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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Ancient Monuments (Maintenance)
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will increase the financial assistance to local authorities responsible for ancient monuments; and if she will make a statement. [112489]
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Dr. Howells: Funding settlements for local authorities are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has no plans to provide additional grants to local authorities responsible for ancient monuments. However, English Heritage offers grants for the repair and conservation of historic buildings, monuments, areas and historic parks and gardens. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) distributes money raised by the national Lottery to support all aspects of heritage in the UK, from historic buildings and museums to archives, nature conservation and oral history. The HLF provides both capital grants (for buildings and equipment) and time-limited activity grants. Further information is available from both organisations.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers she has to require local authorities to maintain ancient monuments; and if she will make a statement. [112490]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State does not have powers to require local authorities to maintain ancient monuments. Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister makes clear that detailed development plans (i.e. local and unitary development plans) should include policies for the protection, enhancement and preservation of sites of archaeological interest and of their settings.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to provide grants to local authorities specifically to assist in the maintenance of Roman town walls. [112491]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to provide grants to local authorities specifically to assist in the maintenance of town walls. However, English Heritage offers grants for the repair and conservation of historic buildings, monuments, areas and historic parks and gardens. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) distributes money raised by the national Lottery to support all aspects of heritage in the UK, from historic buildings and museums to archives, nature conservation and oral history. The HLF provides both capital grants (for buildings and equipment) and time-limited activity grants. Further information is available from both organisations.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will require local authorities with Roman town walls to provide her with (a) an audit of their condition, (b) a statement of works required to repair them and (c) an estimate of the cost of repairs. [112492]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to require local authorities to provide her with this information. In the case of scheduled ancient monuments, this is a matter for discussion with English Heritage.
Departmental Report
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of the publication of the 2001 Departmental Report. [112816]
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Dr. Howells: The cost of publishing the 2001 Annual Report was as follows:
| Year | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Design, typesetting, pdfs etc. | 56,105 |
| Print(13) | 24,774 |
| Proof reading | 570 |
| Total | 81,449 |
(13) Buy back of copies from The Stationery Office
Document Classification
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many documents are held by her Department that are subject to security classification, broken down by category of classification. [107357]
Dr. Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 7 May 2003, Official Report, column 696W by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Douglas Alexander).
Inclusive Design
Mrs Liz Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what steps her Department is taking to develop and promote the business case for inclusive design; [111169]
- (2) what discussions her Department has had with manufacturers of digital radios on improving the accessibility of this equipment for visually impaired people; [111172]
(3) what steps her Department has taken (a) to publicise good practice in inclusive design and (b) provide data, guidelines and case studies relating to inclusive design to those involved in the design and production of (i) digital television products, (ii) digital radio products and (iii) telecommunications products; [111170]
(4) whether her Department has produced a policy statement on inclusive design in relation to consumer equipment in the (a) telecommunications and (b) broadcasting sectors; and if she will make a statement. [111171]
Dr. Howells: The Digital Television Action Plan includes actions to ensure that digital television equipment and services are widely accessible. In 2001, the Government appointed CRSP, Loughborough University, to scope the human aspects of adopting digital television, including the needs of disabled people. The report was published in March 2002 and the recommendations fed into the Action Plan. The Action Plan's Technology and Equipment Group (comprising manufacturers, broadcasters, software/application providers and consumer groups) has an ongoing action to analyse the needs of disabled people and made reference to the issue in its first report. Copies of the reports are available on www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.
The Government recently appointed the Generics Group to undertake research on how consumers engage with and use digital television and this will consider individuals with special needs. We anticipate a report in July 2003.
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DCMS is working with the RNIB on a business plan for production of an audio description module. The Department of Trade and Industry's innovation programmes, in particular its Digital Testbed and LINK Broadcast Technology programmes, have explored using digital technologies to benefit elderly and disabled people. This includes work on automatic subtitling and an interface for portable digital radios.
The Government continue to support and participate in work by relevant expert and advisory groups at European level to improve the availability and range of communications equipment available which is suitable or adapted for use by persons with disabilities. This includes the work programme being carried forward by a group called INCOM, which has a specific focus on inclusive communications.
Iraq
Mr. Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what help and advice she is offering to the authorities in Iraq to help secure the return of looted antiquities. [111477]
Tessa Jowell: We are working closely with UNESCO and the British Museum to develop a co-ordinated response to Iraq's needs from the archaeological and museum world. On 29 April I attended a seminar of world experts at the British Museum. We aim to support members of the international museum and archaeological communities in their efforts to assist the Iraqis in identifying and recovering antiquities looted from museums and sites. Within the next few weeks we will be sending an advance team of administrators and archaeological professionals to join the US Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Aid (ORHA) in Iraq. Working with Iraqi colleagues they will be able to reach rapid conclusions about the extent of the damage to Iraqi museums and sites and to begin the process of making an inventory of missing objects.
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Millennium Commission
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to wind up the Millennium Commission; and if she will make a statement. [112121]
Dr. Howells: The Millennium Commission's grant's programmes are planned to be completed by 31 March 2006. Its future is being considered as part of the on-going Lottery review.
Olympic Bid
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to make an announcement about a bid for the UK to host the Olympic Games in 2012. [113120]
Tessa Jowell: The Government will decide whether to support a bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in sufficient time to meet the IOC deadline of 15 July 2003.
In the meantime the Government, together with other key stakeholders, continues to carry out the necessary preparatory work so that, if a bid is made, its quality and potential winnability are maximised.
Specialist Playgrounds
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many specialist playgrounds there are that cater for disabled children; what assistance is available for disabled children who wish to take on a sport professionally; how much has been invested in disabled persons' sports since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [112743]
Mr. Caborn: DCMS does not hold information on the specific numbers of playgrounds that cater for disabled children. The Department launched a Children's Play Review in October 2002, which includes research into provision for disabled children. Elite disabled sport is supported by the UK Sport World Class programme, which has been given £4.6 million in exchequer funding since 1997. In addition to this, the DCMS also funds grassroots disability sport through Sport England, which from 1998–2003 allocated £4,240,056 to the English Federation for Disability Sport. The EFDS works to improve opportunities to participate in sport for all people with disabilities.
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