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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 25 June 2002
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Public Libraries
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from local authorities regarding Public Library Standard 18. [62679]
Dr. Howells: Councillor Bob Littlewood, the London borough of Redbridge's Cabinet Minister for Culture and Leisure wrote to my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Blackstone on 16 April 2002. His letter referred specifically to Public Library Standard 3(i) and 18. Other authorities have written either about the standards in general or about other of the standards individually.
PLS 18, in common with the other standards, helps to define authorities' existing statutory obligations under the Public Library and Museums Act 1964 to provide library services that are comprehensive and efficient.
I am monitoring the application of the public library standards through the annual library planning process. Analysis of the 2001 plans shows that nearly all authorities are using the introduction of the standards to plan for improvements in the quality of their library services but that, in many cases, authorities recognise that this will require them to direct more of their budgets into their library services than hitherto. It is for library authorities to ensure that they make the right allocation of resources to ensure the provision of a comprehensive and efficient service within the meaning of the Act.
Camelot
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Comptroller and Auditor General has been given access to all the papers the relevant Government Departments hold on whether Camelot and its associated companies are run by suitable people. [63642]
Mr. Caborn: The National Lottery Commission has given the Comptroller and Auditor General access to all the papers held by the commission which he wished to examine as part of his inquiry into its award of the second National Lottery licence, except those which it would not be lawful for the commission to disclose. A number of Orders opening gateways allowing access to these papers have already been made; action to open the remaining gateways, which relate to the Criminal Justice Act 1987 and the Companies Act 1985 and 1989, is in hand by the Departments responsible for those Acts and should be completed shortly.
Departmental Annual Report
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of publishing her
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Department's annual report for each of the past three years; and if she will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred. [63348]
Dr. Howells: The cost of publishing the Department's annual report for each of the past three years was as follows:
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design, typesetting, pdfs | 40,212 | 45,144 | 56,105 |
| Print (buy back of copies from The Stationery Office) | 18,310 | 24,648 | (1)25,000 |
| Proofreading | 648 | 533 | 570 |
| Total | 59,170 | 70,325 | 81,675 |
(1) Estimated print costs.
Note:
The costs for 2002 include the development of a new design template which the Department plans to follow for the next two to three years
ITV Digital
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress of discussions on the situation at ITV Digital. [63672]
Dr. Howells: ITV Digital is in administration and progress with the administration is a matter for the administrators. ITV Digital surrendered the licences granted to it under the Broadcasting Act 1996 on 30 April 2002. These licences were re-advertised by the Independent Television Commission. I understand that the ITC has received six applications and aims to award the licences by 4 July. Decisions on the licence awards are a matter for the ITC.
Regional Broadcasting
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what discussions she has had with the ITC over the Charter for Broadcasting in the Nations and Regions; [63603]
- (2) what safeguards to preserve the current level of regional programmes are to be introduced in the Charter for Broadcasting in the Nations and Regions; [63604]
(3) what assessment has been made of the impact of the Charter for Broadcasting in the Nations and Regions on independent television companies. [63605]
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the ITC on the change in hours for regional broadcasting which they are proposing for the Meridian area; and if she will make a statement. [63865]
Dr. Howells: The Department was kept informed of progress as the ITC negotiated the Charter for Broadcasting in the Nations and Regions with the ITV companies. The Charter seeks to enhance investment in regional programme production, introduce a more effective regional schedule and strengthen regional accountability. The draft Communications Bill introduces requirements for Ofcom to set Channel 3 services targets to secure quality and levels of investment in programmes produced in the regions for the regions.
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Television Licences
Mr. Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she proposes to adopt the new model of television licence fee evasion referred to in the National Audit Office report, "Collecting the Television Licence Fee"; and what estimate she has made of the level of television licence fee evasion for (a) the last month for which figures are available and (b) the last five years. [64586]
Dr. Howells: My Department is adopting the new model with effect from today. This will enable the BBC to use these new, improved figures in its annual report and accounts, as recommended by the NAO report.
The new model uses improved data to estimate the number of licensable premises. Consequently the level of estimates of evasion for previous years has been revised upward. The figures from the new model show, as did those from the old model, that evasion has declined steadily in recent years. The new model estimates evasion at 7.8 per cent. at the end of May 2002, compared with 8.6 per cent. at May 2001 and 11.4 per cent. at May 1997.
DEFENCE
Trident
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what discussions he has participated concerning a successor warhead for Trident; when his last discussion of this subject was; and if he will list the other participants in that discussion. [63452]
Dr. Moonie: None. We currently have no plans for a replacement for Trident, and no decision on any possible successor system is yet needed. In line with the policy set out in the Strategic Defence Review, we intend to maintain a minimum capability to design and produce a successor to Trident should this prove necessary.
Gulf War Veterans (Scotland)
David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gulf war veterans live in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [58564]
Dr. Moonie: Of the 53,462 United Kingdom service personnel who were deployed to the Gulf during the 1990–91 conflict, the Ministry of Defence has records of the post codes for 45,302 who are still alive, of which 3,817 are in Scotland. The post codes were gathered between 1996 and 2001 for the purposes of a series of epidemiological studies and may now be out of date.
QinetiQ
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Government are taking to ensure that employees of Serco Operations will be offered broadly comparable final salary pension schemes in that company's final salary pension scheme when their jobs are transferred to QinetiQ; and if he will make a statement. [63168]
Dr. Moonie: Future pension arrangements for employees of Serco Operations who are due to transfer to QinetiQ were agreed on 18 June 2002 between QinetiQ,
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Serco and the trade unions. All of those who were members of Serco's final salary pension scheme will be offered membership of the QinetiQ final salary pension scheme when they transfer.
Service Accommodation
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) budget and (b) timescale is for the programme to improve single living accommodation for armed forces personnel. [63163]
Dr. Moonie: The budget for improvements to single living accommodation is £2 billion.
Project SLAM in conjunction with parallel projects is aiming to deliver 70,000 new or upgraded bed spaces within a 10-year period commencing in 2003.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to improve the single living accommodation at RAF Stafford. [63165]
Dr. Moonie: The need to upgrade single living accommodation (SLA) at RAF Stafford was considered when compiling the RAF SLA modernisation programme, (Project SLAM). However, as RAF Stafford was assessed to have sufficient SLA at grade 2 condition or above to meet its long term requirements, it was not included in the programme. Along with other stations with grade 2 accommodation, RAF Stafford will be considered for upgrade once the worst RAF SLA has been upgraded.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the criteria are for prioritising the projects for the improvement of single living accommodation for armed forces personnel. [63164]
Dr. Moonie: Prioritisation is on a "worst first" basis at locations where there is a long term operational need for single living accommodation (SLA).
The worst SLA is defined as grade 3 and below, as assessed against the Ministry of Defence's four tier system laid out in Joint Service Publication 315.
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