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23 Apr 2004 : Column 700W—continued
Museums, Libraries and Public Archives
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money the Government has allocated for libraries in Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997. [166976]
Estelle Morris: Core funding for public libraries is paid to the 149 Library Authorities in England as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It is not ring-fenced.
The figures show the amounts allocated to Liverpool city council, or to library consortiums of which Liverpool city were partners, from the DCMS-Wolfson Foundation Reader Development Fund. These awards cannot be broken down to district level.
1997–98: £99,887 to Liverpool city council for library refurbishment and additional facilities including adaptation for people with disabilities.
1998–99: £98,008 for better links between Liverpool's libraries and, ultimately, schools.
2000–01: £215,992 to the North West Libraries Book Promotion Partnership, which included all the local authorities in the NW, towards assisting socially excluded 16 to 25-year-olds with reading skills.
2001–02: £247,435 to the North West Libraries Book Promotion Partnership towards encouraging socially excluded and other young people in reading activities.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money the Government has given to (a) museums, (b) libraries and (c) public archives in each of the last 10 years. [166725]
Estelle Morris:
The funding given by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to museums, libraries and archives is set out in the table.
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| Year | Museums | Libraries | Public archives |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 225.0 | 85.3 | 1 |
| 1995–96 | 227.6 | 85.5 | 1 |
| 1996–97 | 220.9 | 89.7 | 1 |
| 1997–98 | 214.2 | 94.0 | 1.1 |
| 1998–99 | 212.4 | 89.2 | 1 |
| 1999–2000 | 236.5 | 88.7 | 1.1 |
| 2000–01 | 235.5 | 91.7 | 1.5 |
| 2001–02 | 251.8 | 95.8 | 1.4 |
| 2002–03 | 274.0 | 92.1 | 1.5 |
| 2003–04 | 294.5 | 97.1 | (13)0.2 |
(13) Reflects transfer of Historic Manuscripts Commission to the National Archives.
In addition, DCMS provides Grant in Aid to the museums, libraries and archives council, which was £13.3 million in 2003–04.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to support (a) museums, (b) libraries and (c) public archives; and if she will make a statement. [166726]
Estelle Morris: DCMS provides both core funding for a number of key institutions, including the national museums and galleries and the British Library, and strategic support for the three sectors via the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and its regional delivery network.
We are increasing our support for the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries. Starting from the 2002 baseline, we have delivered a real-terms increase in resource grant-in-aid funding, for the larger institutions, of 1.5 per cent. in 2004–05 and 2.5 per cent. in 2005–06, and 7 per cent. in each of these two years for the smaller ones. We have also provided additional funding to help our sponsored museums carry out programmes of modernisation and reform.
We have allocated £60 million during the 2003–06 period to a major new programme to revitalise our great regional museums, Renaissance in the Regions. This investment is already helping the participating museums provide better services to many more users, in particular enhanced educational services for children and improved links with community groups. Part of the Renaissance programme is the Designation Challenge Fund, which supports the care and interpretation of collections of national or international importance held in non-national museums.
The Department has also doubled its contribution to the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, to provide a total fund of £4 million in this financial year, and extended the fund's coverage to museums in the regions with designated collections and museums participating in Renaissance in the Regions.
We plan to publish a museums vision statement this summer, which will look at ways in which the Government can work more effectively in partnership with museums. We will consult the sector on how best to take this vision forward.
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In February 2003, DCMS published "Framework for the Future" the first-ever national strategy for public libraries. It identified three areas where libraries have great potential to go beyond their traditional roles: the promotion of reading and informal learning; access to digital skills and services including e-government; and measures to tackle social exclusion, build community identity and develop citizenship. "Framework" is intended to encourage public library services fit for the needs of 21st century users. This strategy is being delivered through MLA and its partners.
In 2002 DCMS commissioned MLA to set up an Archives Task Force which would carry out an in-depth analysis of the sector and propose a strategy for making archives better understood, better looked after and better used. The report of the Archives Task Force, "Listening to the Past, Speaking to the Future", was published by MLA in March 2004. The report makes a number of proposals, including a major new initiative to help more people access archives more easily, a greater role for archives in education, and a programme to modernise public sector archives and develop skills and expertise. DCMS will work with MLA and other partners to take forward the Task Force's proposals.
DCMS is also active in taking steps to preserve and protect archives at risk and works to secure collections of archival importance through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.
Sport Funding (Liverpool, Walton)
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding has been spent on sport in Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997. [166977]
Mr. Caborn: The amount of exchequer and lottery funding spent on sport in Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997 is set out in this table:
| Year | Exchequer(14) | Lottery |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 10,625 | |
| 1998–99 | 31,625 | 1,797,913 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,527 | |
| 2000–01 | 276,990 | |
| 2001–02 | 10,000 | 4,125 |
| 2002–03 | 486,499 | |
| 2003–04 | 28,826 | |
| 2004–05(15) | 4,600 |
(14) Figures provided for exchequer funding are not broken down by constituency (e.g. grants given to Liverpool city council).
(15) Figures for 2004–05 correct as of 21 April.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Higher Education (Specialist Courses)
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the provision of specialist courses in universities and colleges. [167589]
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Alan Johnson: The provision of courses of higher education, specialist or otherwise, is a matter for individual institutions to decide.
Higher education today is a much larger and more diverse business than in the past. Institutions now compete in a global marketplace where the needs and demands of customers and stakeholders are growing in both range and complexity.
Institutions now have to be ever more flexible in their response to meeting these diverse needs and demands and this is reflected in the content and style of courses offered. A good example of this is the increasing number of specialist foundation degrees being developed with the help of employers and which are often delivered in FE colleges.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure the maintenance of textile teaching and research at the University of Manchester; and if he will make a statement. [167592]
Alan Johnson: As independent organisations, higher education institutions themselves determine what programmes and courses they offer. Similarly, they have the academic freedom to choose in which subjects they wish to focus their research.
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