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17 Jun 2004 : Column 1103W—continued
Whaling
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Icelandic Government regarding its recent decision to re-start the hunting of minke whales. [177963]
Mr. Bradshaw: The UK strongly supports the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling and deeply regrets the decision of Iceland to continue 'scientific' whaling this year. Following last years UK-led demarche of 23 countries criticising Iceland's return to whaling, I will be contacting the Icelandic Government again urging them to reconsider their unnecessary and unjustified decision.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information the UK will submit to the International Whaling Commission meeting in Sorrento in connection with (a) the Southern Ocean Sanctuary review and (b) the Conservation Committee. [178677]
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Mr. Bradshaw: The head of the UK's delegation to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee has been actively involved in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary review process, and will submit scientific evidence to support the continuation of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary at the IWC meeting in Sorrento.
The UK was instrumental in establishing the Conservation Committee at last years IWC meeting in Berlin and we are keen to see it succeed. At this stage an agenda has yet to be agreed, but the UK will play an active part in the Committee and will provide information as and when required.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Inner-city Ring Road
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for the inner-city ring road in Belfast. [162699]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Executive of the Roads Service has written to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Circuit of Ireland Rally
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Government intends to provide financial assistance for the Circuit of Ireland Rally. [178537]
Angela Smith: It is too soon to say if funding will be made available for the 2005 Circuit of Ireland Rally. Neither the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) nor the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) have received an application for the 2005 Rally but should such applications be made these would be considered in the normal way. In 2003 the total amount provided from the NIEC and NITB was £76,500 and in 2004 the NIEC provided £38,250.
Columba Initiative
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) annual and (b) other reports have been published in respect of the Columba initiative. [176889]
Angela Smith: The Columba initiative registered as a company limited by guarantee in April 2002. We expect its first Annual Report (including accounts) to be published imminently. This report will cover the period up to 2003. The Annual Report and Accounts will be placed in the Library once we have received them.
Cultural Venues
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public money in capital terms has been allocated for cultural venues (a) in Belfast and (b) outside Belfast in each of the last five years. [178549]
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Angela Smith: Capital grants to cultural venues (defined as arts venues, registered museums and public libraries) were as follows in each of the last five years:
| Financial year | Belfast | Outside Belfast |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 404,500 | 1,460,597 |
| 2000–01 | 200,100 | 2,262,766 |
| 2001–02 | 573,100 | 1,329,340 |
| 2002–03 | 1,854,000 | 2,905,889 |
| 2003–04 | 470,002 | 3,478,720 |
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been allocated for cultural venues in Belfast in the current financial year, broken down by venue. [178551]
Angela Smith: A total of £14,003,400 has been allocated for cultural venues (defined as arts venues, registered museums and public libraries) in Belfast in the current financial year, broken down as follows:
| Venue | Allocation (£) |
|---|---|
| Belfast Exposed Photography | 30,000 |
| Crescent Arts Centre | 120,000 |
| Culturlann McAdam O Fiaich | 140,000 |
| Fendersky Gallery | 5,000 |
| Golden Thread Gallery | 15,000 |
| Grand Opera House | 458,400 |
| Lyric Players' Theatre | 535,000 |
| Old Museum Arts Centre | 205,000 |
| Ormeau Baths Gallery | 250,000 |
| Total | 1,758,400 |
| Venue | Allocation (£) |
|---|---|
| Ulster Museum | 6,153,500 |
| Total | 6,153,000 |
£6,092,000 has been allocated to the Belfast Education and Library Board for the public library service. It is not possible to give a breakdown of this allocation by venue.
Demilitarisation
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the demilitarisation measures that have been taken in the past year. [178683]
Mr. Pearson: The information requested is as follows:
Cloghoge Tower, South Armagh (R14)—demolished
Tievecrum Tower, South Armagh (R23)—demolished
Ebrington Army Base, Londonderry—closed
Clooney Army Base, Londonderry—closed
Troops withdrawn from PSNI Stations—Aughnacloy, County Armagh, Belleek and Belcoo, County Fermanagh
Emergency Planning
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on emergency planning arrangements in the event of an attack linked to international terrorism. [179117]
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Mr. Pearson: The Government are committed to the fight against terrorism, whatever its origin. Since the terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001, the Government and their partners have been completely overhauling arrangements to protect the UK, working both to help prevent terrorist attacks wherever possible, and to minimise the impact of an attack. Northern Ireland is fully involved in that programme where appropriate.
HMS Caroline
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the costs involved in retaining HMS Caroline in Belfast as a visitor attraction at the Museum of Sky and Sea. [178698]
Angela Smith: My hon. Friend the Minister for Veterans (Mr. Caplin), confirmed in a written answer to the hon. Lady on 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 810W, that the Ministry of Defence has no plans at this time to decommission HMS Caroline. This being the case, there has been no consideration given to including the ship within any plans for a Museum of Sea and Sky and no assessment has been made of costs which may be involved.
Ice Hockey
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been allocated to promote the development of ice hockey in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years. [178527]
Angela Smith: The amount awarded by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland to promote the development of ice hockey in each of the past five years is as follows.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | (65)0 |
| 2000–01 | 3,000 |
| 2001–02 | 3,000 |
| 2002–03 | 1,150 |
| 2003–04 | (65)0 |
(65) No applications were received in 1999–2000 and 2003–04.
In addition the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) provided £7,000 towards the hosting the final of the Super league Challenge Cup in 2001.
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