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National Lottery
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what the role and function of Global Crossing is with regard to (a) Camelot and (b) the running of the National Lottery; [38166]
- (2) what assessment she has made of the implications of the collapse of (a) Global Crossing and (b) its subcontractors upon the National Lottery; [38164]
(3) what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the possible collapse of Global Crossing has no impact on the running of the National Lottery; [38165]
(4) what representations she has received from Camelot about the possible collapse of Global Crossing.[38169]
Mr. Caborn: The operation of the National Lottery is a matter for Camelot as the private operator and the National Lottery Commission as the independent regulator. We have received no representations from Camelot about the future of Global Crossing (UK) Telecommunications Ltd. which is a key supplier of communication networks for the National Lottery. Camelot has been in detailed discussions with Global Crossing (UK) Telecommunications Ltd. to assess the level of risk to the National Lottery and set in place contingency arrangements, and has kept the National Lottery Commission informed.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what meetings have been held between Ministers and special advisers and (a) Camelot, (b) Global Crossing and (c) other companies with regard to the possible collapse of Global Crossing;[38167]
- (2) on what date discussions between her Department and Global Crossing have been held since 1999; and what has been discussed on each occasion; [38170]
(3) what meetings have been held between (a) Minister and (b) special advisers and Global Crossing since May 1997. [38168]
Mr. Caborn: We have held no meetings with Global Crossing since May 1997.
Capita
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many contracts the Department has with Capita; and how much they are worth. [38380]
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Dr. Howells: My Department has no standing contract with Capita. However, we have used their services recently on three separate occasions. Brief details and the costs involved are as shown:
(i) providing training, candidate assessment exercises and independent chairs for the interview panel in connection with the Department's open recruitment scheme for middle and senior managers (November 2001)—ÿ17k
(ii) providing and marking standard Civil Service written tests for short-listed candidates in connection with the Department's open recruitment scheme or administrative staff (February 2002)—ÿ1k
(iii) providing 7 successful candidates off the national Civil Service Junior Manager recruitment scheme run by Capita (November 2001–February 2002)—ÿ8k.
Regional Museums
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action she is taking in response to the findings of the Regional Museums Task Force. [38095]
Dr. Howells: My Department has accepted, in principle, the task force's key recommendations for a new framework for regional museums. We are currently working with Resource to start implementing the recommendations with ÿ10 million per annum which was allocated to Resource in the last spending review.
We will take the task force's recommendations into account in the current spending review, alongside other priorities.
J Samuel White's Yard
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the hammerhead crane at the former J Samuel White's Yard in Cowes. [38207]
Dr. Howells: I can confirm that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State considers all applications for statutory listing on their individual merits. DCMS officials will write to the hon. Member outlining the listing procedures in greater detail.
Tourism
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she has assessed the effect of the proposed six-term school year on the domestic tourism industry. [38206]
Dr. Howells: The traditional calendar for the school year is increasingly seen as a barrier to the development of more sustainable tourism and to the spreading of the benefits of domestic tourism more evenly throughout the year.
Research has shown that while the total amount of UK trips made by the family tourism market is unlikely to change significantly as a result of a six-term year, an extended and more constant tourism season would be one result. This would lighten the load on tourism hotspots that struggle to cope with the huge numbers at
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peak times and mean that more attractions and tourism businesses, which currently close at the end of the summer, would be encouraged to stay open for longer.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourist visitors there were to each (a) region and (b) country of the UK for each year since 1995. [38863]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 February 2002]: Numbers of tourist visits involving an overnight stay by both overseas and UK residents to each region/country of the UK for 2000 are shown in table 1.
Numbers of tourist visits by overseas residents for 1995–2000 are shown in table 2.
Information on domestic visits for 1995–99 was published by the National Tourist Boards in The Uk Tourist and may be obtained from the Library of the House. However these figures for 1995–99 are not comparable with data for 2000 in table 1.
Figures for 2001 are not yet available at sub-UK level.
| Tourist board region/ Country | Millions of staying visits Overseas residents' visitsVisits by UK residentsTotal | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| London | 13.1 | 18.5 | 31.6 |
| Northumbria | 0.4 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
| Cumbria | 0.2 | 5.0 | 5.2 |
| North West | 1.3 | 14.8 | 16.1 |
| Yorkshire | 0.9 | 13.1 | 14.0 |
| Heart of England | 2.3 | 23.4 | 25.7 |
| East of England | 1.8 | 13.2 | 15.0 |
| West Country | 1.6 | 18.6 | 20.2 |
| Southern | 2.1 | 14.7 | 16.8 |
| South East England | 2.1 | 12.1 | 14.2 |
| All England1 | 21.5 | 140.4 | 161.9 |
| Wales | 1.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 |
| Scotland | 1.7 | 19.7 | 21.4 |
| Northern Ireland | 0.3 | n/a2 | n/a2 |
| UK | 23.2 | 175.4 | 198.6 |
Sources:
International Passenger Survey and UK Tourism Survey.
1 Figures do not sum due to trips that included visits to more than one region/country.
2 Comparable data not available.
Source:
International Passenger Survey, Office for National Statistics.
1 Figures do not sum due to trips that included visits to more than one region/country.
2 Comparable data not available.
3 These regional tourist board areas ceased to exist following the reorganisation in 1996.
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Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total revenue was from tourists in 2000 broken down by (a) region and (b) country. [38836]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 February 2002]: Tourism revenue comprises expenditure by:
1. Overseas residents during visits to the United Kingdom.
2. UK residents on domestic trips with overnight stays.
3. UK residents in days trips outside of each individuals' usual environment, and
4. Expenditure by overseas visitors which relates to their trip, but which is made abroad and is transferred to UK companies, i.e. fares to UK air carriers.
(a) Revenue from tourist expenditure for 2000 is shown for regions and countries of the UK in the table. Regional data are not available for categories 3 and 4.
| Tourist board region/Country | Overseas visitors | Domestic trips with overnight | Domestic tourism leisure day trips3 | Fares to UK air carriers3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 6,900 | 3,070 | n/a | n/a | 9,970 |
| Northumbria | 170 | 740 | n/a | n/a | 910 |
| Cumbria | 50 | 770 | n/a | n/a | 820 |
| North West | 450 | 1,980 | n/a | n/a | 2,420 |
| Yorkshire | 260 | 1,690 | n/a | n/a | 1,950 |
| Heart of England | 770 | 2,790 | n/a | n/a | 3,560 |
| East of England | 680 | 1,540 | n/a | n/a | 2,220 |
| West Country | 550 | 3,120 | n/a | n/a | 3,680 |
| Southern | 780 | 2,050 | n/a | n/a | 2,830 |
| South East England | 700 | 1,490 | n/a | n/a | 2,200 |
| All England1 | 11,360 | 19,890 | n/a | n/a | 31,250 |
| Wales | 270 | 1,140 | n/a | n/a | 1,400 |
| Scotland | 790 | 3,700 | n/a | n/a | 4,490 |
| Northern Ireland | 110 | n/a2 | n/a | n/a | n/a2 |
| UK1 | 12,670 | 26,130 | 32,700 | 3,300 | 74,800 |
Sources:
International Passenger Survey and UK Tourism Survey.
1 Figures may not sum due to spending not attributable to regions/countries.
2 Comparable data not available.
3 Estimated figures.
(b) Data at county level for categories 1 and 2 can be found on the Tourism Boards' statistics website http://www.staruk.org.uk.
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