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Press Complaints Commission
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received concerning the effectiveness of the Press Complaints Commission. [46209]
Dr. Howells: Over the last six months, DCMS has received 23 letters mentioning the Press Complaints Commission, of which 16 made specific complaints.
Communications Bill
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the pre-legislative scrutiny procedure will be for the Communications Bill; and when it will start. [46130]
Dr. Howells: The Government hope that the two Houses will agree to establish a Joint Committee to consider any draft Communications Bill and will bring forward the necessary motions sometime after the Easter Adjournment.
Pugin's "The Grange"
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received concerning The Grange, the home of Augustus Pugin; and if she will make a statement. [46227]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, has received no representations concerning The Grange. The Landmark Trust, an independent UK building preservation charity which restores neglected historic buildings, has been awarded £1.1 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund towards restoration of The Grange. The Landmark Trust has an existing grant offer from English Heritage also towards the conservation and repair of The Grange. English Heritage are currently considering making an increased grant offer for the restoration project.
Sponsorship
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the industries sponsored
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by her Department, stating for each the (a) amount and (b) percentage of GDP they represented in each of the last five years. [45200]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 25 March 2002]: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for sponsoring the tourism, gambling, video and film, radio and TV, and music industries.
| 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism(75),(76) | 45,100 | 43,900 | 42,000 | 39,400 | 35,200 |
| Gambling(77) | 7,300 | 6,600 | 6,600 | 6,400 | 5,900 |
| Video and film(78) | 2,400 | 1,900 | 1,600 | 1,700 | 1,800 |
| Radio and TV(78) | 5,800 | 4,200 | 3,700 | 3,500 | 2,700 |
| Music and the visual and performing arts(78),(79) | 3,600 | 3,200 | 2,900 | 2,700 | 3,100 |
| 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism(76) | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 |
| Gambling | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| Video and film(78) | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Radio and TV(78) | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Music and the visual and performing arts(78),(79) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
(75) Figures for the tourism day visits component of these figures are estimated from 1996 and 1998 Day Visits Survey.
(76) Estimates from surveys of overseas visitors and UK residents.
(77) Consumer Trends, Office for National Statistics.
(78) Estimates based on the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Annual Business Inquiry.
(79) ONS category "artistic and literary creation and interpretation" does not distinguish between music and other performing arts and therefore I am unable to estimate a specific split for this category.
BBC News 24
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the terms of reference are of the review she announced on 12 March into BBC News 24. [45201]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 25 March 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hyndburn (Mr. Pope) on 21 March 2002, Official Report, column 510W.
Library Staff
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average salary for (a) a professionally trained librarian and (b) an untrained library assistant has been in each local authority in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [46590]
Dr. Howells: Information on salary levels for professional and non-professional staff across the 149 English Library Authorities is not held centrally.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) professionally trained librarians and (b) untrained library assistants were employed by each local authority in each of the past 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [46589]
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Dr. Howells: This information is not readily available. However, we can extract and then represent the required data from the 149 English Library Authorities from existing reference sources. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as this has been done, placing copies of my letter in the Libraries of both Houses.
Independent Television Commission
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) which representatives of the ITC have attended meetings with minsters and officials from her Department in the last six months; [46593]
- (2) how many times (a) ministers and (b) officials from her Department have met representatives of the ITC in the last six months. [46592]
Dr. Howells: The Independent Television Commission are involved in taking forward work on the draft Communications Bill, the Digital Action Plan, the establishment of the new converged communications regulator (OFCOM), and other projects with which my Department engages. Ministers and officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have therefore met representatives of the ITC frequently in the last six months. It would not be possible to list all the meetings or all the individuals involved without disproportionate cost.
Music Advisers
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what figures she has collated on how many music advisers in the Department (a) perform or have performed music in the past, (b) play an instrument and (c) studied music at university; and if she will make a statement. [46585]
Dr. Howells: My Department sponsors the music industry and is committed to working closely with them and other Government Departments to help ensure that all parts of the UK music industry thrive both at home and abroad.
Of the five officials directly involved in providing advice on music industry issues in the Department:
- (a) four perform or have performed music in the past,
- (b) four play an instrument,
- (c) none studied music at university.
Archives
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government are establishing regional archivist groups; what movement of archives there will be to such groups from county and national archives; and what representations she has received on the matter. [45925]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 26 March 2002]: With encouragement from this Department, the National Council on Archives has set up a network of Regional Archive Councils which were formally established in 1999. They co-ordinate the development of archives policy and promote archives within the regions. As they are councils rather than repositories there are no plans to move archives from county and national archives to these groups. The Regional Archive Councils published archives strategies for each region in 2001.
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My Department has received the National Council on Archives report "Archives in the Regions", an overview of the English regional archive strategies, and is in discussion with Resource, the Council for museums, archives and libraries and other interested groups on how to take the recommendations of the report forward.
User Consultation
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what new steps her Department took in 2001–02 to consult the users of its services about their wishes and expectations; and if she will publish the findings. [47307]
Dr. Howells: The Department is actively following the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations in order to consult the users of its services about their wishes and expectations, efficiently and effectively. These findings are published and consistently updated on the Department's website.
Correspondence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of external correspondence was answered within 18 working days as of December 2001. [47256]
Mr. Caborn: For the period 1 April to 31 December 2001, 89 per cent. of the Department's external correspondence was answered within 18 working days.
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