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Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the impact of her Department's policies on the constituency of Regent's Park and Kensington, North since 1997. [145419]
Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport seeks to improve the quality of life for everyone through improved access to the best in cultural and sporting activities. The Department also champions the tourism, creative and leisure industries. The Department's policies have had a significant impact on the constituency of Regent's Park and Kensington, North since 1 May 1997. For example, Arts Council England funds a diverse range of arts organisations and projects in the constituency. In 200506, regularly funded arts organisations in Regent's Park and Kensington North will receive a total of £813,278an increase of 12 per cent. from 200304. These include:
The London Print Studio (LPS), which will receive an Arts Council award of £181,800 in 200506an increase of 5.1 per cent. since 200304;
Paddington Arts, which will receive an Arts Council award of £50,000 in 200506an increase of 5.9 per cent. since 200305.
The Royal Parks Agency also provides free entertainment every summer between June and September in The Regent's Park. This includes brass bands, music from the Caribbean and North Africa, opera, open air art and photography exhibitions.
In addition to Government spending, the constituency of Regent's Park and Kensington, North has received 398 National Lottery awards since 1 May 1997, with a total value of £39.865 million. The awards include:
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A Sport England award of £1,536,069 to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for a new sports hall and the upgrading of changing and ancillary facilities (May 2000).
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment her Department has made of the benefits of re-location of staff to north Staffordshire; and if she will make a statement; [146872]
(3) what assessment her Department has made of the effect of possible relocation of staff in her Department to north Staffordshire on (a) job creation, (b) sustainable development, (c) the local economy and (d) tackling regional economic disparities; and if she will make a statement; [146903]
(4) what plans she has to establish procedures for assessing the impact of possible relocation of staff in her Department to the regions; and if she will make a statement. [146933]
Mr. Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 516W.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in how many speeches during 2003 she declared support for the Government's policy on the euro. [147292]
Mr. Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 51617W.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what proportion of those on the Advisory Committee for Historic Wreck Sites are (a) vocational divers and (b) archaeologists; [145776]
Mr. Caborn: The Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites includes members and observers drawn from a wide constituency of interests related to historic shipwrecks.
Jonathan Adams a diver and archaeologist has been carrying out archaeological investigations on historic wrecks since 1979, including the Mary Rose, the Grace Dieu and the Amsterdam.
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Dr. Lucy Blue an archaeologist and diver has been working on submerged sites for 15 years.
Stuart Bryan is the Sub-Aqua Association's Nautical Archaeology Co-ordinator, and has widespread experience of vocationally diving on submerged archaeological sites.
Dr. Alexzandra Hildred a diver and archaeologist has been carrying out archaeological investigations on historic wrecks since 1979, including the Mary Rose.
Jonathan Parlour is a vocational diving member of a licensed team carrying out archaeological surveys of the Coronation sites off Plymouth, which are both designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.
Dr. Mark Redknap is an archaeologist and the diving curator of the National Museum of Wales, and has extensive experience of diving on historic wrecks including leading a team of volunteers to carry out excavations on the Cattewater wreck. He also led an expedition to the Smalls Reef, and has dived on the Mary Rose and Stirling Castle wrecks.
Robin Daniels is an archaeologist and is the non-diving licensee of a designated wreck site. As this is in the intertidal zone, diving is not necessary.
Margaret Deacon is a non-diving representative of the oceanographic research community.
Patrick Griggs is a non-diving marine law specialist.
Wendy Robinson is a non-diving expert in the first-aid conservation of finds from the marine environment.
The Department intends to appoint an additional recreational diving representative on the Committee in early 2004.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a decision has been taken as to whether her Department intends to continue paying Microsoft for licensing fees in future years; and if she will make a statement. [147550]
Mr. Caborn: No decision has been taken yet on Microsoft licensing.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport why the amount paid by her Department to Microsoft in licensing fees rose from £9,500 in 200102 to £234,000 in 200203. [147551]
Mr. Caborn: The license fee increased because the Department moved to MS Office, implemented Microsoft's Content Management Server software as part of the redevelopment of the Department's website and took out upgrade protection on Microsoft products under the OGC agreement with the aim of reducing any costs that might accrue from Microsoft's new charging arrangements commonly known as Licensing 6.0.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's procurement policy with regard to offshore IT and call centre outsourcing; whether her Department is outsourcing IT and call centre jobs to
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offshore companies; to which countries her Department has outsourced these jobs; how much her Department has spent on this outsourcing in each of the last two years; and how much has been budgeted for this purpose for the next two years. [147581]
Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport follows central guidance from OGC on procurement policy. No IT jobs are outsourced to offshore companies and this Department does not operate any call centres. The Department spent £1.2 million on outsourcing in 200102, £1.3 million in 200203 and the budget for the next two years is in line with previous years.
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to help introduce more viewing of Scottish television in Northern Ireland. [147043]
Estelle Morris: The BBC Scotland television service and ITV Scottish, Grampian and Border services are already available to those consumers in Northern Ireland with digital satellite receiving equipment. The extension of Scottish region television services to other areas in the UK is not possible on terrestrial television because of technical and licensing constraints.
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