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Television
Mr. Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to promote digital television to consumers who do not wish to take out a pay TV subscription. [12339]
Dr. Howells: On 12 October, the Government published a draft Digital TV Action Plan which sets out the issues on which action needs to be taken to enable and encourage take up of digital television. An essential element of the Plan will be the need to raise the awareness and knowledge of consumers including those who want to receive only free-to-view channels.
Creative Partnerships (Disadvantaged Areas)
Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Government will fulfil its commitment to establish creative partnerships linking schools with arts organisations in disadvantaged areas. [13449]
Dr. Howells: The formal launch of creative partnerships will take place as planned in April 2002, when the funds set aside for this initiative start to flow.
The 16 pilot areas for creative partnerships were announced in February 2002. Since then, Peter Jenkinson, the former Director of the New Art Gallery, Walsall, has taken up the post of National Director of Creative Partnerships, and preparations in the pilot areas are now well under way.
BBC Chairman (Ethnic Minority Candidates)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many black and Asian people were shortlisted for the post of Chairman of the BBC. [13610]
Dr. Howells: In the interests of confidentiality, it is not our policy to release information about individual shortlists.
Seaside Towns
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to implement the Resorts Taskforce report on seaside towns, "Sea Changes". [13739]
Dr. Howells: The Government welcomed the English Tourism Council's (ETC) report, "Sea Changes", which was produced in the light of advice from the ETC's Resorts Task Force. The report makes 20 recommendations, which would involve various bodies at a national, regional and local level, as well as the industry itself. This Department has asked the ETC to consider how that report can best be implemented and to
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what timescale. To that end the ETC is working closely with the British Resorts Association and relevant tourism officers.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will consider the (a) establishment and (b) funding of a Seaside Regeneration Trust modelled on the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. [13740]
Dr. Howells: The English Tourism Council's report, "Sea Changes", published last February, makes a number of recommendations about how to approach regeneration that could be of use to resort towns.
The Government consider that the prime responsibility for resort regeneration, which often has some tourism focus, lies with those who administer individual resorts—working with local and regional partners. There is a variety of funding and organisational mechanisms now in place to help achieve this, for instance, Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies (for those eligible) and Local Strategic Partnerships. We encourage local authorities to make use of these mechanisms. However, while acknowledging the level of deprivation that has developed in some of our resorts over the years, we do not consider it directly
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comparable to the sudden and severe impact of pit closures on mining communities, which is what justified setting up the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to improve the infrastructure of British seaside resorts. [13742]
Dr. Howells: The Government believe that the principal responsibility for supporting the infrastructure of British seaside resorts lies with local government, working with other interested parties in the light of a clearly enunciated vision and strategy for tourism and other economic activity. It is also particularly important that aspects of planning and transport, for instance, as well as any overall plan for regeneration, dovetail with wider regional plans which are the responsibility of regional development agencies in England. In Scotland and Wales the infrastructure of seaside resorts is a matter for the relevant Minister in each devolved administration.
New Opportunities Fund
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the number of beneficiaries in the Buckingham constituency from the new opportunities fund. [14010]
Mr. Caborn: To date there have been six beneficiaries in the Buckingham constituency. A list of these awards is set out in the following table.
| Distributing body/recipient | Project title/Desc. Long | Award date | Award amount (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Opportunities Fund | ||||
| Buckingham After School Teens Club | The grant would be used to extend the group's existing provision (for 5 to 12-year-olds) by providing a total of 60 after school and holiday child care places catering for 11 to 14-year-olds. The schools served would be Buckingham School and Royal Latin School | 12 July 1999 | 19,071 | |
| Southcourt and Walton Court Community Project | The applicant is a community project with charitable status in Aylesbury. It is managed by committee and has operated for eight years providing a range of child care as well as advice and activities for adults. It employs four part-time staff | 20 October 1999 | 6,600 | |
| Drayton Parslow Playgroup | The grant would be used to provide an extra 24 places at the after-school club for children aged 3 to 4-years-old. The project would be situated in Drayton Parslow Buckinghamshire. School served would be Drayton Parslow County First School | 10 December 1999 | 1,179 | |
| Southcourt and Walton Court Community Project | The grant would be used to provide three new breakfast clubs in the Aylesbury area which would create 128 places in total for children between the ages of 4–11 years. The places would benefit children attending three local schools | 16 June 2000 | 20,020 | |
| Buckingham After School Club—Winslow | The grant would be used to create 34 after school places for children aged 5 to 11-years-old in Buckingham. School served would be Winslow Combined School, a contribution to the cost of employing a play leader and four play assistants | 25 October 2000 | 18,001 | |
| Buckingham Secondary School | Our of School Hours Learning Programme | 7 November 2000 | 42,654 | |
| Total value of NOF awards | 107,525 | |||
Communications White Paper
Mr. Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will publish the Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on the Communications White Paper. [15012]
Tessa Jowell: I have today published the Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Holocaust Memorial Day
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has made to the BBC concerning the televising of Holocaust Memorial Day 2002; and if he will make a statement. [14721]
Angela Eagle: Following their successful collaboration with the Home Office in producing and televising the
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national ceremony to mark the first United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, the BBC have developed plans for covering Holocaust Memorial Day in the future. These will culminate in a major live televised ceremonial event on 27 January 2005, the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz. My officials will take up the BBC's invitation to discuss with them their strategy for covering Holocaust Memorial Day over the next four years, and to include representatives from the Home Office-led strategic group planning Holocaust Memorial Day.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the BBC televising the Holocaust Memorial Day national event; and if he will make a statement. [14501]
Angela Eagle: All those organisations involved in helping the Home Office plan the national event on Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January 2002 have expressed their disappointment that the BBC have decided to televise the national event every five years only, the next time on 27 January 2005 the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.
However, the BBC have made an unequivocal commitment to mark Holocaust Memorial Day each year in a range of appropriate ways. They have invited Home Office officials and those organisations involved in planning Holocaust Memorial Day to discuss their strategy for the next four years with them. Their proposed strategy contains a differing mix of documentary, drama, current affairs, children's programming and news coverage each year leading to a major live ceremonial event for 2005.
In January 2002 the BBC have a major original film drama "Conspiracy", starring Kenneth Brannagh, about Reinhard Heydrich and the Wannsee Conference; their television religious strands "The Heaven and Earth Show" and "Songs of Praise" plan to feature Holocaust related material in their programmes on 27 January; the BBC are looking at a special edition of their BBC 2 current affairs programme "Correspondent" during the Holocaust Memorial weekend and it is likely that various programmes from Children's BBC will take up the theme too.
The BBC also intend to cover the national event next 27 January on their news bulletins on BBC 1 and 2 and on News 24, and likely on radio too.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact that the televised commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day had on the understanding of the general public of the issues raised. [14500]
Angela Eagle: There was an estimated audience of 1.2 million for the ceremony televised live on 27 January 2001 which got one of the highest quality ratings for a TV programme. Many people said they found the event both moving and challenging. In addition, many others will have become aware of the purpose of Holocaust Memorial Day through the many local activities around the country, particularly in schools, to mark the day.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement concerning the local events to be held for Holocaust Memorial Day 2002. [14202]
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Angela Eagle: We anticipate there will again be a wide range of local activities around the country to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Further guidance has been produced to help local authorities and community groups to plan their events; and new material for use in schools has also been produced. In each case the guidance has drawn on good practice from this year and suggestions for improvement identified through surveys of local authorities and schools.
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