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Grade I Listed Buildings

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make list the Grade I listed buildings in England which are classified as at risk; and if she will make a statement. [131683]

Mr. Caborn: 288 Grade I listed buildings are included in English Heritage's Buildings at Risk Register 2003, which was published on 18 July, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The Register is also available as a database on English Heritage's website: www.english-heritage.org.uk/bar

Iraq (Heritage/Conservation)

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her support for training conservation and heritage professionals in Iraq since 15 September. [130812]

Tessa Jowell: The Government are committed to supporting the Iraqi people in securing the long-term well being of Iraqi collections and antiquities. We believe that the most sustainable way of achieving this is to ensure that the museums have Iraqi conservators, curators and restorers who have the necessary and up-to-date skills to look after the collections. The British Museum, English Heritage and other organisations funded through my Department are consequently providing initially six secondment scholarships to help train Iraqi Board of Antiquities staff in the skills which the board most urgently needs. A number of staff have already been identified who will come to the UK to undertake secondments in the British Museum as soon as possible. In addition, my Department has compiled a

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database of offers for help and support by a number of UK-based heritage bodies and will match these offers with future needs identified by the Board of Antiquities.

Irish Art/Culture/Sport

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department has given to the promotion of Irish art, culture and sport in this country since 2001. [131732]

Estelle Morris: DCMS does not directly support the promotion of Irish art, culture and sport. This is a matter for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Arts Council (Republic of Ireland), the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the Irish Sports Council. However, art organisations, whose work incorporates Irish art and culture, have received grants from our sponsored body for the arts in England, Arts Council England.

Licensing Act 2003

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department will publish details of the (a) fees that will be charged under the Licensing Act 2003 and (b) subordinate legislation under the Act explaining (i) the prescribed forms of application and (ii) the building plans that will be required. [132155]

Mr. Caborn: The Government intend to introduce all of the secondary legislation that will be required for transition to the new licensing regime, including that on fees, forms and plans, as soon as possible.

Sports Facilities (Modernisation)

Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on how the money earmarked in the Budget statement for a pilot scheme of capital modernisation of sports facilities has been spent. [131579]

Mr. Caborn: This is not a pilot scheme. The Government are making £60 million available to 16 governing bodies for capital work at affiliated amateur sports clubs over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. £20 million of this is coming from the Capital Modernisation Fund, as announced earlier this year.

This money is being made available to governing bodies to make a real difference to community sport. Each will submit a strategy document before the end of October 2003, detailing how the money will be used, and building work on new and improved facilities is expected to begin in April 2004.

Terrestrial Television

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the number of households that will not be able to access terrestrial television following the decision to stop the free to air access on Sky television in (a) the UK, (b) Suffolk, (c) Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (d) Norfolk, (e) Cambridgeshire and (f) Essex. [131842]

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Estelle Morris: Estimates of terrestrial television coverage are not available in the requested form. The estimated coverage of analogue terrestrial television services is 99.4 per cent. of the UK and currently 73.1 per cent. of UK households can receive Freeview's services via digital terrestrial television. Information about analogue coverage and digital terrestrial coverage based on post code, can be obtained from the BBC and the Independent Television Commission. BBC services on digital satellite can be viewed free-to-air without the need for a viewing card. ITV, Channel 4 and Five are now considering a scheme to enable viewers to continue receiving these services, with a viewing card.

Tyntesfield Estate

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her Answer of 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 212W, on the Tyntesfield Estate, what the level of the further grant award which has been agreed in principle by the Heritage Lottery Fund to be made to Tyntesfield is; and whether that grant has been made. [131453]

Mr. Caborn: The level of award which has been agreed in principle for Tyntsfield by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is £20 million. The grant will be awarded subject to the receipt and favourable assessment of a fully worked up application which meets HLF's priorities. The National Trust is currently working up this application in accordance with standard HLF procedures. The application is expected to be submitted to the HLF in December this year.

US Embassy (11 September)

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements she made for (a) access by US citizens to the US Embassy and (b) access to Grosvenor Square by members of the public offering their condolences on 11 September when the Square was closed. [131412]

Tessa Jowell: My Department liaised closely with the US Embassy throughout the organisation of this event and access to the Embassy was available on 11 September 2003. The opening of the garden was a ticket-only event for the families of the UK victims. It would not have been appropriate to allow other members of the public to participate in this very private moment. Furthermore, permitting members of the public to access the site on the day of the event would have compromised the extremely tight security which was required for such a high profile event.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Special Advisers

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House on how many occasions in financial year 2002–03 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; which places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [131705]

Mr. Hain: My special advisers made no trips abroad in an official capacity in 2002–03.

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Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House what the total cost was of special advisers to his office in financial year 2002–03, broken down by (a) salary and related expenses and (b) other costs. [131706]

Mr. Hain: The information requested is set out in the table and covers the period of my right hon. Friend the Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) when he was President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons.

£

Salaries	Other costs
115,450.50	281.55

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Assaults (Minicab Drivers)

Linda Perham: To ask the Minister for Women what recent representations she has received on assaults committed against women by illegal mini-cab drivers; and when she will next discuss such assaults with the Secretary of State for Transport. [127788]

Ms Hewitt: I have not received any representations recently on this subject and have no plans to raise it with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. However, the Government are committed to reducing crime and the fear of crime wherever it occurs in the transport system.

The Government are fully aware that many people (particularly women) are concerned about using public transport, especially at night. We are working with transport operators, local authorities, the police and others to improve personal security for both pedestrians and public transport passengers.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Employment Tribunal Appeals

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what the average wait before an appeal is heard against the decision of an Employment Tribunal has been in the last 12 months. [128333]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.

For appeals received in the last 12 months ending August 2003 the average time between receipt of the appeal and first hearing was four months.

Presently, appeals are on average being listed for a hearing within three months.

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