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Free Television Licences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners over 75 in the Epsom and Ewell constituency received free television licences. [23424]

Dr. Howells: Everyone aged 75 or over is entitled to benefit from a free television licence. TV Licensing, which administers this concession for the BBC as Licensing Authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 8,700 people aged 75 or over in the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners over 75 years in Hamilton, South constituency receive a free television licence. [23359]

Dr. Howells: Everyone aged 75 or over is entitled to benefit from a free television licence. TV Licensing, which administers this concession for the BBC as Licensing Authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 2,800 people aged 75 or over in the Hamilton, South constituency.

Arts Bodies

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimates she has made of the savings to be made by making changes proposed in "Working Together for the Arts"; what evidence she has received that the savings proposed in "Working Together for the Arts" are deliverable; and if she will make a statement. [23571]

Dr. Howells: "Working Together for the Arts" set a savings target of £8–10 million. We will expect the Arts Council to achieve this. How it does so is an operational matter for the Arts Council.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria she has set for the Arts Council of England to meet to ensure her Department's continued support for the proposals ACE sets out in 'Working Together for the Arts'; which of those criteria are being met; and if she will make a statement. [23569]

Dr. Howells: Our approval of the Arts Council's plans for the reorganisation of arts funding in England will be conditional upon it demonstrating to our satisfaction that it will indeed involve the delegation of more power and funding to the regions, and the delivery of savings, as promised. The Arts Council is still working on the details of the reorganisation, but a recent progress report confirms that it is addressing both issues.

18 Dec 2001 : Column: 205W

Performing Arts

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met representatives of (a) Equity, (b) the Writers Guild and (c) other bodies representing the performing arts. [23610]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has yet to meet formally representatives of Equity or the Writers Guild although she has met many individual artists and arts administrators over the past seven months, both formally and informally.

Network Q Rally

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she plans to have with the Motor Sports Association in connection with their investigation into the accident during the Brechja stage of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain. [23961]

Mr. Caborn: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have had discussions with the Motor Sports Association in relation to their investigation into the accident during the Brechfa stage of the Network Q Rally of Great Britain. I understand that the Motor Sports Association is undertaking a full inquiry into the accident and that it is its intention to publish a summary of the findings. I will ensure a copy of the summary is placed in the House Library as soon as my Department receives it.

British Grand Prix

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations have been made by the Government to secure the continuation of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. [23906]

Mr. Caborn: I met representatives of Octagon Motorsports, the British Racing Drivers' Club, and the Motor Sports Association on 11 December to hear at first hand Octagon's proposals for improving arrangements for the 2002 British Grand Prix at Silverstone as well as wider proposals for the long term development of Silverstone Following that meeting I met Max Mosley, President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, on 12 December to inform him of the Government's commitment to motor sport and the British Grand Prix. My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister also wrote to Mr. Mosley on this issue.

New Millennium Experience Company

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when a liquidator will be appointed for the New Millennium Experience Company. [24402]

Dr. Howells: Following the orderly winding down of operations by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), the company's directors today took steps to commence a Members Voluntary Liquidation. The Minister for Housing and Planning, NMEC's sole shareholder, has formally appointed Richard Heis and Stephen Treharne, two partners of KPMG, as liquidators.

NMEC's final annual report and financial statements for the period 1 January 2001 to 18 December 2001 will be available tomorrow and I will arrange for copies of the report to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

18 Dec 2001 : Column: 206W

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Gibraltar

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to discuss the issue of Spain's access to the airport in Gibraltar with the Governor of Gibraltar. [23765]

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 6 December 2001, Official Report, column 471W. The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with the Governor of Gibraltar on all issues relating to Gibraltar. These exchanges are confidential and in accordance with exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

China

Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was discussed at the human rights dialogue held between the United Kingdom and China in November. [24367]

Mr. MacShane: The seventh round of the UK-China Human Rights dialogue took place in London on 19–21 November.

We discussed a wide range of human rights concerns including: Tibet and Xinjiang; freedoms of expression, religion and association; Falun Gong; the abuse of psychiatry; criminal justice issues, including the death penalty, torture and re-education through labour; North Korean refugees; co-operation with UN human rights mechanisms, including visits by Special Rapporteurs; the ratification of the two Human Rights Covenants and International Labour Organisation Conventions; the blocking of the BBC World Service website and Mandarin Service. We also discussed the programmes of practical co-operation between the UK and China to promote human rights and the rule of law.

We raised 22 individual cases of concern.

As well as the formal talks, we organised two sessions involving outside experts to discuss the role of the media and on the administration of criminal justice. We also arranged for the Chinese delegation to visit the BBC World Service and the Central Criminal Courts.

Tajikistan

Mr. Ivan Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to open an embassy in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. [24368]

Peter Hain: We will open an embassy headed by a Chargé d'Affaires on 20 December 2001. Until then our Ambassador in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) will remain cross-accredited to Tajikistan.

Somalia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representatives of which (a) governmental and (b) quasi-governmental organisations his officials are in contact with in Somalia; and if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards relations with Somalia. [23642]

18 Dec 2001 : Column: 207W

Mr. Bradshaw: Officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, and in our diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa and Nairobi, are in contact with a wide range of governmental and quasi-governmental representatives in Somalia. Since the collapse of the Republic of Somalia in 1991 we have had no formal diplomatic relations with Somalia.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts his officials have had with (a) representatives of Iraqi Kurdish groups, (b) the Kurdish Parliament and (c) the Government in Baghdad covering the future of the northern part of Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [23641]

Mr. Bradshaw: FCO Ministers and officials have regular contact with Iraqi Kurdish groups. I recently met Nechirvan Barzani and Kosrat Rasoul, senior representatives of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) respectively. FCO officials have also met members elected to the Kurdish Parliament in 1992. Although HMG do not have diplomatic relations with Iraq, officials in New York are always available to speak to the Iraqis if they wish to do so.

HMG are committed to the maintenance of Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its current borders. The only long-term future for Iraq's Kurds is as part of a stable, peaceful Iraq which gives them a negotiated degree of autonomy.

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