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Buildings Insurance
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost of buildings insurance to his Department was (a) before and (b) after 11 September 2001. [66927]
Mr. Alexander: Departments are required to comply with the Government's general policy on insurance, which is set out in Government Accounting, Chapter 30, paragraph 30.2.5, which notes that Government do not need to purchase insurance to protect the viability of its business and, should consider insurance only where the value of claims met would exceed the cost of insurance premiums. Commercial insurance of a building is acceptable in cases where (a) insurance is a condition of a lease, (b) the lessor will not accept a Government indemnity, (c) incurring the total cost of the accommodation in question, including the cost of the insurance, is more cost-effective than other accommodation options (Government Accounting, paragraph 30.2.11a). For the Cabinet Office the figures requested are as follows:
- 1 April 2001 to 11 September 2001: £14,799.00
12 September 2001 to 31 March 2001: £27,746.00.
Building Values
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the buildings owned by his Department and estimate the market value of each of them. [66947]
Mr. Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng) gave the hon. Member for Buckingham on 3 July 2002, Official Report, column 339W.
Civil Service Pay
Mr. Coleman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the inclusion of Civil Servants within national pay scales. [68894]
Mr. Alexander: Responsibility for pay and grading outside the Senior Civil Service is delegated to Departments and agencies. The Government's policy is to give greater freedom and autonomy to front line managers, including for pay and grading, in order to encourage innovation and improve delivery. A system which included all Civil Servants within national pay scales would be incompatible with this policy.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Communications Bill
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to place a duty upon Ofcom (a) to ensure that inclusive design principles inform the development of all future digital communication technologies, facilities, services and equipment, (b) to promote the need for disability awareness and equality training throughout the communication industries and (c) to ensure that accessible communications services, equipment and facilities, with special emphasis on
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training and continuing support in their use, are made readily available at no extra cost to consumers who are disabled. [67783]
Dr. Howells: Ofcom must have regard to the needs of people with disabilities in carrying out all of its functions—this requirement is in Clause 3(2)d of the draft Communications Bill.
Although there is no specific requirement on Ofcom to ensure that communications equipment is provided for disabled users the EC Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive permits the EC Commission to decide that particular types of apparatus shall support certain features for disabled users. The Government is working to improve the range of communications equipment available for disabled users through raising awareness of their needs among equipment designers and manufacturers.
Ofcom must have regard to the needs of people with disabilities in carrying out all of its functions—this requirement is in Clause 3(2)d of the draft Communications Bill.
Although there is no specific requirement on Ofcom to ensure that communications equipment is provided for disabled users the EC Radio and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive permits the EC Commission to decide that particular types of apparatus shall support certain features for disabled users. The Government are working to improve the range of communications equipment available for disabled users through raising awareness of their needs among equipment designers and manufacturers.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what savings she envisages by replacing existing regulators with the Office of Communications with regard to (a) staff and (b) expenditure; and what qualitative change in the culture of regulation she expects to be achieved by replacing the existing regulators with Ofcom. [69373]
Dr. Howells: The Government expect the replacement of the existing regulators by Ofcom to result in savings through greater administrative efficiency and the elimination of duplication. It is, however, too early to quantify any such savings at this stage.
The creation of Ofcom should allow a more coherent, integrated and balanced approach to be taken to regulation across the communications sector as a whole.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the creation of the Contents Board as part of the Office of Communications; and if she will make a statement. [67856]
Dr. Howells: A number of representations have been made which refer to the creation of the proposed Content Board as part of Ofcom as part of the consultation process following the publication of the draft Communications Bill.
These representations will be considered along with all other responses to the consultation and the report of the Joint Committee undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.
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Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to enshrine a grant-making power for the Secretary of State in the forthcoming Communications Bill similar to that enshrined in section 93 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 to defray or contribute towards expenses incurred in developing and providing accessible communications apparatus and technologies for disabled people. [68305]
Dr. Howells: The grant making powers under section 93 of the Telecommunications Act have never been used and it is not intended to carry them forward into the forthcoming Communications Bill. The Government will continue to work to improve the range of communications equipment available for people with disabilities through raising awareness of their needs among equipment designers and manufacturers.
Timber
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department has taken since July 2000 to ensure that those in receipt of grants for construction, restoration and refurbishment projects conform to Government requirements regarding timber procurement; and if she will make a statement. [67079]
Dr. Howells: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is fully aware of the importance of procuring timber from responsibly managed and sustainable sources and actively encourages all of its non-Departmental public bodies (NDPBs) to take account of the principles of sustainable development in making grants. We are currently consulting Lottery distributors on ways in which a practical link between funding, projects and sustainable development, that can be trialed and measured, can be developed. We are also in the process of mapping the environmental practices of all our NDPBs with the intention of issuing further specific guidance, as appropriate.
Comprehensive Spending Review
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff have contributed to her Department's input to the Spending Review. [68686]
Dr. Howells: The Spending Review involves a comprehensive assessment of the Department's performance, priorities and resource requirements, and a range of staff make a contribution.
Overseas Visits
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in her Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case. [68739]
Dr. Howells: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Images of England
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received regarding the initiative entitled Images of England by English Heritage; what steps she is taking to
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preserve the privacy of home owners who do not wish to have their houses displayed; and if she will ask English Heritage to abandon this scheme. [69818]
Dr. Howells: English Heritage's Images of England project is currently taking a single external photograph of each of England's 370,000 listed buildings. The project is grant aided by the Heritage Lottery Fund and began in 1999. Details of all listed buildings are already in the public domain. The photographs are primarily being taken from public land and will be published on the project's website. Where it is not possible to take a photograph from publicly accessible land, the Images of England photographer will seek consent from the owner, and if it is refused, will not take a photograph.
English Heritage has also asked the Heritage Lottery Fund to approve an exemption scheme whereby photographs of private dwellings taken from public land will not be placed on the website for a period of 10 years if the owner requests this. I believe this strikes the right balance between the interests of the individual and the public.
The Government are keen to improve access to all publicly available information. We have no plans to ask English Heritage to abandon the scheme.
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