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Volunteers
Bob Russell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 701W, on voluntary work, how many members of his staff in 2001 were granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer. [39549]
The Prime Minister: Our records show that 15 staff who were part of the 2000 project with a school have continued into 2001. There are another 10 staff who have also carried out different activities, including in their local area in 2001.
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A400M
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make representations to Airbus to ensure that a British team (a) leads the planning and (b) provides the powershaft for the A400M heavy lift transport for the RAF. [40563]
The Prime Minister: The Government of course hope that the UK defence industry will be involved as much as possible in this project and recognise the considerable expertise that industry could bring to this project. Ultimately, Airbus Military is free to select its own suppliers on the grounds of performance and cost.
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
Tony Baldry: To ask the Prime Minister what his objectives are for the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Coolum, Australia; and if he will make a statement. [39520]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made in the House today.
Fort William to London Sleeper Service
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on departmental responsibility for financial assistance for the Fort William to London sleeper service. [40083]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 4 March 2002]: The current arrangement is for the Scottish Executive to fund the franchise payments made by the Strategic Rail Authority to ScotRail, the train operating company which holds the franchise to run this service. For that purpose, the Executive receives a matching transfer of funds, under interim arrangements, from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.
Romania
Mr. Chope: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1450W ref 39039, (1) whether information on the number of occasions in the past two years he has written to the Prime Minister of Romania about the award of contracts to companies with British interests is available; [40634]
- (2) pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2002, ref 39032, for what reason disclosure of the number of occasions in the past two years that he has written to foreign Governments about the award of contracts to companies with British interests would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs; [40636]
(3) pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2002, ref 39032, whether information on the number of occasions in the past two years he has written to foreign Governments about the award of contracts to companies is available; [40635]
(4) pursuant to his answer, of 28 February 2002, ref 39039, for what reason the disclosure of the number of occasions he has written to the Prime Minister of Romania would harm the conduct of international relations or affairs. [40637]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 February.
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British Companies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2002, Offical Report, column 1268w ref 38395, on British companies, what his criteria are for deciding whether to support British companies seeking contracts abroad. [40718]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer.
Iraq
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 28 November 2002, Official Report, column 966, what discussions he has had with President Bush in relation to Iraq and the pursuit of international terrorism in all its forms. [37657]
The Prime Minister: I regularly discuss all aspects of Iraq policy and the campaign against terrorism with President Bush. We share the concerns of all responsible Governments about Iraq's relationship with terrorism and its development weapons of mass destruction.
Engagements
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his official engagements between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm on Tuesday 26 February. [39805]
The Prime Minister: As has already been made public I was meeting the heads of all the Regional Development Agencies.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Departmental Staff
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people her Department employed in each of the past seven years; how many of those employees worked on (a) a part-time basis and (b) a full-time basis; and if she will make a statement. [38132]
Dr. Howells: The information is set out in the table.
| Average staff in post | Full-time | Part-time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 363 | 354 | 9 |
| 1996 | 350 | 339 | 11 |
| 1997 | 344 | 331 | 13 |
| 1998 | 364 | 339 | 15 |
| 1999 | 375 | 358 | 17 |
| 2000 | 405 | 382 | 23 |
| 2001 | 456 | 433 | 23 |
My Department supports a range of work patterns, including part-time, intended to help staff better manage their work and other responsibilities.
Volunteers
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of her staff in each of the past two years have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer; and if she will make a statement. [39747]
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Dr. Howells: My Department does not have a central record of the number of staff who have been granted a day's paid leave to work as a volunteer over the past two years. The Department supports voluntary public service and encourages its staff and managers to take advantage of the extra day's paid annual leave, and other special leave arrangements, which are in place for those who wish to undertake such work.
Parliamentary Questions
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will answer the question tabled on 22 January Ref. 279, in regard to the New Year's festivities at the Millennium Dome; and if she will make a statement. [39393]
Dr. Howells: This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. The hon. Gentleman's original question (29586) was transferred to his Department and I understand that he will be replying today.
Aldeburgh Festival
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the work of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Trust; and what financial assistance and support her Department is giving to the festival. [39543]
Dr. Howells: The funding of arts festivals is a matter for the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards. I understand that East England Arts is working closely with the Aldeburgh Poetry Trust to bring about sustainable growth in its activities. The Trust is in the first year of a three year funding agreement with East England Arts which will provide investment of £41,388 over the three years 2001–04.
Gambling
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) economic and (b) other evaluation has been made of the impact of the independent review of the gambling controls in Great Britain on holiday resorts. [40505]
Mr. Caborn: We intend, when announcing our conclusions on the report of the Gambling Review Body, to publish a partial regulatory assessment which will provide an overall assessment of the benefits and costs of the recommendations in the report for the gambling industry and the economy as a whole.
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are employed in the manufacture of gaming machines in Great Britain. [40506]
Mr. Caborn: Evidence submitted by the industry to the Gambling Review Body indicated that about 1,800 people are directly employed in the manufacture of gaming machines in Great Britain.
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Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the number of jobs created by the gaming industry in each of the last three years. [40524]
Mr. Caborn: This information is not collected. The available information indicates that about 95,000 are currently employed in the gambling industry as a whole.
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the framework used in the independent review of the gambling controls in Great Britain. [40544]
Mr. Caborn: We hope to be able to announce our conclusions on the report of the Gambling Review Body within the next few weeks.
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