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29 Apr 2003 : Column 335W—continued
Local Enterprise Development Unit (Fraud)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he has taken to investigate the areas of responsibility of former Local Enterprise Development Unit employee Mr.Thomas Gribben; and if he will make a statement. [108234]
Mr. Pearson: Invest NI has commissioned a review of those areas of Mr Gribben's responsibilities which were not subject to proper fraud investigation. The terms of reference for the review have been agreed with the Comptroller and Auditor General. This review is expected to be completed in May 2003.
Primary School Funding
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by how much the level of funding per child in primary schools in Northern Ireland differs from those in (a) England and (b) Wales. [109116]
Jane Kennedy: The following information is taken from outturn statements published by each of the funding authorities in Northern Ireland and from the DfES Departmental Report:
| 2000–01 | |
|---|---|
| England | 2,280 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,148 |
Direct comparison between these per capita figures is not appropriate given the differences between schools in Northern Ireland and England especially with regard to levels of delegated responsibility, the incidence of small schools and differing levels of social deprivation. Primary per capita expenditure figures for Wales are not available.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Accountancy Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03. [109499]
Dr. Howells: The cost to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of external accountancy services in the financial year 2002–03 was £452,748. It should be noted that this figure is still subject to end year accrual action.
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Age Discrimination
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to address the issue of age discrimination. [109443]
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. Action on diversity has and will continue to tackle any negative attitudes towards older staff particularly through the training and development of managers and through the monitoring of recruitment, selection and appraisal statistics.
EU Directives
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the EU Directives and Regulations which have been implemented by her Department since 17th April 2002. [106839]
Mr. Caborn: The Department has not implemented any Directives or Regulations since 17 April 2002. However, measures required by Council Regulation (EC) No 974/2001 of 14 May 2001 amending Regulation (EEC) 3911/92 on the export of cultural goods were introduced in the UK on 1 September 2002.
Game Plan Report
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations made in the paper 'Game Plan'; and if she will make a statement. [109915]
Mr. Caborn: DCMS is working closely with UK Sport, Sport England, the Devolved Administrations and a wide range of sports governing bodies to take forward the recommendations in the Strategy Unit report, Game Plan, published in December 2002. The Department published its second annual report on the Government's Plan for Sport on 1 April, which also referred to progress with Game Plan. As that report made clear, the first composite report covering implementation of Game Plan and the Government's Plan for Sport will be published in April 2004.
Licence Fees
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations. [109955]
Dr. Howells: The Wireless Telegraphy (Television Licence Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 implemented the licence fee increases announced on 10 February this year and introduced preserved rights for beneficiaries of the Accommodation for Residential Care concession. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has received a number of representations from members of the public and Members of this House on both issues, but information on correspondence relating to television licensing is not held in such a way as to permit a detailed breakdown into individual topics.
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Lottery
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of Sport England's Lottery funding was allocated by its regional offices in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion was allocated by the central office of Sport England. [108749]
Mr. Caborn: Decisions on all Lottery applications during 2002–03, the latest year for which figures are available, were made by Sport England's Lottery Panel. However, in the case of the Active Communities Development Fund each region was given an allocation of funding against which it made recommendations on specific applications to the Lottery Panel. The total allocation to regional offices in respect of this Fund was £9.023 million out of a total budget of £277.432 million.
National Endowment
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Increase of Endowment) Order. [109432]
Press Office
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are employed in her Department's Press Office; and how many were employed on 2 May 1997. [108391]
Dr. Howells: In 1997 the DCMS Press Office employed eight Press Officers At present (2003) the DCMS Press Office employs nine Press Officers
Renewable Energy Facilities
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she has taken to ensure that regional plans for renewable energy take account of the impact of new generating facilities on the tourist industry. [109831]
Dr. Howells: Well-sited wind farms can co-exist with tourism. It is for regional and local government, including local planning authorities, to consider the impact of policy choices and to find ways to achieve economic, social and environmental objectives at the same time. Our guidance to Regional Development Agencies in respect of their new strategic responsibility for tourism is that they should align their sustainable tourism strategy with other regional strategies.
Television Sub-Titling
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will arrange for information about accessory television sub-titling to be sent to pensioners aged 75 years of age who are new recipients of the free television licence. [109653]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 28 April 2003]: There are difficulties in using the television licensing system in the way which the hon Member appears to propose. The Television Licences (Disclosure of Information) Act 2000, which provides for the disclosure of social security
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information to the BBC for the purpose of checking entitlement to the over-75 concession, specifies that this information may be used only in connection with free or reduced-fee licences. Similarly, the assignment of the television licensing database by the Home Office to the BBC in 1991 was subject to the records being used exclusively for administering the television licensing system.
However, we believe it is in the service providers' best interests actively to promote the availability of subtitling for people with hearing impairments, and I am sure that OFCOM, the new regulator, will work with the broadcasters and other interested parties to promote more widespread access.
Wind Turbines
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from tourist organisations and businesses about plans to site wind turbines near Bradworthy, Devon. [109829]
Dr. Howells: DCMS has received no such representations.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from tourist organisations and businesses about plans by the South West Regional Development Agency to increase the number of onshore wind turbines in the South West of England. [109830]
Dr. Howells: DCMS has received no such representations.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact on the tourist industry of plans for additional onshore wind turbines in the South West of England. [109842]
Dr. Howells: DCMS has made no such assessment. The Government Office for the South West is currently undertaking an overall assessment of a range of renewable energy technologies in the region, including onshore wind.
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