep. The United Nations, OIC, the G8, NATO and the European Union have all condemned the terrorist attacks. We have encountered an unprecedented level of solidarity and commitment to work together against terrorism.

This is not simply a military campaign. The adoption of UN Security Council Regulation 1373 demonstrates the commitment of nations from all corners of the world to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism and to deny terrorists a safe haven from which to operate.

25. Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the Secretary-General of the United Nations to discuss the war against international terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [8809]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are in close touch with the UN Secretary-General about the international campaign against terrorism and have spoken to him on several occasions since 11 September.

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary expects to discuss the issue with him in person when he visits New York for the UN General Assembly next month.

26. Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures to combat terrorism he has discussed with the other member states of the European Union since 11 September. [8810]

Mr. Bradshaw: Since 11 September the EU has agreed to pursue many new measures to fight terrorism. These include a European arrest warrant, cutting the funding of terrorists, increased co-operation between member states' intelligence services and a strengthening of Europol to include a special anti-terrorist unit. Further measures were taken to improve air security and strengthen the EU's ability to fight terrorism globally.

31. Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Belgium regarding the international coalition against terrorism. [8815]

Mr. Bradshaw: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and other Government Ministers are in regular contact on a range of issues with their colleagues in the Belgian Government.

Zimbabwe

16. Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Commonwealth colleagues on the situation in Zimbabwe. [8800]

Mr. Bradshaw: Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend Baroness Amos have held intensive discussions with Commonwealth Partners following the Abuja agreement in early September. Baroness Amos accompanied Commonwealth Partners to Zimbabwe last weekend to assess implementation of the agreement and at yesterday's General Affairs Council in Luxembourg, EU Foreign Ministers voted unanimously to invoke Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement which gives Zimbabwe 60 days to fulfil its obligations or face the consequences.

30 Oct 2001 : Column: 600W

Africa

17. Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on measures being taken by his Department to ensure greater peace and security in Africa. [8801]

20. Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department is carrying out to ensure greater peace and security in Africa. [8804]

Mr. Bradshaw: Violent conflict is one of the main obstacles to social, economic and political development in Africa today. It is also a potential threat to global security.

The FCO, in partnership with the MOD and DFID, has been at the forefront of the UK's successful efforts, with the United Nations, to bring peace and security to Sierra Leone. We are also working hard to ensure the success of current international and African efforts to bring an end to the conflicts in the Great Lakes region.

The UK's approach to conflict prevention in Africa is now co-ordinated in the interdepartmental Africa conflict prevention pool. The aim of this joint pool is to ensure a coherent and effective use of resources to bring greater peace and security to Africa.

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