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Working Time Regulations

Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether employees who are (a) serving prison sentences, (b) absent on long-term sickness and (c) absent on sabbaticals and unpaid leave will continue to accrue paid holiday entitlement under the Working Time Regulations; and what plans her Department has to change this. [113495]

Alan Johnson: All workers, including employees, are entitled under the Working Time Regulations to take leave during a leave year determined in accordance with the Regulations.

Whether a worker can receive holiday pay during the absences described in (a) and (c) above, is generally a contractual matter for negotiation between workers and employers. There has been litigation on whether a worker can receive holiday pay during times of long-term sickness absence but this has not yet been resolved by the higher courts.

Once it has been resolved, the Government will consider whether it is appropriate to amend the Regulations in consequence.

CABINET OFFICE

Agencies (Chief Executive Officers)

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office who the chief executive officer is of the (a) Government Centre for Information Systems, (b) Centre for Management and

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Policy Studies, (c) Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) and (d) Charity Commissioners for England and Wales. [112700]

Mr. Alexander: The Government Centre for Information Systems no longer exists. It became the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) on 1 April 1996, thus reverting to its original name. The CCTA was incorporated into the Office of Government Commerce when that was set up in April 2000. The CEO of OGC is Peter Gershon.

The Centre for Management and Policy Studies no longer exists as a separate organisation, having been absorbed into the central Cabinet Office as part of a re-organisation in September 2002. Training and Development programmes are still marketed under the CMPS brand, however, for customer recognition.

Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) no longer exists as a separate organisation. PACE was created in April 1996 as an Executive Agency of the Office of Public Service, then part of the Cabinet Office. Responsibility for the Agency transferred to OGC in April 2000. It was abolished at the end of March 2001 and the majority of staff were allocated posts in the realigned OGC. The CEO of OGC is Peter Gershon.

The Chief Charity Commissioner for England and Wales is Mr. John Stoker.

National Minimum Wage

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimated cost is in 2003–04 to his Department, agencies and the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible of the increase in the national minimum wage from £4.20 per hour to £4.50 per hour. [110435]

Mr. Alexander: My Department will not be affected by the increase in the national minimum wage. Therefore, the estimated additional costs for 2003–04 will be nil.

Travel Costs

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost was of travel by train by staff in his Department in 2002. [106339]

Mr. Alexander: The amount spent on rail travel by the Cabinet Office in the calendar year 2002, was £382,971.61.

PRIME MINISTER

House of Lords Appointments Commission

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what considerations led him to re-appoint Lord Stevenson as Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission; and if he will make a statement; [113592]

(2) if he consulted the Office of the Commissioner of Public Appointments concerning the re-appointment of Lord Stevenson as chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission; [113850]

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(3) whether he has asked the House of Lords Appointments Commission to recommend names for new peers; and if he will make a statement. [113848]

The Prime Minister: I hope to make a statement on appointments to the House of Lords Appointments Commission and on related matters shortly. Although appointments to the commission do not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, as a matter of best practice appointments are made in accordance with her Code of Practice.

Meetings

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met the Prime Minister of Poland; and if he will make a statement. [113891]

The Prime Minister: I last met the Prime Minister of Poland on 16 April at the signing of the EU Accession Treaty in Athens.

Unsolicited Mail

Mr. Key: To ask the Prime Minister how many items of unsolicited mail were dispatched in his name from 10 Downing street in April; and if he will make a statement. [114548]

The Prime Minister: As far as I am aware, none in April.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Charter

11. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement about the provisions in the BBC Charter relating to its commercial activities. [113836]

Dr. Howells: The BBC's commercial activities are the subject of a number of separate provisions in the Royal Charter and the BBC Governors are required under the Charter and Agreement to ensure that there is no cross-subsidy between the BBC's publicly-funded and its commercial activities. A copy of the Charter is available in the Libraries of both Houses.

Licensing Bill

12. Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings she has had with representatives of the music business about the Licensing Bill. [113837]

Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have had a number of meetings with representatives of musicians and the music industry including the Musicians' Union, the Music Industry Forum and representatives of the folk arts. We will continue to involve them in discussions about the Bill and its statutory guidance.

18. Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received from musicians' organisations about the Licensing Bill. [113843]

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Dr. Howells: My Department has received a great deal of correspondence from organisations representing musicians and other performers about the Licensing Bill, most of whom have been concerned that it will restrict their activities. The vast majority of their concerns have been unfounded and based on a misinterpretation of the Bill's provisions. Where we believed that the Bill could be improved, however, we have listened to the concerns expressed to us and have made appropriate amendments, for instance, by exempting places of public religious worship from the licensing regime as it relates to the provision of entertainment and entertainment facilities and by accepting the spirit of an amendment which exempts incidental live music in certain circumstances.

Regional Television

13. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received from viewers who are unable to receive their appropriate regional TV programmes because of the transmission network; and if she will make a statement. [113838]

Dr. Howells: I understand that my Department has received one recent representation on this issue. In some areas of the UK, it is not possible to receive the appropriate regional television service, on analogue terrestrial television or on digital terrestrial television, owing to a shortage of available frequencies. But appropriate regional services are available to consumers on the digital satellite platform.

Olympic Games

14. Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards a London bid for the Olympic Games. [113839]

Tessa Jowell: I set out in a statement to the House on 15 May the Government's decision to offer its wholehearted backing to a London bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

This follows a very thorough and detailed review of the likely costs involved and wider impacts of staging the games in 2012 as well as an examination of the potential benefits.

The challenge now remains to do all we can to support London in winning the nomination as host city for the 2012 Olympics.

16. Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the supplementary charge on London council tax which will be necessary to fund a bid for the Olympic Games. [113841]

Tessa Jowell: Within the £2.375 billion public funding package for a London 2012 Olympics, the Mayor of London has agreed to contribute up to £625 million towards staging the games through a council tax precept.

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The Mayor has indicated that for a Band D household the precept would be set at £20 a year or 38p a week. The precept would not come into effect until 2006–07 by when it will be known whether London has won the nomination for 2012.

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