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CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Benefice Glebe

Mr. Sanders: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, when a list of landholdings specified in the legislation transferring parish glebe land to the Church of England dioceses was (a) compiled and (b) published; and where a copy can be viewed. [15635]

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Mr. Bell: The obligation to produce lists of benefice glebe was fulfilled by all dioceses by 31 July 1978. They were not published as there was no legal requirement to do so. The hon. Gentleman is welcome to inspect the Commissioners' copies at their offices.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Wembley

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures Sport England will take to retrieve money given to the Wembley project. [14291]

Mr. Caborn: It is for Sport England to decide whether to initiate action to recover the lottery grant invested in the Wembley project. Patrick Carter is currently holding discussions with the Football Association and Sport England to find a mutually acceptable basis for moving the project forward.

Royal Parks Constabulary

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the legal basis of the power of arrest of officers in the Royal Parks Constabulary. [15655]

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

Letter from William Weston to Peter Bottomley, dated 19 November 2001:

I have been asked by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to reply to your Parliamentary Question about where the powers of arrest of the Royal Parks Constabulary derive from, because this is an operational matter which is the responsibility of the Royal Parks Agency.

The Royal Parks Constabulary originated as park-keepers appointed to maintain order in the Royal Parks. The position of park-keeper was replaced with that of Park Constable with the passing of the Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 1974, which amended the Parks Regulation Act 1872. Section 7 of the 1872 Act (as amended) gives Park Constables the same powers, privileges and immunities and makes them liable to the same duties and responsibilities, as any police constable in the police district within which the park is located. Park Constables therefore have the same powers of arrest within the parks where they operate as do ordinary police constables in the surrounding police district. These powers of arrest derive from the common law, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and many other statutes.

National Lottery

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money is held in the national lottery distribution fund which is not committed to projects; and if she will make a statement. [15315]

Mr. Caborn: Currently £264 million held in the national lottery distribution fund (NLDF) is not committed to specific projects. This figure represents 8 per cent. of the current NLDF balance. Lottery distributing bodies have forecast that the balance will reduce considerably over the next three years and the Government attach high priority to ensuring that happens.

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All-seater Football Stadiums

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will consider relaxing regulations requiring football stadiums to be all-seated. [15782]

Mr. Caborn: The Government believe that the present requirement for Premier League and First Division football grounds to be all-seater is still necessary for reasons of safety and public order. This policy will remain in place unless or until new technical evidence becomes available which convincingly demonstrates that it is no longer needed.

Gambling Machines

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received concerning the proposals to remove gambling machines from non-profit-making members' clubs. [16217]

Mr. Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 5 November 2001 to a question from the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett), Official Report, column 14.

Gambling Review

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the recommendations of the Gambling Review Body. [15747]

Mr. Caborn: We have received over 2,200 comments on the report of the Gambling Review Body. We are giving them careful consideration, and intend to announce our conclusions early next year.

New Opportunities Fund (Middlesbrough)

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the number and social background of beneficiaries from the new opportunities fund in Middlesbrough South and Cleveland, East. [15783]

Mr. Caborn: Information is not available in the form requested. I will, however, write to my hon. Friend with details of awards made by the new opportunities fund, which are of direct benefit to his constituents.

World Athletics Championships

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which (a) Ministers and (b) officials from (i) her Department and (ii) other Departments attended the 2001 World Athletics Championships in Edmonton on an official visit; and what were the (a) dates and (b) purpose of such visits. [16651]

Mr. Caborn: As Minister of Sport, I attended the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton accompanied by my Private Secretary, two other DCMS officials, and an official from the British Consulate General in Vancouver. Our delegation arrived in Canada on 2 August and returned to the UK on 7 August. The purpose of the visit was to assess the requirements for staging a World Athletics Championships, to meet key members of the International Athletics community gathered in Edmonton for the

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Championships and to support the British Team. I also held discussions with representatives from Canadian business and Government.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish the programme of all (a) events and (b) activities that the Minister for Sport attended at the 2001 World Athletics Championships in an official capacity. [16652]

Mr. Caborn: In my official capacity as Minister for Sport my itinerary of events and activities attended relating to the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton was as follows:

3 August—Meeting at the Accreditation Centre followed by lunch with the UK Team ahead of the UK Team meeting. I also attended the opening ceremony and met the Honourable Denis Coderre PC MP, Canadian Secretary of State for Amateur Sport.


4 August—I attended the Games and undertook a tour of the backroom facilities at the stadium. In the evening I attended a reception and dinner in the presence of the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Honourable Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta.


5 August—I attended the Games and attended a meeting with UK Athletics.


6 August—I attended the Games, met representatives of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) and attended an IAAF reception.


7 August—I attended the Games and the UK Sport and Birmingham City Council reception for IAAF members.

I also stayed in the same accommodation in Edmonton as the UK team which enabled me to meet and discuss issues with athletes and officials.

WALES

Employment Policies

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what (a) representations he has received and (b) communications he has had with the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales in respect of the employment policies of (i) public bodies and (ii) broadcasting bodies in Wales. [15582]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I meet regularly with the First Secretary when we discuss a range of issues including issues that affect employment in Wales. The employment policies of public and broadcasting bodies are a matter for the bodies themselves.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees of (a) his Department and (b) agencies sponsored by his Department work in (i) London, (ii) areas benefiting from EU objective 1 status, (iii) areas with objective 2 status and (iv) other areas. [16114]

Mr. Paul Murphy: My Department has a complement of 48 posts. 40 staff usually work in London and eight usually work in an area with objective 2 status.

My Department does not sponsor any agencies.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Indonesia

Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking regarding the treatment of Christians in the Moluccas region of Indonesia; and if he will make a statement. [12154]

Mr. Bradshaw: The United Nations has made several assessment visits to Maluku since 1999. They have found concrete evidence of only a small number of forced conversions, including the most highly reported cases in Kasiui and Tior. Many of the Christians evacuated from the province in January are now reported to be voluntarily returning to their homes. Also, many Muslim and Christians who fled their villages to escape the violence are returning, and Muslim leaders in some villages have asked for help in encouraging Christians to return. In Ambon, the two communities remain segregated and there has been very little violence there in recent weeks.

The Department for International Development (DFID) has pledged more than £4 million to help establish the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The unit will build capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in the provinces torn apart by ethnic conflict, particularly in North Maluku. These new initiatives will complement DFID-supported humanitarian relief programmes by addressing the causes underlying conflict—abuse of power, alienation and loss of access to and control of resources essential for every day life. We will continue to work with the Indonesian authorities and UNDP to promote reconciliation, begin wider reconstruction work and to offer practical assistance where appropriate.

The UK's message to the Indonesian Government has been consistently clear: a long-term solution to regional conflicts can only be achieved through political negotiation and consultation with the people. I raised these issues with Hamzah Haz, the Indonesian Vice President when we met in Jakarta on 27 August.

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