House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 9 Sept 2003 (pt 6)

9 Sept 2003 : Column 335W—continued

Parthenon Sculptures

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she next plans to meet representatives of the Greek Government to discuss the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece. [127841]

Estelle Morris: The Government has no such plans. We have advised the Greek Government that the Parthenon Sculptures are a matter for the Trustees of the British Museum. The museum is independent of government.

Schools (Physical Exercise)

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what percentage of schoolchildren in the UK participate in a minimum of two hours of physical exercise at school each week; [128580]

(a)

(b)

9 Sept 2003 : Column 336W

Mr. Caborn: The Government is investing more than £1 billion in England to transform physical education and school sport. This funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by DCMS and DfES, to increase 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 to 75 per cent. by 2006. Currently, about a third of schools provide this entitlement at Key Stage 1, two fifths at Key Stage 2 and a third at each of Key Stages 3 and 4.

Tourism

Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether tourism in the UK has grown as an industry in each of the last 10 years; how many people are employed in tourism in the UK; and what percentage of GDP is accounted for by the tourism industry. [128577]

Mr. Caborn: The available data on annual expenditure by domestic and foreign tourists in the UK over the last 10 years are shown in the table.

Annual expenditure by domestic and foreign tourists in the UK for each of the last 10 years£ million

Expenditure by foreign tourists in the UK Expenditure by UK tourists in the UK Total expenditure by tourists in the UK

1993 9,487 ⁽²⁾— ⁽²⁾—

1994 9,786 ⁽²⁾— ⁽²⁾—

1995 11,763 20,072 31,835

1996 12,290 22,041 34,331

1997 12,244 24,137 36,381

1998 12,671 22,814 35,485

1999 12,498 25,635 38,133

2000 12,805 26,133 38,938

2001 11,306 26,094 37,400

2002 11,859 26,699 38,558

	Expenditure by foreign tourists in the UK	Expenditure by UK tourists in the UK	Total expenditure by tourists in the UK
1993	9,487	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—
1994	9,786	⁽²⁾—	⁽²⁾—
1995	11,763	20,072	31,835
1996	12,290	22,041	34,331
1997	12,244	24,137	36,381
1998	12,671	22,814	35,485
1999	12,498	25,635	38,133
2000	12,805	26,133	38,938
2001	11,306	26,094	37,400
2002	11,859	26,699	38,558

⁽²⁾ Not available

Sources:

International Passenger Survey

UK Tourism Survey

While there has been a generally increasing trend in the value of UK tourism expenditure over the past 10 years, it has not increased every year. In particular, tourism expenditure since 2000 has been affected by the foot and mouth epidemic, the SARS virus and the war with Iraq.

It is estimated that 2.1 million people are employed in the tourism-related industries.

It is also estimated that the tourism industry accounts for approximately 4.5 per cent. of UK GDP.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Written Constitution

30. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if the Lord Chancellor will draft a written constitution for the United Kingdom. [128476]

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Mr. Leslie: There are no plans to draft an overarching codified constitution for the United Kingdom.

Supreme Court

31. Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if the Secretary of State will make it his policy for the proposed Supreme Court to sit outside London when considering devolution issues. [128477]

Mr. Leslie: As my hon. Friend is aware, we are currently consulting on the role that the Supreme Court will have in considering devolution issues. In parallel, we are also looking at where the court should be accommodated and whether it should have the power to sit outside London when considering devolution issues.

Judicial Reform

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the priorities within the Department's modernisation programme for ensuring better service delivery in the courts. [128470]

Mr. Leslie: The primary purpose of the departmental change agenda is to improve delivery to the public by the Court Service and the other agencies of the Department. This purpose underpins our plans for a unified court administration and the constitutional reforms announced in June.

Domestic Violence

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the need to provide access to legal aid to victims of domestic violence. [127278]

Mr. Lammy: Domestic violence proceedings are a high priority for the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Legal Services Commission (LSC). The LSC's funding code criteria allow such cases to be funded more widely than most other family and non-family areas. This gives the victim of domestic violence the means to secure various remedies against the other party. The latest available figure for expenditure on domestic violence (civil representation) for the financial year 2002 to 2003 is £53.4 million.

The LSC has Regional Legal Services Committees who are tasked with assessing legal need regionally on an on-going basis. The Yorkshire and Humberside Committee have undertaken a project with the aim of developing good practice in identifying and addressing the legal advice needs of victims of domestic violence in the context of the Community Legal Service (CLS). The Legal Service Regional Committee's Periodic Survey of Justiciable Problems are publishing a research report in the next issue of the Family Law Journal which addresses the issue of legal need in domestic violence cases and examines the strategy needed to encourage victims to seek remedies.

Gender Recognition Bill

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the draft Gender Recognition Bill. [128466]

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Mr. Lammy: As Lord Filkin announced on 11 July this year the Government have published the draft Gender Recognition Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on Human Rights. On 17 July the Joint Committee issued a call for evidence to be submitted to it by 11 September. The Government looks forward to receiving the report of the Joint Committee and to introducing the Bill to Parliament as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Media Training

Mr. Flight: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost was to the Lord Chancellor's Department of media and voice training for Ministers and officials in each year since 1997. [123117]

Mr. Lammy: The cost to my Department (including the former Lord Chancellor's Department) of media and voice training for Ministers and officials in each year since 1997 was as follows:

Year £

1997–98 ⁽³⁾—

1998–99 0

1999–2000 1,762.50

2000–01 2,625

2001–02 0

2002–03 0

2003–04 ⁽⁴⁾0

Year	£
1997–98	⁽³⁾—
1998–99	0
1999–2000	1,762.50
2000–01	2,625
2001–02	0
2002–03	0
2003–04	⁽⁴⁾0

⁽³⁾ Figures not available

⁽⁴⁾ To date

Figures for 1997–98 are not readily available because communications group accounts were not kept separately from the then LCD corporate services accounts.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

AS-levels

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of setting and marking AS-level examinations in all subjects was in each year between 2000 and 2003. [128551]

Mr. Miliband: The answer can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Ofsted

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of higher education funding in Wales was in present day prices in each year since 1979. [124672]

Mr. Touhig: I have been asked to reply.

The following table provides figures on Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) funding by financial year from 1993–94 to 1998–99.

HEFCW assumed responsibility for funding HE in Wales in April 1993, and figures prior to 1993 are not available on a comparable basis.

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The National Assembly for Wales assumed overall responsibility for HE funding in Wales on 1 July 1999, and figures beyond this date are not held by the Wales Office.

HEFCW funding from National Assembly for Wales/Welsh Office (inc. running costs and grants to HEIs)£000

Current prices Constant(2002–03) prices

1993–94 179,200 225,607

1994–95 232,497 288,877

1995–96 242,465 292,913

1996–97 243,522 285,148

1997–98 236,787 268,963

1998–99 231,222 255,618

	Current prices	Constant(2002–03) prices


1993–94	179,200	225,607
1994–95	232,497	288,877
1995–96	242,465	292,913
1996–97	243,522	285,148
1997–98	236,787	268,963
1998–99	231,222	255,618

Note:

Constant price figures based on current price figures rounded to nearest 1,000 (nearest 100,000 for 2002–03 and 2003–04).

Sources:

HEFCW annual reports.

HM Treasury GDP deflators used to produce constant price figures.

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