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23 Feb 2004 : Column 32W—continued

Security Passes

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. [147977]

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many security passes have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen by staff in his Department in the last 12 months. [151607]

Yvette Cooper: Two security passes have been reported stolen by staff in the HQ buildings of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister during the period January 2003 to January 2004. A further 165 replacement security passes have been issued in the same period. It is not possible to say how many of the passes were lost other than by theft. Security passes may need to be replaced for a variety of reasons including loss, theft, damage or change of name, and the Office does not record the reasons for the replacement of a security pass. Figures for GOs North East and London are not available but a further 153 passes have been replaced in the remainder GO network. Although ODPM has overall responsibility for these, the Government Offices carry out functions on behalf often Departments.

Procedures are in place to ensure that electronic passes are de-activated as soon as their loss is reported. In addition pass designs do not identify the building or organisation.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a new cost-benefit analysis of a statutory tenancy deposit scheme in England, taking account of the interest generated on deposits held in a custodial scheme. [154995]

Yvette Cooper: In considering proposals for dealing with tenancy deposits and in preparing a response to the consultation that concluded a year ago the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister shall be revisiting the cost-benefit analysis on which the partial regulatory impact assessment that was included in the consultation paper.

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the (a) maximum and (b) minimum potential (i) benefit and (ii) cost of a tenancy deposit scheme. [154996]

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Yvette Cooper: An analysis of the costs and benefits of providing for tenancy deposit protection was contained in a partial regulatory impact assessment included in the consultation paper published in November 2002. This suggested that against costs of £19 million there could be benefits of around £20 million. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is reviewing those estimates as the various elements of measures to safeguard deposits are assessed and we will do so against a range of assumptions.

Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the organisations attending the seminar held in December to discuss the case for linking legislation for compulsory measures to protect tenancy deposits to the Law Commission's findings. [154997]

Yvette Cooper: The following organisations attended:




















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Matthew Green: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the estimated cost of a tenancy deposit scheme took account of the proportion of cases requiring adjudication in (a) the pilot schemes and (b) other countries. [155212]

Yvette Cooper: The consultation paper on tenancy deposits contained a partial regulatory impact assessment that took account of the costs involved in the pilot tenancy deposit scheme managed by the Independent Housing Ombudsman. In the subsequent final period of the pilot the proportion of cases requiring adjudication has grown. Although international experiences make a useful comparison they are unlikely to provide a robust method of estimating what might happen in this country because of cultural differences such as attitudes to litigation. The circumstances in other countries may also reflect significant differences in the housing market, not least of all in the way in which it is regulated.

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Monday 23 February 2004

CABINET OFFICE

Public Services Audit

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answers of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1048W and 26 January 2004, Official Report, column 72W, on public services audit, whether he knows who gave the unauthorised briefing to Rosemary Bennett of The Times newspaper. [155294]

Mr. Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1048W.

Regulatory Reform

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the timetable is for the full implementation of the revised regulatory reform action plan. [155291]

Mr. Alexander: Details of the timetable for implementing measures in the Government's Regulatory Reform Action Plan are contained in the updated version of the Plan, published in December 2003.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library a copy of the Regulatory Impact Unit business regulation team end of year report for 2003. [155318]

Mr. Alexander: The Business Regulation Team's end of year report for 2003 was published on 16 February 2004. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House and can be accessed at www.cabinet-office. gov.uk/regulation/business/endofyear.htm.

Strategy Unit (Fisheries Report)

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1136W, on the Strategy Unit Fisheries Report, when he will announce the date on which the report will be made public. [155951]

Mr. Alexander: The report will be published shortly. We will inform the House when the exact date for publication has been decided.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

"All Our Futures"

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the detailed recommendations made by the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education in the Report, "All Our Futures", have been implemented; and if she will make a statement. [154964]

Estelle Morris: The National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education reported jointly to the Secretaries of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Education and Employment in 1999 via the report "All Our Futures". The report contained 59 detailed

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recommendations for action by a range of bodies including Government, schools and higher education institutions.

Many of the recommendations in "All Our Futures" are framed quite broadly. However, my Department has worked closely with the Department for Education and Skills, and external partners, to implement all of those which fall to DCMS.

Among the key examples are the Creative Partnerships programme, which aims to build long-term, sustainable relationships between creative professionals and schools. With £110 million of funding over four years, the programme, which began in September 2002, has enabled over 110,000 pupils to become involved in over 1,400 projects so far.

The £130 million Space for Sport and Arts (SSA) programme is funding the building of nearly 300 facilities in primary schools in the 20 per cent. most deprived wards in the country. 138 SSA projects have now been completed and 84 more have work ongoing.

To support new music making opportunities for young people, Youth Music was established in 1999 with £10 million per annum of Lottery funding. It has already reached over one million young people and their wider communities. Alongside this, the Music Standards Fund, also established in 1999, provides £60 million per annum established to protect and expand LEA music services.

Another relevant initiative is Artsmark, which seeks to recognise those schools which offer a wide range of arts provision. Nearly 2,000 schools now have awards, including one in five secondary schools nationally.

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