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Capita Group
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department. [39337]
Dr. Howells: The following is the information:
| ÿ | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Recruitment of Chairman and Members—New Opportunities Fund | 14,000 |
| 1998–99 | Recruitment of Chairman and Trustees—National Endowment for Science & Technology (NESTA) | 13,000 |
| 1998–99 | Recruitment for BBC Appointments | 12,000 |
| 2001–02 | Training for Recruitment Scheme—Middle and Senior Managers | 17,000 |
| 2001–02 | Providing and Marking Standard Civil Service Written Tests | 1,000 |
| 2001–02 | Civil Service Junior Manager Recruitment Scheme | 8,000 |
| Total | 65,000 |
Includes Royal Parks (nil return).
Job No: 713438 Folios: 2078
Fair Trade
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether fair trade products are sold in her Department. [39825]
Dr. Howells: There is little opportunity to sell anything in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but contractors working with the Department are encouraged to use Fair Trade goods where possible.
Film Industry
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what income has been generated from the film industry in each (a) region and (b) country in the United Kingdom in each year since 1995. [38837]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 February 2002]: The following table shows film production investment to the UK from 1995–2000. Figures are not kept by region or country. Information for 2001 is not yet available.
| Year | Foreign productions | ÿ million | British productions | ÿ million | Total inward investment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 14 | 216.45 | 34 | 94.00 | 310.45 |
| 1996 | 25 | 387.10 | 73 | 172.20 | 559.30 |
| 1997 | 20 | 261.90 | 84 | 202.89 | 464.79 |
| 1998 | 16 | 214.20 | 67 | 174.96 | 389.16 |
| 1999 | 22 | 336.37 | 70 | 170.31 | 506.68 |
| 2000 | 28 | 366.57 | 52 | 211.70 | 578.27 |
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Theatres
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been made available (a) from her Department and (b) from the National Lottery for assisting in renovation work to theatres in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001. [37189]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 February 2002]: This is a matter for those bodies sponsored by my Department who deal specifically with theatre and/or the built environment—the Arts Council of England, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The following figures supplied by these organisations are for lottery awards for theatre renovation:
| ÿ | |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 13,674,605 |
| 2000 | 4,278,566 |
| 2001 | 23,380,917 |
Sport England
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will provide an additional ÿ500,000 to Sport England to compensate it for the severance package given to Sport England's former chief executive. [39694]
Tessa Jowell: Sport England recognise that the costs of the departure of their former Chief Executive must be funded from existing resources. There will not be any charge to Lottery Funds.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Retirement Ages
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the retirement ages that apply to the employees of his Department and its agencies, including how many and which categories of employees are affected by each; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on flexible retirement. [32820]
Mr. Bradshaw: The FCO's current retirement age is 60 for all grades of staff. From April this year staff in clerical grades will be able to work until 65 and those in junior and middle management grades until 63 if they so wish. Staff in the Senior Management Structure will be required to retire at 60 as at present. There are currently 1,441 staff in the clerical grades, 3,716 in junior and middle management and 454 in the Senior Management Structure.
Ministerial Boxes
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what means ministerial boxes are conveyed from private offices in his Department to (a) himself and (b) his fellow Ministers; how frequently and at what expense private courier firms are employed for such a task; and which courier firms have been used for such duties. [36276]
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Mr. Straw: FCO ministerial boxes are transported to Ministers' homes by Government car or by a service provided by the Royal Mail.
Racism
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer on 23 January 2002, Official Report, column 886W, on the UN World Conference against Racism, what the results of his consultation on drawing up a National Action Plan on 4 February were; what bodies were represented at the meeting; if he will place the notes of the meeting in the Library; what arrangements have been made for a follow-up meeting; what plans he has to make the WCAR report available to hon. Members; and what plans he has to debate the report and publicise UK support for the Declaration. [38306]
Mr. MacShane: On 4 February, the Home Office held informal consultations with NGOs who had been involved in national consultations on the World Conference Against Racism, including the 1990 Trust, the Runnymede Trust, the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities, UNA-UK, the Churches Commission for Racial Justice and the Women's National Commission and representatives from the devolved administrations.
The purpose of the meeting was for Home Office officials to seek views on how work on the National Action Plan should be taken forward before putting advice to Ministers. The meeting's main concern was to ensure that a fully representative group of NGOs were consulted on the development and implementation of the plan and discussion focused around which organisations should be included. The Home Office is currently considering these proposals. As this meeting was informal, there are no plans to put a record in the Library of the House. There will be a further meeting of the informal group on 19 March.
The UK World Conference Against Racism report is available to hon. Members on the UN website (http://www.un.org/WCAR/aconf189–12pdf) which is accessible through the House Library.
We will of course inform hon. Members as soon as we have identified and agreed the best way to take forward work on the National Act Plan.
Afghanistan
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the UN Economic and Social council report XDiscrimination against Women and Girls in Afghanistan"; and if he will adopt its recommendations in respect of UK operations in Afghanistan. [38129]
Mr. Bradshaw: We welcome the report XDiscrimination against Women and Girls in Afghanistan" and support its recommendations. We have always said that the restoration of human rights, including women's rights, will be the key to the establishment of stable systems of government in Afghanistan. We expect the Afghan Government to ratify the convention on the elimination of discrimination against women.
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We welcome the role that women are playing in the Afghan Interim Authority, both in the Interim Administration and on the Loya Jirga Commission. Whilst the form of any future Afghan Government is for the Afghan people to decide, we expect that women will be involved.
On reconstruction, our projects have always involved women and this will continue in the recovery and rehabilitation process. The involvement of women in projects, and use of expertise on gender issues will help to ensure that the rights of women are promoted—particularly recognising the complexity of gender issues in Afghanistan.
Overseas Territories
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place the final draft of the overseas territories model legislation for implementation of the report to the Counter Terrorism Committee, pursuant to paragraph 6 of Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001 and 20 December 2001, in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [38117]
Mr. Bradshaw: Copies of the final draft of the Order In Council which will replicate in several Overseas Territories the terrorist financing provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress (a) the Cayman Islands, (b) Bermuda and (c) Gibraltar have made in bringing forward legislation to implement the report to the Counter Terrorism Committee, pursuant to paragraph 6 of Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001 and 20 December 2001. [38116]
Mr. Bradshaw: Bermuda, Gibraltar and the Cayman Islands have agreed to enact local legislation equivalent to the terrorist financing provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. The United Kingdom is producing model draft legislation, which we hope the legislature in each territory will be able to approve by June 2002.
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work is in progress on the designation of exclusive economic zones in respect of (a) the Falkland Islands, (b) St. Georgia, (c) St Helena and (d) Ascension Island; what deadline is for designation under Article 76 of the UN Law of the Sea Convention 1984; and if he will make a statement.[37751]
- Job No: 713438 Folios: 2083
Mr. MacShane: Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS) coastal states may declare an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) beyond and adjacent to their territorial sea up to 200 nautical miles from their baselines. Coastal states may declare instead an equivalent zone and exercise more limited jurisdiction in that zone. The Falkland Islands and St. Helena and Dependencies (which include Ascension Island) have declared a 200 nautical
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mile fisheries zone. South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have declared a 200 nautical mile maritime zone.
Under Article 76 of UNCLOS coastal states claiming a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles are required to make a submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). In respect of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Ascension Island and St. Helena any submission should be made as soon as possible, but in any event by 13 May 2009.
The preparatory work to make submissions to the CLCS in respect of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Ascension Island is under way and it is expected that the submissions will be made before the deadline.
No work is being undertaken to make a submission to the CLCS under Article 76 of UNCLOS in respect of St. Helena because the geomorphology of the seabed around the island does not support a claim to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
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