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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 4 November 2003
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Television (Rural Areas)
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to change her policy on the self-help scheme to provide assistance for rural residents outside the reach of analogue television signals. [135268]
Estelle Morris: We recognise the benefit of existing analogue self help schemes in extending terrestrial television to rural communities not reached by the broadcasters' television transmitters. These schemes continue to be licensed by my Department. We will be considering the potential of self help schemes to enable communities to receive digital television services in the context of on-going work under the Digital Television Action Plan.
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her plans are for those rural areas that will be unable to receive analogue television signals in 2010. [135269]
Estelle Morris: The Government are committed to ensuring that terrestrial analogue broadcasting signals are maintained until: everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them on digital systems; switching to digital is an affordable option for the vast majority of people; and as a target indicator of affordability, 95 per cent. of consumers have access to digital equipment. A Digital Television Action Plan is already in place, designed to deliver these pre-conditions for switching off analogue terrestrial transmissions. A copy of the Action Plan is available at www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.
Departmental Energy Use
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) electricity and (b) other energy her Department has used in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) per square metre; what the projected use is for each of the following years for which forecasts are made; what plans she has to reduce usage; and if she will make a statement. [135049]
Mr. Caborn: The figures for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for years 1997 to 2002 were provided to the hon. Member by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), on 3 November 2003, Official Report, columns 403–06W.
In the year 2003 the Department anticipates that it will use 415,000 KWH of electricity and 346,000 KWH of gas.
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Consumption Figures in Kilowatt hours per square metre are 313 for electricity and for 260 gas.
In year 2004 the Department anticipates that it will use 4,450,000 KWH for electricity and 346,000 for gas.
Consumption figures per square metre would then be 335 for electricity and 260 for gas.
The Department is initiating energy audits and is working with Office of Government Commerce contractors to reduce consumption.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list visits made by ministers in her Department in England in each of the last five years, broken down by constituency. [135524]
Mr. Caborn: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Olympic Games
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding has been made available to British sportsmen and women in preparation for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. [135831]
Tessa Jowell: Funding to our elite sportsmen and women is provided from the National Lottery. The Government committed £100 million to support elite British Sportsmen and women in the four-year period from the Sydney to the Athens Olympics. This commitment maintains the level of lottery funding to elite athletes at the same level in the run up to the Athens Olympics as was provided in the run up to the Sydney Games.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with disability groups on the involvement of disabled people in planning for the 2012 Olympic Games bid. [135841]
Tessa Jowell: Arrangements for holding the Paralympic Games form an important and integral part of hosting the Olympic Games. London 2012 is responsible for preparing the London Olympic bid and has appointed Mike Brace, Chairman of the British Paralympic Association, as a member of its board. Disability groups have been in contact with my officials about ensuring the London Olympic bid is inclusive and delivers a sustainable legacy.
Television Licence Fee
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in television licence fees by residents of Dumfries and Galloway in the last year for which figures are available. [135254]
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in TV licence fees by residents of Chorley parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years. [135522]
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Estelle Morris: The information requested is not available, since TV Licensing, who administer the television licensing system for the BBC, do not maintain statistics of television licence sales and revenues by locality.
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of television licence fee holders in (a) Dumfries and Galloway, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK are able to receive (i) all five terrestrial television channels and (ii) Freeview. [135260]
Estelle Morris: The ITC and BBC advise that the available estimates of terrestrial television coverage are as follows:
| UK households | Scotland households | |
|---|---|---|
| Analogue BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 | 99.4 | 98.1 |
| Analogue Five | 80 | (1)— |
| Freeview digital terrestrial television (all multiplexes) | 73.1 | 80.5 |
(1) Estimate not available
Further details of Five analogue terrestrial television coverage can be found at the website: www.five.tv and details of digital terrestrial television coverage at: www.dtg.org.uk and www.freeview.co.uk.
TRANSPORT
RAF Lyneham
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase air freight traffic through Lyneham; and if he will make a statement. [135023]
Mr. Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
I have taken the hon. Member's question to refer to civilian freight traffic. No steps have been taken to increase such traffic through RAF Lyneham; requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and are fulfilled on repayment terms, using irreducible spare capacity at the Station.
Air Travel
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total demand for air travel in the UK in 2060, expressed as a multiple of the present number of passengers using Heathrow, on the basis of the forecast rates of growth used to calculate the economic benefits of various runway options in the consultation on the Future of Air Transport. [135187]
Dr. Howells: The forecasts presented in the consultation document, "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East", 2002, extended to 2030. No forecast has been made of the total demand for air travel in the UK in 2060. However, for the purposes of the analysis of economic benefits of runway options, the forecasts were projected forward to 2060, assuming a 50 per cent. increase in demand from 2030 to 2060.
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Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 September 2003, Official Report, column 373W, on air travel, what estimate has been made of the percentage change in the cost of air travel from 2000 to 2030, if no new runways were to be built in the UK. [135218]
Dr. Howells: The mid point forecasts in the consultation document: The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom-South East, assumed an underlying trend reduction in air fares of 1 per cent. per annum. In addition to this, if no new runways were built in the South East, passengers at Heathrow would pay a fare premium of £67.50 on a single journey in 2030. This fare premium would be higher if airport capacity outside the South East was also constrained, but no estimate has been made of this. The combined effect of these two factors would be an 18 per cent. increase in the cost of air travel in this case.
Airport Infrastructure
Mr. Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) financial and (b) other support his Department will provide for new airport infrastructure, including associated transport links. [135651]
Mr. McNulty: The question of Government support for any new airport infrastructure is being considered in the context of decisions about future development. In our consultation, we invited views on the use of public money to support airport development and surface transport links, and we are analysing the responses. We will set out our policy in the air transport White Paper.
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