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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 30 October 2002
CABINET OFFICE
Employed Staff
David Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff are employed within the Cabinet Office; and how many work within the Civil Contingencies Secretariat. [76821]
Mr. Alexander: On 22 October 2002 there were 2,400 staff employed in the Cabinet Office. 109 of these were working in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat. Of these, 60 were working in the Emergency Planning College at Easingwold, Yorkshire.
Executive Agencies
Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what reports his Department has published on executive agencies' and executive NDPB's performance against targets since the Executive Agencies 1999 Report and the Executive NDPBs 1999 Report. [78128]
Mr. Alexander: No such reports have been published. However, for individual agencies and executive NDPBs, the information is available in published annual reports and, in many cases, on websites.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Football
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many football games she has attended since 26 November 2001 in her official capacity; and where those games took place. [76603]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 24 October 2002]: I attended the Norwich City vs. Stockport County game at Carrow Road on 21 April 2002.
Golden Jubilee Medal
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include the Prison Service as one of the organisations to receive the Golden Jubilee Medal from Her Majesty the Queen. [77807]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 28 October 2002]: The medal is being issued to the living holders of the Victoria Cross and the George Cross, to serving members of the armed forces and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and to the '999' emergency services. The Prison Service is not an emergency service. Accordingly, it is not eligible to receive the medal. There are no plans to re-open the matter.
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Job Location
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her answer of 19 September 2002, Official Report, column 124W, on job location, what the reasons were for the reduction in combined funding for the UK and England World Class Performance from 1999–2000 to 2000–01. [78304]
Mr. Caborn: The data required are not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member with detailed information as soon as possible.
National Lottery
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of Lottery applications were successful in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since the Lottery's inception; and if she will make a statement. [77861]
Mr. Caborn: This Department has never held comprehensive information on applications for Lottery grants by constituency, either in terms of the number of applications made or the amount of money requested.
Sport England
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she had with Sport England about North Taunton Sports Centre; and if she will make a statement. [77757]
Mr. Caborn: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have had any discussions
Mr. Greenway To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 26 September 2002, Official Report, column 131W, on Sport England, if she will provide a breakdown of projections for Sport England's World Class funding programme for (a) performance, (b) potential, (c) start and (d) capital (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04, (iii) 2004–05 and (iv) 2005–06. [78266]
Mr. Caborn: The projected funding for Sport England's Performance, Potential, Start and Capital programmes for the financial years 2002 through to 2006 is shown in the table.
| Performance | Potential | Start | Capital | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 6 | 17 | 9 | 4 |
| 2003–04 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 3 |
| 2004–05 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 3 |
| 2005–06 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 3 |
Sporting Facilities (London)
Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sporting facilities in London; and if she will make a statement. [77519]
Mr. Caborn: My Department has announced our intention to establish an England-wide database of sports facilities. Information on sports facilities in England is currently held by a variety of organisations, and a single database will enable more strategic Government investment in those areas and facilities
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which are most important. My Department is currently assessing the scope, content and cost of the proposed database and how the project will be taken forward.
Local authorities are key providers of sport and recreation and play a central role in the delivery of sport for local communities. XNew Planning Guidance for Sport, Open Space and Recreation", issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, provides robust guidelines to help local authorities to plan positively for the provision and assessment of open spaces, sports and recreation facilities in their areas.
DEFENCE
Akrotiri SBA
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) representations were received and (b) environmental impact assessment was made concerning the decision to instal the antenna in the Akrotiri SBA, Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.[R] [77919]
Mr. Ingram: Representations about the decision to install the antenna have been made by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, the Akrotiri Co-ordinating Committee, the Green Party of Cyprus, local authorities, non government organisations and major landowners within the proposed site and surrounding area.
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the likely environment impact of the project was undertaken in 1997. The EIA was updated in 2001. The EIAs were reviewed by an independent, international panel of experts from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), who found that there were significant deficiencies in the original assessment, when judged against today's best practice standards. They recommended that, in the event that a decision was taken to proceed with the project, we should adopt a comprehensive strategy to ensure that adverse impacts are avoided or, where this is not possible, reduced to the absolute minimum. The panel's recommendations were accepted in full and are being implemented.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what alternative locations were considered for the new antenna installed on Akrotiri SBA, Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.[R] [77920]
Mr. Ingram: Consideration was given to locating the antenna elsewhere and a number of alternative sites were investigated. The alternative sites were judged unsuitable for technical reasons.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the likely impact on wildlife including migratory birds, of the new antenna at Akrotiri SBA Cyprus.[R] [77921]
Mr. Ingram: A team of experts under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence gathered data on wildlife as recommended by an independent, international panel of experts from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). This work was published in a Supplementary Environmental Work Report in June 2002. A copy of the report has been
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placed in the Library of the House. Proposed mitigation measures have been implemented or are being progressed within a Ramsar Management Plan. Data collection is continuing.
The environmental work on migratory birds has continued beyond the publication of the Supplementary Environmental Work Report. The Ministry of Defence is currently collecting additional data. Survey protocols have been agreed between the MOD, Republic of Cyprus, and the IEMA Panel for day and night time flight line surveys to record the passage of birds through the proposed Pluto site, bird collision monitoring of the existing antenna and monitoring of the migration behaviour of Demoiselle Cranes. MOD and ROC staff have jointly staffed the surveys.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment was made of the possible impact on the health of the local Cypriot population of the new antenna installed at Akrotiri SBA, Cyprus; and if he will make a statement.[R] [77922]
Mr. Ingram: The possible impact of the new antenna on the health of the local Cypriot population has been considered carefully. It has been assessed that levels of electromagnetic emissions from the new system will be no greater than those from the system it will replace and will be well within EU safety limits. Following tests carried out last summer by its own experts and by experts from France, the Ministry of Communications and Works of the Republic announced that exposure of the public to electromagnetic radiation from the existing antenna on the Salt Lake is at least seventy six times smaller than the limit recommended by the European Union and that the installation of the new antenna is not expected to result in a significant increase in the level of emissions in the area. This confirms the results of our own assessments.
As a further measure of reassurance the two governments are carrying out a study into the health of the Akrotiri villagers. It is also our intention to set up permanent monitoring equipment in the village to confirm that emissions remain at the very low levels demonstrated in last summer's tests.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation was held with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus over the decision to build the new antenna at Akrotiri SBA; and if he will make a statement.[R] [77923]
Mr. Ingram: Extensive consultations have taken place between the Governments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus about the decision to build a new antenna at Akrotiri.
These consultations led to a joint statement in August 2001 by the two governments about the steps necessary to address concerns about the possible impact of the antenna on the health of the Akrotiri villagers and on the environment. The British Government has fulfilled the key undertakings set out in the joint statement.
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