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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 3 February 2003

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Clergy Pensions

29. Mr. Jack: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the future pensions provision for clergy. [94819]

Mr. Bell: Last November the General Synod agreed a package of proposals relating to clergy stipends and pensions. These proposals had been put together in the light of six-month consultation with dioceses following publication in 2001 of a detailed review of clergy remuneration. The consultation resulted in overwhelming support for a continuation of a "defined benefits" pension scheme.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Data

Norman Baker: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if he will make a statement on the methods by which the decision of an elector who has cast a vote can subsequently be identified. [94810]

Mr. Viggers: On this occasion, I have asked to reply as the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed is attending the funeral of Richard Wainright, our former Parliamentary colleague.

Ballot papers and counterfoils carry the same serial number, and the voter number is written on the counterfoil by the polling station clerk. Matching may be carried out in cases where allegations of fraud are made, but this is only done when ordered by an Election Court.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Olympic Games

12. Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what evaluation she has made of the impact of a UK Olympic bid on sport. [94802]

Tessa Jowell: I have evaluated the sporting impact of a bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in terms of facilities, elite success and participation.

Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's latest estimate is of the likely cost of a successful London Olympic bid; what her Department's assessment is of the likely cost to

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the Government of a successful London bid; what impact she estimates a successful bid would have on the funding of sport in the other English regions; and if her Department will carry out an assessment of the benefits of funding a successful bid against other options which promote sport throughout all regions. [88733]

Tessa Jowell: The Government's estimate of the likely cost of staging the Olympic Games is £4.67 billion in forecast outturn prices. Taking account of likely revenues the games might require a public subsidy of £2.6 billion. These estimates are based on the figures provided by Arup Consultants in their report on the cost and benefits of a London 2012 Olympics, the outcome of consultations with key stakeholders, Government Departments and those who would be responsible for delivery of the games, and an assessment of the uncertainty and risk associated with hosting the games. The cost of mounting a bid is estimated at £17 million in forecast outturn prices.

We are also currently considering with the Mayor of London how the games would be funded if a decision is taken in favour of a bid.

This work is part of Government's continuing consideration of whether to support a bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Within this context I am determined that were Government to support a London bid then grassroots sport, especially in the regions, should not suffer from any diversion of resources.

Public Libraries

13. Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public libraries have been put online. [94803]

Mr. Caborn: The £100 million lottery funded people's network programme has enabled 4,085 libraries in the UK to be connected to the internet, including all the libraries in the London Borough of Brent. This represents 99 per cent. of libraries in England, 95 per cent. in Scotland and 100 per cent. in Wales and Northern Ireland. Only 39 English and 30 Scottish libraries have still to be connected, and we expect all but two of these to be online by summer 2003. This is a very significant achievement.

BBC Charter

14. Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she last met the Chairman of the BBC to discuss the provisions of the BBC Charter relating to TV advertising. [94804]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets the Chairman of the BBC to discuss a range of issues. However, there has been no discussion of this particular issue.

Concessionary Television Licence(Sheltered Housing)

15. Mr. Burstow : To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will introduce regulations to amend the concessionary TV licence scheme for sheltered housing. [94805]

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Dr. Howells : We hope to be able to bring forward amending regulations before the end of the current financial year, to introduce preserved rights to the Accommodation for Residential Care concession in cases where the social mix or the level of warden provision change.

Press Complaints Commission

16. Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Press Complaints Commission on standards in the press. [94806]

Dr. Howells: I have not met the Press Complaints Commission recently but my Department continues to monitor closely the effectiveness of the newspaper industry's self regulatory system. I would have no hesitation in suggesting improvement as and when appropriate.

Lottery Funding (West Chelmsford)

17. Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was made available to good causes in the West Chelmsford constituency for the latest available period. [94807]

Mr. Caborn: According to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the National Lottery awards database, £15,682,836 of Lottery funding has been awarded to West Chelmsford by 31 December 2002.

Performance Licensing(Village Halls and Churches)

18. Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her policy on the licensing of performances in (a) village halls and (b) churches. [94808]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made a statement to the House earlier today setting out the conclusions of our consideration of the provision of entertainment and entertainment facilities in places of religious worship and village halls under the Licensing Bill. The Government have now tabled an amendment to the Bill that would exempt secular entertainment provided in places of public religious worship and the provision of entertainment facilities in such places from the need to obtain a licence under the Bill when it is enacted. Music for the purposes of or incidental to a religious service or meeting will remain exempt.

We have also made clear our intention to exempt church halls, chapel halls or other similar buildings occupied in connection with a place of public religious worship, and village halls, parish or community halls or other similar buildings from the fees associated with the provision of entertainment facilities under the licensing regime.

Coronation Anniversary

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of Her

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Majesty the Queen's Coronation; and what discussions she has had with Buckingham Palace about a celebration. [94205]

Tessa Jowell: It was agreed with Buckingham Palace that the 50th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne would be celebrated during 2002 and that the focal point of the celebrations would be the "Jubilee weekend" in June. The details were announced by the Prime Minister on 23 November 2000, Official Report, columns 294–95W, and 22 June 2001, Official Report, columns 7–8W.

Any events to mark the 50th anniversary of Coronation will be arranged as part of the Queen's normal programme of engagements by Buckingham Palace rather than in co-ordination with my officials in the Golden Jubilee Office who were solely concerned with the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Queen's accession last year.

Local Arts Strategies

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the measures her Department takes to assist the development of local arts strategies. [94791]

Mr. Caborn: As part of the Government's package of freedoms and flexibilities for local government, local cultural strategies are to be included within local authorities' community strategies.

Renewable Energy (Northern Ireland)

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money the national lottery has given to renewable energy projects in Northern Ireland in each of the last four years. [95001]

Mr. Caborn: In January this year one project in Northern Ireland, the Fermanagh Business Initiative-Biomass for Sustainable Development, received £105,520 from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) under the small-scale biomass heating schemes strand of NOF's transforming communities initiative. No applications have been received from Northern Ireland for the large-scale (£33 million) strand. The deadline for applications for funding for offshore wind projects is July 2003.

There has been no previous lottery funding for renewable energy, either from the New Opportunities Fund or other distributors. There are, therefore, no figures for previous years.

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