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Libraries

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the frequency of visits by members to libraries per annum in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [35248]

Dr. Howells: There has been no such formal assessment. However, with effect from 2001–02, library authorities will report, in their annual library plan, on their current position against the public library standards, which includes a target for visitor numbers. This will allow all library authorities to be assessed against the best performing ones.

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list by local authority (a) the number of members of library services and (b) the proportion of the authority's population who are members of its libraries; and if she will make a statement. [35247]

Dr. Howells: This information is not collected centrally. In 1999–2000, there were nearly 13.8 million active borrowers in England, ie. 27.7 per cent. of the population. An active borrower is a person who has borrowed at least one item from the library during the year.

City of London Corporation (Events)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the functions, engagements and events which Ministers, her officials and

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advisers have attended which have been sponsored, funded, promoted and hosted by the City of London Corporation since 1997. [35693]

Dr. Howells: The information my hon. Friend has requested is not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

Secondments

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the names of staff who have been seconded to her Department from the private sector since May 1997, indicating (a) the names of the organisation from which each has come, (b) their responsibilities and Civil Service grades within her Department, (c) the organisation responsible for paying their salary and (d) the start and end dates of their secondment. [35841]

Dr. Howells: The Department has had no members of staff seconded from the private sector since May 1997.

Commonwealth Games

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if additional public funding is being sought for the Commonwealth games in Manchester; and if she will make a statement. [35740]

Mr. Caborn: On 2 July 2001 I announced an additional £80 million in funding for the games together with a contingency fund of £25 million, made up from contributions from Government, Sport England and Manchester city council. This additional funding was based on a thorough and realistic appraisal of the games equal costs undertaken by Patrick Carter.

Since then the games has remained firmly on track and within budget. And I can confirm that we have not received any requests for additional public funding over and above that announced last year although Government and the other funders have approved an £8.4 million call on the contingency following the collapse of Atlantic Telecom, the games principal sponsor and telecoms infrastructure provider at the end of last year.

"Hidden Britain"

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the exclusion of the Northern Highlands, the Western Isles and the Northern Isles from the British Tourist Authority "Hidden Britain"; and if she will make a statement. [35846R]

Dr. Howells: The British Tourist Authority's (BTA) "Hidden Britain" campaign was designed to promote areas not normally explored on traditional tourist trails. It is not always possible to feature every part of Britain, but the BTA aims to ensure that each campaign is broadly representative. The BTA worked closely with the three national tourist boards, including VisitScotland, in preparing the "Hidden Britain" initiative.

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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure (Publications)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his estimate is of the expenditure of his Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each of the last four years. [30094]

Mr. Leslie: Estimated expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals since 1997 is not held centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.

Visual and Aural Impairment

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to promote the use of RNID typetalk within Government Departments. [31187]

Mr. Leslie: The Central Office for Information has published guidance for Government Departments on providing information in accessible formats for disabled people, including the use of textphone services. There are three text phone users in the Cabinet Office and all staff have also received advice on contacting them.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Government Departments employ a trained lip speaker. [31188]

Mr. Leslie: Departments are responsible for their own arrangements: while some Departments may employ their own trained lip speakers, others may bring in lip speakers for specific events. Numbers are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Government publications were published in (a) Braille and (b) large print in 2001. [31189]

Mr. Leslie: Individual Departments are responsible for their own publications. Information on numbers published are not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. Government Departments are always willing to consider requests for providing information in accessible formats. For example, the Office of the e-Envoy consulted the Informability Unit at COI when planning the publication "Your guide to getting on". Copies have been produced in audio, large print and braille formats. By February 2002, 16 Braille, 75 large print and 525 audio copies had been supplied since the start of the public awareness campaign in November 2001.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many sign language specialists are employed by Government Departments for public and media relations. [31186]

Mr. Leslie: Departments are responsible for their own arrangements: while some Departments may employ their own sign language specialists, others may bring in sign language specialists for specific events. Numbers are not

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held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. As an example, in November the Cabinet Office ran the Civil Service training exercise "Dunchester's Millions" for a group of disabled undergraduates, which introduces potential candidates to the work of a Civil Service Fast Streamer. Three sign language interpreters were employed at this event to give profoundly deaf students an opportunity to participate fully in the activities.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Government Departments provide (a) Braille facilities, (b) text phone facilities and (c) lip speaking training for employees. [31185]

Mr. Leslie: All Government Departments provide reasonable adjustments for disabled staff depending on an individual's particular needs. This includes the provision of Braille facilities, text phone services and lip speaking training where appropriate. For example, the Cabinet Office has three text phone users. The Cabinet Office Disability Staff Network (DisCO) is also running a deaf awareness workshop, which raises awareness among employees of the causes of deafness. It also offers background to sign language, deaf culture and lip reading skills.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether it is possible to receive an audio version of Government publications. [31312]

Mr. Leslie: Yes. Many Government publications are published in audio versions as a matter of course. Departments are always willing to consider requests to provide other publications in accessible formats. For example, the Office of the e-Envoy consulted the Informability Unit at COI when planning the publication "Your guide to getting on". Copies have been produced in audio, large print and braille formats. By February 2002, 16 braille, 75 large print and 525 audio copies had been supplied since the start of the public awareness campaign in November 2001.

Social Exclusion Unit

John Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the future work programme of the social exclusion unit. [33734]

The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State: Tackling social exclusion is a priority for this Government. We have put in place a twin track strategy to tackle low incomes and improve public services. The social exclusion unit was set up in 1997 to co-ordinate policy-making on specific cross-cutting projects focusing

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on some of the most intractable social problems. The unit has completed five major projects on tackling rough sleeping, teenage pregnancy, truancy and school exclusions, neighbourhood renewal and 16 to 18-year- olds not in education. These have resulted in a total of 27 reports, of which six set out a full policy response from Government.

Over the next 12 months the social exclusion unit is planning to complete four projects on areas of cross cutting work. These areas are: reducing the rates of re-offending among ex-prisoners; developing a more effective system to prevent young people from running away and to help those that do; improving the educational achievement of children in care; and removing the transport barriers that prevent people accessing work and critical services.

The Prime Minister and I will take a view on any new project as the work programme develops.

The unit will also be working closely with the implementation units in other Government Departments to ensure that there is effective implementation of previous work carried out by the unit.

To support this work the social exclusion unit will communicate and consult with members of the public, the voluntary and the business sector, local government and key professionals regarding the Government's policies on social exclusion, and ensure that they receive accurate, up-to-date information about the work of the unit.

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