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ITV Digital
Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from ITV Digital since the company's entry into administration on 27 March. [53883]
Dr. Howells: I have been kept closely in touch by all sides involved in the ITV Digital negotiations. However the decisions taken by ITV Digital are commercial decisions for them, and them alone, to take.
National Stadium
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she has received (a) Patrick Carter's report into the National Football Stadium and (b) the other information from the Football Association, WNSL, Sport England and other Government Departments to enable her to make an assessment of Wembley's National Stadium bid in accordance with her statement to the House on 19 December 2001. [54472]
Tessa Jowell: I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made yesterday, Official Report, column 21–22. Further to that statement, I have now received Sport England's athletics study, a copy of which I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Rural Awareness
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will establish rural targets and monitoring as part of overall rural proofing measures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report Rural Proofing in 2001–02. [54423]
Dr. Howells: The Department is actively committed to improving policy outcomes through the rural proofing process. The Department's current public service agreement includes a number of targets which will bring
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real benefits to rural areas, including ensuring all public libraries have internet access by the end of 2002 and introducing at least 12 Creative Partnerships by March 2004.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will introduce measures to raise rural awareness through staff (a) training, (b) development and (c) secondments as part of overall rural proofing measures as set out in the Countryside Agency's report, Rural Proofing in 2001–02. [54415]
Dr. Howells: The Department has taken a number of steps to raise awareness of rural issues among staff and its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). The rural proofing checklist has been widely disseminated throughout the Department and to NDPBs and rural proofing has been incorporated into the Department's policy makers' checklist. A central contact point to promote rural proofing has been identified within the Department and officials have worked closely with the Countryside Agency on a number of key policy areas.
Digital Television
Mr. Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms the Government will implement to ensure that (a) consumers on low incomes, (b) consumers who live in rural areas and (c) other consumers who live in areas which cannot presently receive digital terrestrial television will continue to have access to television services after analogue switch-off. [54617]
Dr. Howells: Analogue signals will not be turned off before two conditions are met:
- everyone who currently receives free-to-air channels is able, after switchover, to receive the same channels digitally, including in remote and rural areas, and
switching to digital must be an affordable option, within the reach of people on low and fixed incomes. As a key measure of affordability, 95 per cent. of consumers must have access to digital equipment before switchover is completed.
Commission for Architecture and
the Built Environment
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the impact of the work of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. [54572]
Dr. Howells: Ministers and officials in my Department hold regular meetings with the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) to discuss progress. A funding agreement between my Department and CABE also sets out a range of performance-related targets that CABE is expected to meet.
CABE's key achievements are set out in my Department's annual report.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her future funding intentions are for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. [54573]
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Dr. Howells: This year (2002–03) the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) will receive £3.53 million in grant-in-aid from my Department. CABE also receives some funding from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.
The details of my Department's future funding for all its sponsored bodies will be announced as part of the Spending Review.
Performance Targets
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of whether the target for the reduction of running costs as a proportion of the departmental expenditure limit between 1999–2000 and 2001–02 will be met on time. [47255]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 10 April 2002]: Latest estimates suggest that departmental running costs in 2001–02 represented 2.291 per cent. of the departmental expenditure limit, compared with 2.526 per cent. in 1999–2000. This means we will have exceeded the target to reduce running costs as a proportion of DEL by 4.5 per cent. These figures exclude transfers to the Department following machinery of Government changes in the wake of the general election on 7 June 2001.
Press Subscriptions
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the newspapers subscribed to (a) Monday to Saturday and (b) on Sunday by her Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost. [52815]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 26 April 2002]: The total annual cost of newspaper subscriptions in 2002–02 was £13,248. The table specifies each title taken, the cost per copy, and the total annual cost per title.
(29) Monday to Friday
(30) Saturday
(31) Wednesday
(32) City edition
(33) News Extra edition
(34) West End final
(35) Tuesday
(36) Monday to Saturday
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