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Minibuses
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how often (a) non- PSV minibuses and (b) PSV minibuses will be subject to a seat belt installation check. [57597]
Mr. Jamieson: A seat belt installation check is carried out on all new PSVs at the registration stage as part of the Certificate of Initial Fitness (COIF) check.
If additional seat belts are added to a PSV or non-PSV, the installation is checked at the first annual test after fitting.
School Buses
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures he intends to take to encourage wider take-up of the yellow bus transport to school schemes. [58594]
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Ms Keeble: We would like to see more children travelling to school by bus, especially where it is too far for them to walk or cycle or it is not safe for them to do so. There are currently two first yellow school bus pilots running in England with a further one due to start shortly in Wales. Once these pilot schemes have been running for about a year, they will be comprehensively evaluated by consultants working for my Department. Depending on the results of this evaluation, we will then consider whether we wish to encourage wider take-up of yellow school bus schemes, and if so how we will go about doing it.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
New Millennium Experience Company
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the grounds on which the identity of the individual acting as the Government's shareholder in the New Millennium Experience Company was decided. [54070]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 2 May 2002]: The decision to appoint a Cabinet Office Minister as the first shareholder was made under the previous Government. The subsequent appointment of the right hon. Member for Hartlepool (Peter Mandelson) as shareholder was consistent with this, as was the appointment of Lord Falconer who was also a Cabinet Office Minister. The former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the right hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Chris Smith) held the position in a temporary capacity on two occasions.
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 25 March 2002, Official Report, column 578W, what was the method by which the shares in the New Millennium Experience Company were transferred from one shareholder to another. [54109]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 2 May 2002]: With reference to the shareholders listed in my Written Answer of 25 March, the shares in the New Millennium Experience Company were transferred from one shareholder to another using, in each case, a stock transfer form.
Committee Mandates
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the mandate of the Contact Committee for Implementation of the Television without frontiers Directive is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [56721]
Dr. Howells: The Contact Committee was established in Article 23a of the 1997 revision of the "Television Without Frontiers" Directive as an Advisory Committee to assist the European Commission in its supervision of the implementation of the Directive. In particular, it addresses problems arising from decisions on the licensing of broadcasters, and approves the listed events of major importance for society when submitted by a
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member state. It meets when required, and met once in the previous year, at a cost of approximately £600. Under its rules of procedure, some reports are available on the Commission's website.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the mandate of the Committee for the implementation of the training programme for professionals in the European audiovisual programme industry and of the programme to encourage the development, distribution and promotion of European audiovisual works (MEDIA III) is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the United Kingdom representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [57495]
Dr. Howells: The Media Plus programme 2001–05 is governed by two Decisions:
- Council Decision 2000/821/EC of 20 December 2000 on the implementation of a programme to encourage the development, distribution, and promotion of European audiovisual works (MEDIA Plus—Development, Distribution and Promotion) (2001–2005). The legal basis is Article 157 (3) (Title XVI—Industry) of the treaty establishing the European Community.
Decision No. 163/2001/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 January 2001 on the implementation of a training programme for professionals in the European audiovisual programme industry (MEDIA Training) (2001–05). The legal basis is Article 150 (4) (Chapter 3 of Title XI—Social Policy, Education, Vocational Training and Youth) of the treaty establishing the European Community.
The annual cost borne by my Department in contributing to the work of the committee covers both the cost of officials' time in preparing for, and attending committee meetings as well as carrying out resultant action. The cost incurred by my Department in this work over the last 12 months is estimated to be £15,000. To disaggregate the costs of the committee from the UK's total contribution to the EU budget would involve disproportionate costs.
The management committee is currently considering a range of items. These include formulating new guidelines for appraisal of pilot and innovative projects, approving the results of calls for projects within a number of the programme's measures and keeping budgetary and procedural matters under review.
Together with member states, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission". As an obligation to the Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February 2002 (Com (2001) 783 Final. As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the
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Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the mandate of the Committee for the implementation of the programme establishing a single financing and programming instrument for cultural co-operation (Culture 2000) is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the United Kingdom representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [57494]
Dr. Howells: The mandate of the Culture 2000 Management Committee is to assist the European Commission in the management of the Culture 2000 programme. It was established by a European Parliament and Council Decision (No 508/2000/EC, Article 5) on 14 February 2000.
The committee has met five times over the last 12 months and the UK has been represented on each occasion by officials from my Department. The costs incurred by my Department in attending these meetings are limited to travel and subsistence. To disaggregate the overall costs of the committee's work from the UK's total contribution to the EU budget would involve disproportionate cost.
The issues currently under consideration by the committee are the selection of cultural projects to be supported by the programme in 2002, and the publication of the call for applications for 2003.
Accountability and transparency to Parliament is ensured by the submission of Commission and Council documents to parliamentary scrutiny. Together with member states, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, "to simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission". As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 26 February (Commission Document 5685/02). As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.
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