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Television Licences
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether residential homes have to purchase television licences for televisions that are watched by residents over the age of 75 years and other people. [24226]
Dr. Howells: Residents aged 75 or over living in residential homes are entitled to a free television licence to cover the installation or use of television in their private accommodation. Such licences do not extend to cover television sets in the communal parts of a residential home, which require a separate, full fee licence. However, we have received representations on this subject and our policy is currently under review.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people benefit from the £5 concessionary television licence scheme; and, in the last year for which figures are available, how many people stopped being entitled to a reduced fee licence because the (a) social mix and (b) level of warden cover at their accommodation changed. [24225]
Dr. Howells: At the end of October 2001, there were a total of 633,000 units of accommodation covered by the Accommodation for Residential Care concessionary television licence scheme, of which 200,000 were occupied by residents under 75, who pay a £5 fee, and 433,000 by residents aged 75 or over, who pay no fee. An accurate breakdown of the number of people who have ceased to be entitled to the concession because of changes to the social mix or the level of warden cover is not currently available, but we have contacted the BBC to request the information required and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available, placing copies of my letter in the Library.
Tourism
Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the cost of implementing the English Tourism Council's "Sea Changes" document; [24144]
- (2) what funding the English Tourism Council has allocated to implementation of its "Sea Changes" document; [24149]
(3) what progress has been made in establishing a Government unit to co-ordinate the case for resorts within Government; [24148]
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(4) if she will list her Department's priorities for action on the implementation of the English Tourism Council's "Sea Changes" document. [24143]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 19 December 2001]: The Government have welcomed the publication of "Sea Changes" and we are working with the English Tourism Council (ETC) to take it forward. The ETC is consulting closely with the British Resorts Association and relevant local authority tourism officers.
The ETC does not have a specific budget for implementing the report since its role is to inform and help develop the strategies of public agencies and the private sector, predominantly at local and regional level. The Government have not set out specific priorities for action in relation to the report and have not made any assessment of the potential cost of implementation. We are awaiting a preparatory assessment from the ETC and will then be in a better position to consider how best an impact can be made.
We do not propose to establish a separate unit to co-ordinate the case for resorts within Government. This is already the responsibility of my Department and we have raised the profile of resort regeneration in discussions both at national level at the March 2001 inter-Ministerial Tourism Summit, shortly after "Sea Changes" was published, and in ministerial meetings with Regional Development Agency (RDA) chairmen since then. We have also ensured that the new draft corporate planning guidance for RDAs asks them to work with regional and local partners on sustainable tourism strategies which should include the promotion of coastal resort regeneration.
Golden Jubilee
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements have been put in place for public holidays relating to the Queen's Golden Jubilee. [24417]
Mr. Caborn: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 23 November 2000, Official Report, column 294W, Tuesday 4 June 2002 will be a bank holiday in place of the Spring Bank Holiday, which would otherwise fall on 27 May. Monday 3 June will be an additional Bank Holiday for the Golden Jubilee.
Sports Clubs (Charitable Status)
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many community and amateur sports clubs will benefit from the revised Charity Commission guidelines on charitable status. [25001]
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Mr. Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington), on 13 December 2001, Official Report, column 1029W.
Museums (Buckingham)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the museums in the Buckingham constituency that have received funding from her Department allocated to cutting museum entry fees; and the amount awarded in each case. [23744]
Dr. Howells: No museums in the Buckingham constituency have received funding from my Department allocated to cutting museum entry fees. None is sponsored by my Department.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the museums based in the Buckingham constituency which have received funding from the Designated Museums Challenge Fund indicating (a) the nature of the project, (b) the date of the award and (c) the amount of funding provided in each case. [23717]
Dr. Howells: There are no designated museums within the Buckingham constituency.
Arts Bodies
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of staff turnover at (a) regional arts boards and (b) the Arts Council of England since the proposals outlined in 'Working Together for the Arts' were made; and if she will make a statement. [23572]
Dr. Howells: Staff turnover at the Arts Council of England in the period 1 April 2000–31 March 2001 was 28.4 per cent. In the first quarter of 2001–02, turnover reduced to 25 per cent. and reduced again in the second quarter to 20.5 per cent. Policies have been prepared to maximise staff retention, and these have been taken to the local union/management groups for ratification and workplace-based application.
The Regional Arts Boards are autonomous organisations, which report to their own boards about the turnover of staff.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what has been the funding for the Arts Council of England in each year since 1995; what proportion of that funding in each of those years has been spent on salaries; what the Arts Council of England has spent in each year since 1995 on salaries; what the average salary of an Arts Council of England employee has been in each year since 1995; what the average salary of an employee of a regional arts board has been in each year since 1995; and if she will make a statement. [23573]
Dr. Howells: The following information has been supplied by the Arts Council of England, in answer to the question:
| Funding in each year since 1995 (grant-in-aid and lottery combined) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | |
| GIA and Lottery funding | 435,327 | 426,013 | 454,788 | 400,904 | 416,271 | 420,584 |
| Proportion spent on salaries (percentage) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| How much spent on salaries | 3,481 | 4,351 | 6,020 | 6,457 | 5,603 | 6,615 |
| Average salary of ACE employee | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 28 | 33 |
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Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Arts Council of England has distributed to each of the regional arts boards in each year since 1995. [23574]
Dr. Howells: The Arts Council of England has been supplied the following information, which includes grant-in-aid and lottery funding combined:
| All RABs | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East England | 5,011,053 | 5,109,835 | 5,248,710 | 5,322,280 | 6,152,450 | 9,718,024 |
| East Midlands | 4,480,158 | 4,443,540 | 4,502,900 | 4,938,120 | 6,454,107 | 9,682,517 |
| London | 14,157,380 | 13,762,832 | 13,789,202 | 14,603,194 | 16,284,439 | 32,014,120 |
| Northern | 6,209,766 | 6,353,287 | 6,212,970 | 6,353,287 | 7,399,758 | 11,714,473 |
| North West | 8,099,977 | 8,028,610 | 8,441,000 | 8,515,529 | 9,766,313 | 18,039,684 |
| Southern | 3,598,450 | 3,839,771 | 3,918,786 | 4,267,846 | 5,159,652 | 11,192,305 |
| South East | 2,907,688 | 2,931,214 | 3,109,264 | 3,319,040 | 4,216,479 | 6,999,710 |
| South West | 4,577,422 | 4,516,883 | 4,972,630 | 5,084,757 | 6,027,128 | 9,133,900 |
| West Midlands | 5,955,357 | 5,853,052 | 6,169,350 | 6,388,082 | 7,545,188 | 13,598,401 |
| Yorkshire | 7,173,613 | 6,988,962 | 7,316,013 | 7,296,347 | 8,513,200 | 12,458,582 |
Note:
These are total figures, both GIA and Lottery combined.
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