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3 Mar 2003 : Column 804W—continued
Police Training
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the competitive tendering arrangements that culminated in the award of a contract to the Rameses Group for police training in the Balkans region; and if she will make a statement. [99447]
Clare Short: DFID has contracted Atos KPMG Consulting as implementing agents for the United Kingdom Government's programme of assistance to enhance access to justice in the Balkans. The Rameses Group is subcontracted by Atos KPMG Consulting
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as project director for activities concerned with community-based policing and community safety in Serbia. The Atos KPMG Consulting contract was awarded following an open tender process in line with EC procurement directives.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether (a) the OSCE and (b) another international agency was invited to fulfil the work in relation to police training in the Balkans that was subsequently contracted to the Rameses Group. [99449]
Clare Short: After an open tender procedure in line with EC procurement directives, DFID contracted Atos KPMG Consulting as implementing agents for the United Kingdom Government's programme of assistance to enhance access to justice in the Balkans. DFID was not involved in the subcontracting arrangements with the Rameses Group.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what purposes the Rameses Group has been awarded a contract in relation to police training in the Balkans region; and if she will make a statement. [99450]
Clare Short: As part of the UK Government's support for enhancing access to justice in the Balkans, the Rameses Group has been sub-contracted by our implementing agents, Atos KPMG Consulting, as project director for activities concerned with community based policing and community safety in Serbia.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Age Diversity
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department completed its diagnostic review for compliance with the Government's Code of Practice for Age Diversity in Employment; and what changes her Department plans to make following the review. [99423]
Dr. Howells: The Department is committed to equal opportunities for all and had already incorporated age into its equal opportunities policy prior to the "Winning the Generation Game" report. The Department is in the process of implementing the final recommendation of the report, with the introduction of a flexible retirement age for those between 60 and 65 years.
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Hospitality
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's hospitality budget (a) is in 2002–03 and (b) was in each of the last three years; and how much was left unspent at the end of each financial year. [99585]
Dr. Howells: The hospitably budgets for financial years 1999–2003 are laid out in the following table, together with the expenditure incurred on hospitality in financial years 1999–2002.
It should be noted, however, that from 2001–02 onwards the hospitality budgets were subsumed into a larger budget which included conferences and committees, as part of the Department's move to a delegated budgeting system. It is now for Directors to decide how much they would spend on each element, and consequently it is not possible to state a figure for the hospitality element of the aggregated budget and any underspend against that budget element, although it is still possible to identify the expenditure incurred on hospitality.
| Year | Budget | Expenditure | Underspend/(overspend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 51,941 | 32,533 | 19,408 |
| 2000–01 | 33,190 | 50,891 | (17,701) |
| 2001–02 | — | 28,657 | — |
| 2002–03 | — | — | — |
Museums and Galleries
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in which museums and galleries sponsored by her Department free admission has been introduced; what the annual cost of free admission in lost income from charging was in each year since its introduction; how many more visitors have attended these museums and galleries since free admission was introduced; and if she will make a statement. [99839]
Dr. Howells: Free admission for all to those museums and galleries sponsored by my Department that previously charged was introduced on 1 December 2001 (22 November 2001 for the V&A). In addition, free admission to the National Coal Mining Museum for England was introduced on 8 April 2002, while the Imperial War Museum of the North in Trafford, Manchester opened free on 2 July 2002. In the first 12 months of this policy (1 December 2001 to 30 November 2002), these museums received an additional 5.4 million visitors, an increase of 70 per cent. The cost of free admission to these museums is £28.1 million in 2002–03. Details of the museums involved and of the growth in visitors are given in the following table.
(1) 1 December 2001–30 November 2002.
(2) For the first eight months of free entry since April 2002.
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The growth in visitors is a magnificent testament to the success of the Free Access policy and to the important role of our sponsored museums and galleries.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of visitors to the national museums and galleries sponsored by her
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Department were visiting the UK from overseas in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [99840]
Dr. Howells: The proportion of overseas visitors to the national museums and galleries sponsored by my Department since 1998–99 is set out in the following table. Figures for 1997–98 are not available.
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of overseas visitors | n/a | 10,700,480 | 10,869,483 | 10,439,938 | 10,029,208 |
| Percentage of total visitors | n/a | 45 | 45 | 36 | 33 |
The fall in the proportion of overseas visitors comes against the background of an increase in the total number of visitors from 24 million in 1997–98 to 30 million in 2002–03. It reflects the substantial increase in visitors from the UK attributable to the introduction of full free access.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost to public funds of free admission to Department of Culture, Media and Sport sponsored museums and galleries was in each year from 1999–2000 to 2003–04 (planned); and if she will make a statement. [99841]
Dr. Howells: The total cost of public funding to facilitate free admission to the former charging museums and galleries sponsored by my Department is set out in the following table. Visitors to these museums and galleries increased by 70 per cent. from 1 December 2001 to 30 November 2002, the first full year of free admission for all.
| 1999–2000(3) | 2000–01(4) | 2001–02(5) | 2002–03(6) | 2003–04(7) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 4.2 | 8.02 | 13.8 | 28.1 | 29.3 |
(3) Free children from 1 April 1999.
(4) Free children; free over 60s from 1 April 2000.
(5) Free children and over 60s; free to all from 1 December 2001.
(6) Free to all.
(7) Free to all.
Figures have been rounded to nearest £0.1 million.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many visits there were to the British Museum in each year since 1996–97; what changes in the charging regime there have been since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [99844]
Dr. Howells: The British Museum has maintained free admission to its permanent collections since its establishment in the 18th Century. The number of visitors since 1996–97 is as follows.
| Year | Total visitors |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 5,525,000 |
| 1997–98 | 5,185,000 |
| 1998–99 | 4,768,578 |
| 1999–2000 | 4,645,565 |
| 2000–01 | 4,687,920 |
| 2001–02 | 4,810,000 |
| April 2002 to January 2003 | 3,875,140 |
I welcome the British Museum's commitment to maintaining free access to its permanent collections.
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