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8 Jul 2003 : Column 713W—continued
National Lottery Distribution Fund
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much is unallocated in the National Lottery Distribution Fund; and what steps she is taking to reduce this sum. [123827]
Estelle Morris: According to the latest figures available, up to March 2003, there is a balance in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) of £3.26 billion, and of this £136 million is unallocated. Over £4.2 billion has been committed to projects by distributors with varying degrees of firmness.
The National Lottery Funding Decision Document, published on the 3 July, sets out a number of proposals aimed at reducing the balances held by distributors. These include issuing guidance on balance management to distributors, and revising the Financial Directions distributors operate under in order to speed up the funding of smaller, low risk projects. Copies of this has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Wembley Stadium
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the building of the new Wembley Stadium. [120523]
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the progress of the Wembley Stadium project. [124488]
Mr. Caborn: Wembley National Stadium Ltd. are making good progress in the construction of the English National Stadium at Wembley. Construction is on track for opening as planned in 2006.
OFCOM
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on OFCOM's responsibilities in relation to independent production quotas. [123826]
Estelle Morris: The Communications Bill (Clause 275), as amended on Report in the House of Lords), requires OFCOM to include conditions in the licences of all licensed public service channels (Channels 3, 4 and 5) in order to secure that at least 25 per cent. of the time allocated to the broadcasting of qualifying programmes on that channel is allocated to the broadcasting of a range and diversity of independent productions. Conditions will also permit OFCOM to direct that a public service channel that falls short of the quota must make up the shortfall in the subsequent year or years. The Bill also gives OFCOM a range of powers to enforce compliance with these conditions.
Paragraphs 1 and 7 of Schedule 12 to the Bill, in conjunction with clause 337 and intended amendments to the BBC's Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, will produce similar effects in relation to the BBC and the Welsh Authority.
Under Clause 355 of the Bill OFCOM are required to carry out an annual factual and statistical review. As part of that review, OFCOM must consider what it is appropriate to achieve by conditions and duties under section 275 and paragraphs 1 and 7 of Schedule 12 and the effectiveness for that purpose of the conditions and
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duties for the time being in force. OFCOM must also consider whether it would be appropriate to recommend to the Secretary of State that he exercises any of his powers under that section or those paragraphs, including the power to provide that the quota be met by "value" instead of, or as well as, by "broadcasting time".
School Sport
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Department for Education and Skills on increasing the time spent on sport in schools. [124489]
Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with her right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to discuss issues of mutual concern. These include the Public Service Agreement target, shared by both departments, to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by 5 to 16-year-olds by increasing the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum from 25 per cent. in 2002 to 75 per cent. by 2006.
Sporting Excellence
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures are in place to implement sporting excellence at a regional level. [122836]
Mr. Caborn: Sport England works to develop performance and excellence in sport through support to governing bodies of sport, the six national sports centres and the English Institute of Sport. Sport England has reviewed its operations and business strategy. It now has clear business objectives aimed at getting more people involved in sport and physical activity, retaining more people in sport and getting more success at the highest level. The regions will have more responsibility for funding decisions through their Regional Sports Boards.
Staff Costs
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff the Department and each Agency and non-departmental public body for which the Department is responsible had in each year since 1997; and what the cost of those staff was in each of those years. [122251]
Mr. Caborn: Data on staffing levels in the Civil Service is collected from Departments and Agencies twice-yearly, in April and October. Headline figures are published under National Statistics guidelines via a press notice. Those for October 2002 were published on 27 February 2003.
A copy of the press notice, accompanying media brief and supporting tables is available on the World Wide Web at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. Copies of these documents are also placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
More detailed information on the Civil Service is published annually in 'Civil Service Statistics', copies of which are laid in the Libraries of both Houses. The last
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edition, based on April 2001 data, was published in June 2002. The next edition, based on April 2002 data, is due to be published at the end of July 2003.
The Cabinet Office publishes information on non-departmental public bodies in its annual publication 'Public Bodies'. The information includes details of the number of staff employed by each NDPB at 31 March each year. 'Public Bodies 2002' was published in January 2003. Copies of 'Public Bodies' published each year since 1997 are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Details of staff costs are contained in the annual accounts of the Department and the individual agencies and bodies. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Assets Recovery Agency
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) assets and (b) goods seized by the Assets Recovery Agency in each month since January, broken down by (i) value and (ii) country of origin; and if he will make a statement. [122613]
Caroline Flint: I understand from the Director of the Assets Recovery Agency that providing the information in the form requested would risk identifying some or all of the subjects of the cases under investigation, contrary to orders of the court. Since the Agency assumed operational powers on 24 February this year, four orders have been obtained from the High Court in London and Belfast in connection with civil recovery proceedings under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to freeze property in the UK as follows:
| Property | Value (£) |
|---|---|
| Four bank accounts | 173,800 |
| One bank account | (4)— |
| Cash (four separate cases) | 232,703.10 |
| Investment/Premium Bonds (four separate cases) | 163,321.31 |
| Eight items of real property | 1,843,513 |
| Eight items of real property | (4)— |
| Stocks and shares (two separate cases) | (4)— |
| One vehicle | 10,000 |
| Total (excluding those assets yet to be valued) | 2,423,337.41 |
(4) Value of asset(s) to be determined during course of investigation.
No assets have yet been frozen or seized by the Assets Recovery Agency in connection with proceedings under Parts 2, 4 or 6 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets he has set for the Assets Recovery Agency; and if he will make a statement. [122614]
Caroline Flint: Targets for the Assets Recovery Agency are included in the Agency's Business Plan 2003–04, which has been prepared by the Director and approved by my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The Plan will be published on 9 July.
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Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money held by Saddam Hussein's regime has been seized by the Assets Recovery Agency; and if he will make a statement. [122615]
Caroline Flint: The Assets Recovery Agency has not seized any funds belonging to Saddam Hussein or his regime.
In accordance with the guidance given to the Director by the Home Secretary, the Agency will normally investigate cases only on the basis of a referral from the law enforcement or prosecution authorities.
The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, passed on 22 May, requires that all funds, financial assets or economic resources of Saddam Hussein, key members of his regime and their families, be frozen and transferred into the Development Fund for Iraq to be used for the benefit and welfare of the Iraqi people.
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