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Playing Fields

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to create an accurate record of playing field losses and their cause over the last five years. [57631]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 20 May 2002]: Data on playing field losses are not available. My Department has established a Playing Fields Monitoring Group which will shortly be publishing combined figures for (a) applications from schools submitted to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for the disposal or change of use of school playing fields (which are already published monthly), and (b) figures from Sport England giving details of planning applications affecting playing

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fields which have been referred to them as statutory consultee (which are already published quarterly), along with (c) relevant data from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Playing Fields Monitoring Group first met; how often it has met; and when the details of playing field losses will be published. [57627]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 20 May 2002]: The Playing Fields Monitoring Group first met on 10 July 2000 and has met on eight occasions. Data on playing fields losses are not available. The Playing Fields Monitoring Group which will shortly be publishing combined figures for (a) applications from schools submitted to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for the disposal or change of use of school playing fields (which are already published monthly), and (b) figures from Sport England giving details of planning applications affecting playing fields which have been referred to them as statutory consultee (which are already published quarterly), along with (c) relevant data from the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Tourism (London)

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote tourism in (a) Greater London and (b) Enfield; and if she will make a statement. [57921]

Dr. Howells: Since 2001–02, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has been responsible for tourism in London. The Mayor has delegated responsibility to the London Development Agency (LDA), who have been working closely with the London Tourist Board (LTB). The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is granting the GLA £1.9 million for 2002–03. This is to be used predominantly on marketing London overseas, including £250,000 for marketing London as a gateway to the rest of the UK. Up to £100,000 may be used for domestic marketing and £400,000 for improving tourism infrastructure. The Mayor is currently producing a three-year strategic tourism plan for London, with DCMS encouragement, which is in the final stages of development.

The London borough of Enfield also carries out varied promotional work as part of over £90 million spent by local authorities around the country on developing and marketing tourism. They are conducting a full programme of promotional campaigns for 2002–03 in conjunction with Enfield Hoteliers and Hospitality Association and attraction providers.

Channel 5

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the management of Channel 5 television as to the feasibility of extending the range of their analogue television service since the collapse of ITV Digital. [57940]

Dr. Howells: I had no specific discussions on this topic with the management of Channel 5 television. The priority for the use of scarce frequency channels is to develop digital terrestrial television across the UK, including

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digital Channel 5, rather than to extend analogue Channel 5 services. Therefore the multiplexes used by ITV Digital have been re-advertised by the ITC.

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of the (a) population and (b) land mass of (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England are able to receive Channel 5 television by means of the analogue signal. [57941]

Dr. Howells: The information is not available in the form requested. The Independent Television Commission advise that analogue Channel 5 services are transmitted from 50 transmitters across the UK of which: 11 are located in Scotland; three in Wales; two in Northern Ireland and 34 in England. These transmitters provide coverage to 80 per cent. of the UK population. Coverage details can be found on Channel 5's website at www.channel5.co.uk.

Unpaid Advisers

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 306W, what the (a) names and (b) responsibilities are of unpaid advisers who have assisted the work of her Department since June 1997 but are not included in the Cabinet Office's annual report "Task Forces, Ad Hoc Advisory Groups and Reviews 2000–01". [57042]

Dr. Howells [holding answer 21 May 2002]: As my answer to the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon- Tweed (Mr. Beith) of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 306W made clear, Ministers in this Department have not appointed any unpaid advisers other than those accounted for in the list of task forces, reviews and other ad hoc advisory groups.

Equal Treatment

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by her Department since June 1997, indicating in each case whether the outcome has been (a) put out to consultation and (b) published. [58179]

Dr. Howells: The guidelines on gender impact assessments, issued by the Home Secretary, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment and the Minister for Women in November 1998, are incorporated into the Department's central guidance on policy formulation. However, the Department does not keep a central register of gender impact assessments, and the answer could be given only at disproportionate cost.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she has established a baseline for policy appraisal against which to measure progress on equal treatment; and what progress has been achieved. [58180]

Dr. Howells: The Department has responsibility for a very wide range of policies, and a single baseline for policy appraisal would not be universally appropriate.

We are currently appraising all of our policies in line with our new responsibilities under the Race Relations

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(Amendment) Act 2000 and have also been considering a number of relevant policies against the wider criteria of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The results of these assessments will be published on the Department's website. The Department also has targets for increasing the representation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities on the boards of its public bodies.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the women's organisations which have been consulted over the proposed legislation by her Department during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 sessions; and if their responses have been published. [58181]

Dr. Howells: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Department actively follows the Cabinet Office's Code of Practice on Written Consultations, which is intended to make consultations more effective by opening up decision-making to as wide a range of people and organisations as possible. Individual responses to written consultations are made available to the public unless respondents have sought confidentiality.

Special Advisers

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions between 31 March 2001 and 31 March 2002 (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental special advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [58726]

Mr. Caborn: During the period 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2002, special advisers in this Department travelled overseas on official business on one occasion; to Athens, Greece. The cost of this visit was borne by the Greek Government.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

School Transport

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 2 May 2002, Official Report, columns 905–06W, what the average (a) distance and (b) time travelled by schoolchildren was (i) on foot (ii) by bus (iii) by car and (iv) other to rural (A) primary and (B) secondary schools between 1992 and 2000. [57463]

Ms Keeble: I have been asked to reply.

The average distance travelled and average time taken by schoolchildren travelling to primary and secondary schools for those living in rural areas in Great Britain, from the National Travel Survey over the period 1992–2000, was as follows:

miles

Distance travelled by	(A) primary	(B) secondary
(i) Foot	0.4	0.6
(ii) Bus	4.9	8.6
(iii) Car	3.1	5.8
(iv) Other	3.0	8.1

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minutes

Average time taken by	(A) Primary	(B) Secondary
(i) Foot	10	13
(ii) Bus	22	31
(iii) Car	10	17
(iv) Other	13	29

Note:

Primary pupils are defined as children aged 5–10 in the National Travel Survey, Secondary defined as children aged 11–16. Rural areas are those with a population of less than 3,000 as defined by the 1991 Census.

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 2 May 2002, Official Report, column 905W, on school transport, how many children were included in the National Travel Survey in each year between 1992 and 2000. [57464]

Ms Keeble: I have been asked to reply.

The number of children taking part in the National Travel Survey over the period 1992–2000 was as follows:

	Age range			Total 16
	0–4	5–10	11–16	and under	All ages
1992	570	676	613	1,859	8,320
1993	566	691	649	1,906	8,161
1994	586	693	597	1,876	8,190
1995	615	693	598	1,906	8,029
1996	534	633	591	1,758	7,665
1997	514	654	581	1,749	7,473
1998	463	534	510	1,507	6,842
1999	452	562	533	1,547	6,970
2000	536	662	625	1,823	8,056
Grand total	4,841	5,811	5,314	15,966	69,851

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