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28 Oct 2002 : Column 593W—continued
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Access Radio
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assistance the Government will give to Access Radio stations to set up; and whether they will be eligible for lottery funding; [76943]
- (2) what controls will be placed on Access Radio stations to prevent competition with small local radio stations; [76942]
(3) what level of profit Access Radio stations will be permitted to make; [76945]
(4) what rules will govern the running of Access Radio stations. [76946]
Dr. Howells: The Government announced in the Communications White Paper in December 2000 that they were considering establishing a new tier of access radio to allow the provision of very local and very niche services.
It was agreed with the Radio Authority that it should pilot this idea and in August 2001 the Radio Authority invited 15 groups to participate in the pilot scheme during 2002. The purpose of the pilot scheme is to establish whether access radio is viable and how it might be licensed, regulated, funded, promoted and organised.
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The completed evaluation is expected to be published next spring. The Communications Bill, when enacted, will allow the Secretary of State to introduce access radio, and any decisions will be informed by the outcome of the current pilot study.
If the Government decide to introduce access radio, it is anticipated that future access radio stations would:
- demonstrate evidence of social gain and/or public service aims;
- be small-scale neighbourhood schemes, or be designed to serve a community of interest;
- be funded either through non-commercial funding or by a mixture of commercial and non-commercial funding (for which limits may be specified);
- be not-for-profit or non-profit distributing;
- be ring-fenced in terms of ownership and operation from Independent Local Radio, and distinct from Independent Local Radio (ILR) (eg ILR licensees will be proscribed from equity participation to any extent in an Access Radio licensee); and
- provide opportunities to allow access among those within the target group to the operation of the service.
In drawing up arrangement for licensing and regulating access radio stations, the Government and OFCOM will take full account of the possible impact of access radio on the local broadcasting ecology in each potential locality.
The Government are considering the creating of an access radio fund which could support access radio stations. No decisions have yet been taken on such a fund. It will be for the lottery distributing bodies to decide whether access radio stations will be eligible for grants.
Bed and Breakfast Accommodation
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with those organisations that certify the standards of bed and breakfast accommodation with the aim of trying to get agreed standards. [76980]
Dr. Howells: I have had no such discussions. The standards are already agreed and widely publicised but I am considering commissioning a review of the way they are working in the near future.
Departmental Job Vacancies
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many job vacancies there were at (a) administrative assistant or equivalent, (b) administrative officer or equivalent, (c) administrative executive officer, (d) higher executive officer, (e) senior executive officer, (f) grade 7 principal and (g) positions above grade 7 level in her Department for jobs located in (i) London and (ii) the south east between 1 April 2001 and 31 March; and what is the total employment for each civil service grade. [76563]
Dr. Howells: The number of vacancies in the Department, and total number of staff by grade are set out in the table:
| London region | South-east region | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Vacancies | Total staff | Vacancies | Total staff |
| Grade 6 and above | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Grade 7 | 7 | 63 | 0 | 1 |
| HEO/SEO | 12 | 125 | 0 | 0 |
| EO | 11 | 88 | 0 | 0 |
| AO | 4 | 78 | 0 | 0 |
| AA | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
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Football Transfers
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Football League and National Conference League on the subject of transfers. [76981]
Mr. Caborn: My Department has remained in close touch with the football authorities since the announcement of agreement on the principles of the new international transfer system, made between the sport and the European Commission in March 2001. Officials have recently discussed the Football League's proposals for exemption from the transfer window framework.
Gatekeeper's Room, Marble Arch
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what use is made of the former Gatekeeper's Room in Marble Arch. [77293]
Dr. Howells: English Heritage currently open the large room in Marble Arch to the public for guided tours during the annual London Open House weekend, when interpretive material is provided by the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association. Access difficulties limit the possibilities for greater use of the rooms in the arch.
Licensing
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the cost associated with her proposal to transfer licensing responsibilities from magistrates to local authorities. [77397]
Dr. Howells: The transfer of licensing responsibilities from magistrates to local authorities would be cost neutral. The licensing justices currently recover the costs of licensing by means of fees. Following transfer, licensing fees would be set centrally at a level that fully recovers the costs to local authorities of administering and enforcing the new licensing system.
Playing Fields
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what targets for numbers of schemes and finance to be allocated have been agreed between the New Opportunity Fund and Sport England for the Playing Fields and Community Green Spaces Programme, with the purpose of (a) preserving playing fields and open spaces, (b) purchasing new playing fields, (c) bringing disused playing fields back into use and (d) improving the condition of playing fields. [76660]
Mr. Caborn: The Playing Fields and Community Green Spaces Programme run by Sport England under the New Opportunities Fund Green Spaces and
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Sustainable Communities programme, is split into two main strands: playing fields and playing pitch strategies, and playgrounds and community play areas.
The playing fields and playing pitch strategies element of the programme has a target spend of #20,404,890. This consists of #19,636,768 for development of new,under threat or disused playing fields, and pitch improvements; and #768,122 for playing pitch strategies.
The target agreed with Sport England for development of new, under threat or disused playing fields is 85 fields. The target agreed with Sport England for pitch improvements is 106 pitches.
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what changes have been made to the agreements made at the beginning of the programme between New Opportunity Fund and Sport England for the Playing Fields and Community Green Spaces Programme. [76663]
Mr. Caborn: No changes have been made since the start of the programme.
Racism in Sport
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with football authorities and the Department for Education and Skills about raising awareness in schools of racism in sport, with particular reference to football; and if she will make a statement. [76926]
Mr. Caborn: My Department supports the work of Kick it Out and Show Racism the Red Card, which co-ordinate anti-racism work in football. Both bodies are co-sponsored by the Football Foundation, through which public funding for the sport is channelled. The Department for Education and Skills has worked closely with the two organisations on anti-racist educational resources, including a CD-Rom developed by Show Racism the Red Card which is designed to be compatible with the citizenship module of the national curriculum.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Census
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to use his statutory powers to open the records relating to the 1911 Census in England and Wales. [77806]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to release the 1911 Census at this time. Decennial Census returns held by the PRO care closed for 100 years under Section 5(1) of the Public Records Act through Lord Chancellor's Instrument 1958 (No. 12 dated 1966). This is the general closure period which applies to census returns.
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