| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Sept 2003 : Column 955W—continued
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Departmental Costs
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was to her Department for
18 Sept 2003 : Column 956W
(a) ministerial cars and drivers, (b) taxis, (c) train travel, (d) the use of helicopters, (e) airline tickets and (f) chartered aeroplanes in each year since 1997. [123085]
Mr. Caborn: With regard to the cost of ministerial cars and drivers and the cost of planes chartered for ministerial travel, the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (Mr. Nick Matheson) wrote to the hon. Member with the information yesterday, 17 September 2003. Copies of the letter have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The following table shows Departmental expenditure on travel by (a) taxis and (b) train and air combined. An analysis of expenditure on travel by train and various modes of air travel is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules contained in the Department's staff handbook and all ministerial travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
| Financial year | Taxis | Rail and Air travel |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–03(32) | 16,109.08 | 518,549.28 |
| 2001–02 | 20,811.56 | 433,910.61 |
| 2000–01 | 26,414.81 | 456,909.51 |
| 1999–2000 | 21,685.66 | 421,189.86 |
| 1998–99 | 15,890.53 | 317,802.36 |
| 1997–98 | 12,967.23 | 289,035.97 |
(32) Costs shown in 2002–03 are provisional pending finalisation of the Department's annual accounts.
Digital Satellite Television
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to seek to ensure that ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 can continue to be received free of charge by digital satellite television. [130011]
Estelle Morris [holding answer 16 September 2003]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the chief executives of ITV, Channel Four and Five to ask them how they intend to solve this very serious issue. Their responses indicate they are considering various options. We are very closely monitoring their discussions, which I understand are making progress, and while it will not be appropriate to comment on current commercial negotiations, I will place details of their outcome on our website www.digitaltelevision. gov.uk.
Films (North East England)
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial support her Department has given to film making in the North East of England in each of the last five years. [130391]
Estelle Morris: The following table shows the level of Government and National Lottery support through the UK Film Council and its predecessors for film in the North East of England in the last five years.
18 Sept 2003 : Column 957W
| Government funding (£) | Lottery (£) | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | (33)764,579 | 169,467 | 934,046 |
| 1999–2000 | (34)778,245 | 8,400 | 786,645 |
| 2000–01 | (35)452,800 | 0 | 452,800 |
| 2001–02 | 280,000 | 323,530 | 603,530 |
| 2002–03 | 400,000 | 405,026 | 805,026 |
| Total | 3,582,047 |
(33) This figure includes £445,800 from the British Film Institute.
(34) This figure includes £417,405 from the British Film Institute.
(35) This figure includes £272,274 from the British Film Institute.
Notes:
1. In 1998–99 and 1999–2000, the Regional Arts Board (funded by the Arts Council of England) was responsible for supporting filmmaking in the English regions.
2. Since April 2000, the UK Film Council has been responsible for providing Government and lottery funding to the English regions through its Regional Investment Fund for England Fund. Northern Film and Media, established in October 2002, is the regional screen agency for the North East of England.
Free-to-view Broadcasting
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with broadcasters on the retention of free-to-view broadcasting on digital satellite. [130582]
Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the chief executives of ITV, Channel Four and Five to ask them how they intend to solve this very serious issue. Their responses indicate they are considering various options. We are very closely monitoring their discussions, which I understand are making progress, and while it will not be appropriate to comment on current commercial negotiations, I will place details of their outcome on our website www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with OFCOM on free-to-view broadcasting on digital satellite. [130584]
Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any formal discussions with OFCOM on this matter, as OFCOM has not yet been transferred any relevant functions. But this is a very serious issue which my Department as well as the ITC are monitoring.
Gaming Board
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether the Gaming Board has concluded its investigations into the Lottery operations of charities linked to Solutions RMC; and if she will make a statement; [130538]
- (2) what (a) audits and (b) other checks the Gaming Board carried out between 1996 and 2002 concerning the gaming operations of (i) Breast Cancer Relief, Manchester and (ii) Breast Cancer Research, Scotland. [130539]
Mr. Caborn: I understand from the Gaming Board for Great Britain that it has completed its investigations into these matters. It intends to cancel their registrations to promote society lotteries under the terms of the
18 Sept 2003 : Column 958W
Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 and to write to the receivers who have been appointed to administer the two charities accordingly.
The Gaming Board registered Breast Cancer Relief Manchester (BCRM) on 23 March 2000. It received BCRM's audited accounts in 2000 and 2001 and 13 returns relating to individual lotteries. The Gaming Board's inspectors visited BCRM on four occasions between 31 November 2001 and 16 December 2002.
The Gaming Board registered Breast Cancer Research Scotland (BCRS) on 12 August 1999. It received BCRS's audited accounts in 1999, 2000 and 2001 as well as 17 returns relating to individual lotteries. The Gaming Board's inspectors visited BCRS in February 2003
Libraries
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress she has made towards the goal of putting all libraries online. [129080]
Mr. Caborn: The £100 million Lottery funded People's Network programme has enabled all but 20 of the libraries in England to be connected to the internet, including all the libraries in my hon. Friend's constituency. This represents well over 3,000 libraries, a very fine achievement. The remaining libraries will go online after refurbishment or technical programmes have been completed. All libraries in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are online.
Microsoft
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid to Microsoft in licensing fees by her Department and its agencies in each of the last three years; and how much has been budgeted for (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05. [130677]
Mr. Caborn: This Department paid licensing fees to Microsoft of £17,500 in 2000–01, £9,500 in 2001–02 and £234,000 in 2002–03.
Future year payments are still under review and no decision has yet been taken on whether to continue with Microsoft or to look at other potential vendors including open source.
Television Advertisements
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the monitoring of the extent to which television channels increase the volume of transmissions during advertisements; and if she will make a statement. [130396]
Estelle Morris [holding answer 16 September 2003]: None. Responsibility for advertisements broadcast on television rests with the broadcasters and the organisation which regulates broadcast advertisements—the Independent Television Commission (ITC). The ITC is independent of the Government and responsible for safeguarding the public interest in broadcast television advertising.
18 Sept 2003 : Column 959W
The ITC's licensees are obliged, as a condition of their licences, to comply with the terms of the ITC's Advertising Standards Code which states that advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident and that studio transmission power must not be increased from normal levels during advertising breaks. Responsibility for monitoring compliance with these terms rests with the licensees.
In addition, the ITC monitors individual services as necessary. The ITC investigates all complaints of excessive advertising loudness and are able to take action against broadcasters who breach the conditions of the code.
Under the Communications Act 2003 the Office of Communications (OFCOM) will have similar responsibilities for broadcast advertisements from the end of this year.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |