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Independent Film Makers

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received concerning use of tax allowances by (a) independent film makers and (b) television producers. [36922]

Dr. Howells: Officials from my department have met a number of independent film producers, television producers, and broadcasters, as well as representatives from industry trade organisations, and the Film Council, to discuss the use of tax allowances. The views expressed were passed to the Inland Revenue as changes to the tax relief are, ultimately, a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the extent to which tax allowances have been taken up by (a) independent film makers and (b) television shows. [36924]

Dr. Howells: About 50 per cent. of the tax relief, by value, goes to film producers, and 50 per cent. to television producers. The vast majority of applications from film makers for a 'British film' certificate to access

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the tax relief are from independent film makers, as opposed to the small number of films made each year in the UK by the major Hollywood studios.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff left the service of her Department and its agencies in the year ended 31 March 2001; how many left before attaining the formal retirement age of 60 years; and in respect of how many her Department and its agencies assumed responsibilities for making payments until retirement age. [37556]

Dr. Howells: The information is set out in the following table:

	DCMS	RPA
Left in year to 31 March 2001	3	2
Before retirement age	3	1
Responsibility for payments	3	1

Note:

This data exclude staff who left to join other Government Departments or to pursue employment elsewhere.

Refurbishment

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 18 January 2002, Official Report, column 506W, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997. [37888]

Mr. Caborn: The previous answer addressed the cost of refurbishment, which was taken to mean not merely redecoration and/or replacement furnishing but rather extensive building works. The cost of redecoration/ refurnishing of ministerial offices has been £106,382.98 in the period November 1997 to January 1998. A sum of £22,134 in 1999 and £11,200 in late 2001.

Empty Properties

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 30 January 2002, Official Report, column 339W, what the area in square feet of the property referred to is. [37894]

Mr. Caborn: The premises referred to were a total of 5,690.94 square feet over three floors.

Sports Clubs

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans the Government have concerning charitable status for sports clubs. [37883]

Mr. Caborn: The Charity Commission announced in November 2001 that certain local amateur sports clubs would be eligible to apply for charitable status on the grounds that such clubs promote healthy recreation. I have recently met the commission's chairman to discuss how best to encourage clubs to apply for charitable status, and to ensure that the widest possible range of sports are eligible. In the light of that meeting, I consider that charitable status will offer a great deal to many clubs.

That meeting followed detailed discussions with sport and other interested parties since the publication of the Treasury's consultation document, "Promoting Sport in

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the Community", on 30 November. These discussions included a consideration of the alternative, non-charitable, proposals included in the Treasury document, and I intend to raise the results of that consideration with Treasury Ministers shortly.

Handheld Televisions

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on applying the television licence fee to handheld televisions; and if she will make a statement. [37690]

Dr. Howells: A television licence is required to use any television receiver as defined in the Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) Regulations 1997. The licence fee does not vary according to the size or portability of a television set. However, a television licence covers the use anywhere in the United Kingdom, by the licensee or a person normally living with the licensee at the licensed address, of a television receiver powered solely by its own internal batteries.

Television Licences

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will safeguard the £5 concessionary television licence for those living in schemes with a resident warden when a scheme loses its concessionary licence by accommodating those not of a pensionable age or by the landlord adopting a travelling warden service in place of a resident warden. [37718]

Dr. Howells: As announced last year, the Government propose to introduce measures to preserve the rights of beneficiaries of the Accommodation for Residential Care (ARC) concessionary television licence scheme when the social mix or the level of warden cover in their sheltered housing change, so long as they remain in accommodation provided or managed by a local authority, a housing association or a development corporation. Consultations between officials and the BBC about the necessary amendments to the television licence fee regulations are currently under way. We intend to bring forward these amendments as soon as we can but it is important that in doing so we do not create any new anomalies or unnecessary administrative burdens.

Sport

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what levels of funding have been available for sport in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) in total in each of the last 10 years from (i) central Government and (ii) the Lottery. [37629]

Mr. Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway) on 13 February 2002, Official Report, columns 408–09W.

World Athletics

Mr. Wyatt: 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, "Unpicking the Lock: the World Athletics Championships in the UK". [38769]

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Tessa Jowell: The Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's report "Unpicking the Lock: the World Athletics Championships in the UK" has been laid before both Houses today.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are to amend her Department's (a) departmental expenditure limit and (b) administration costs limits for 2001–02. [38913]

Tessa Jowell: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimate for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for 2001–02 will be increased by £10,211,000 from £1,169,881,000 to £1,180,092,000 and the Department's administration costs limit increased by £3,171,000 from £32,237,000 to £35,408,000.

Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:

	£000
Resources
Change	10,121
New DEL	1,037,374
of which:
Voted	148,247
Non-voted	889,127
Capital
Change	90
New DEL	142,718
of which:
Voted	101,817
Non-voted	40,901

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from the transfer of resources from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of £2,000,000 toward the costs of mounting the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester; the transfer of resources, as part of the machinery of government changes, from the Cabinet Office of £210,000 for the administration costs of the Commonwealth Games Unit; from the Home Office of £2,461,000 for the administration costs of the Golden Jubilee Unit and of the alcohol licensing, gambling, film and video licensing functions, of £1,265,000 for the receipts and £3,680,000 for the expenditure of the Gaming Board of Great Britain, and of £3,000,000 for grants and associated expenditure for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Other changes include the provision of additional resources under the end-year flexibility (EYF) arrangements, as set out in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper, 2000–01 (Cm. 5243), of £35,000 for the Government Art Collection and to provide for a transfer of resources of £500,000 from the Department's research to administration costs budgets.

The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from the transfer from the Home Office of £90,000 for the capital expenditure of the Golden Jubilee Unit. The increases will be offset by transfers or charged to the DEL reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

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