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BBC

12. Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has for BBC finances. [43153]

Tessa Jowell: I have no plans to change the current financing arrangements for the BBC, but funding will be looked at as part of the process of reviewing the BBC's Charter, which expires in 2006.

International Year of Mountains

13. Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support the Department is giving to Cumbria for celebrations during the international year of the mountains. [43154]

Dr. Howells: I intend to visit the National Mountaineering Exhibition at the Rheged Discovery Centre in June to celebrate the Cumbrian Mountain Festival that is being held in association with the United Nations International Year of Mountains to boost sustainable tourism in the county.

Museums and Galleries

14. Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action she plans to take in respect of museums in Cambridge following the museums and galleries task force. [43155]

Tessa Jowell: Resource: the Council for Museums, Libraries and Archives published on 7 March application forms and criteria for the selection of museums as regional hubs. Museum consortia in each region are invited to submit applications to Resource by 19 April. My Department is currently working with Resource to start implementing the Task Force recommendations with £10 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.

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she commissions independent assessments of how successfully the national museums and galleries meet their key performance indicators. [40332]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 6 March 2002]: My Department recognises its role in ensuring that the national museums and galleries which it sponsors provide reliable performance indicator data. The funding agreements which are in place with all of our sponsored museums and galleries now incorporate information on the process to be adopted in validating reports on performance against targets. In addition, we expect the internal auditors of our sponsored museums and galleries to provide independent assurance that the methods of data collection are in accordance with agreed definitions and that they allow credible performance reporting.

Sports Clubs

16. Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for local sports clubs. [43157]

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Mr. Caborn: Local amateur sports clubs make valuable contributions to improved health, the local economy and social inclusion. In order to help clubs attain the financial stability to develop these roles, my Department has been working with the Charity Commission and sports bodies on a possible tax exemption package that would extend charitable status to clubs on the grounds that they provide healthy recreation.

Healthy Living

17. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what work her Department will carry out to support the Government's public health objective of promoting healthy living in 2002–03. [43158]

Tessa Jowell: My Department continues to support and emphasise the significant contribution sport, the arts and children's play provision can make to promoting a healthier society. Through our close involvement in the Cross-Cutting Review on Health Inequalities, we are also examining the ways in which our sectors can help to tackle the problems posed by health inequalities in this country.

Rugby League

18. Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on support for grassroots rugby league from the national lottery. [43159]

Mr. Caborn: Total funding received from the National Lottery in England for grassroots rugby league is £8,717,584. The responsibility for lottery awards rests with the independent distributing bodies, such as Sport England, who make their funding decisions independently of the Government.

Arts Education

20. Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the progress being made by the arts education pilot projects under the creative partnership scheme. [43161]

Tessa Jowell: Creative Partnerships is on course to begin in April when funding comes on stream. This new fund will offer school children in some of the most deprived areas in the country the opportunity to work with artists and other creative practitioners on sustained projects.

Football Grounds

22. Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations the Government have made to the Football Association and other football bodies about the sale of club grounds without making alternative provision for training and games. [43163]

Mr. Caborn: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made representations to the Football Association or the other football authorities about the sale of club grounds.

These are primarily commercial issues for clubs' managements. However, the Government fully appreciate that clubs' grounds are important parts of the communities

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they serve. That is why Supporters Direct was set up by the Government last year to advise and assist football supporters wishing to get involved in the responsible running of their football clubs.

Supporters Direct has recently been involved in setting up successful rescue packages for clubs whose primary assets, including their grounds, have been threatened.

Euro

23. Paul Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has met the English Tourist Council to discuss the acceptance of euro notes and coins. [43165]

Dr. Howells: No, I have not. The British Tourist Authority have, in consultation with the UK's tourism industry and HM Treasury, issued guidance entitled "The Euro—A guide for small tourism businesses" to assist tourism firms. I have arranged for copies to be deposited in the Libraries of the House.

Film School, Newport

24. Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will visit the Film School at Newport, Gwent. [43166]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has no current plans to visit the school.

Exercise

25. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce an advertising campaign to encourage people to take up exercise and sport and to make the most of local council sporting facilities. [43167]

Mr. Caborn: I have no plans to introduce an advertising campaign to encourage people to take up exercise and sport and to make the most of local council sporting facilities.

Sport England's well publicised Active Sports initiative is a national programme designed to give eight to sixteen-year-olds the opportunity to enjoy their sport throughout the country. In addition Sport England's Active Communities initiative is seeking to encourage all sports providers to reach communities and individuals who have traditionally been excluded from sport or physical activity, and to encourage delivery within communities that do not have a strong sport and recreation infrastructure.

Regional Theatres

26. Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to support regional theatres in Lancashire and the north-west. [43168]

Tessa Jowell: This is a matter for the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards. As a result of last year's Theatre Review an extra £2.8 million was allocated to theatre throughout the north-west arts region. By 2003–04 over £7.5 million will be spent in revenue funding for theatre, representing an increase of 77 per cent. over 2000–01.

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Portable Antiquities

28. Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on future funding for the portable antiquities scheme. [43170]

Tessa Jowell: I can confirm that my Department has agreed to fund all the present 14 posts for a further full year, pending the outcome of Resource's lottery bid.

Sports Coaching

21. Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the contribution of volunteers to sports coaching, with special reference to schools. [43162]

Mr. Caborn: My Department and the Home Office will shortly launch our joint Volunteering in Sport project. This project will make available £7 million of funding over the next two years to provide training and volunteering opportunities for people both young and old. The project will focus on existing School Sport Coordinator Partnerships where they exist. The trained volunteers are part of the Volunteer Investment Strategy and will form an additional resource to deliver the Government's commitment to an entitlement of a minimum of two hours per week high quality PE and sport to every pupil, by helping teachers run school sports clubs, festivals and competitions and supporting local primary school sport. Many of the volunteers will also be deployed in community sports clubs.

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My Department and the Coaching Task Force are also currently exploring the opportunities for encouraging more parents and grandparents to become involved in coaching, particularly in relation to school sport.

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