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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

School Sport

12. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to promote sport in schools; and if she will make a statement. [194577]

Mr. Caborn: The Government is investing over £1 billion in England to transform school sport. This is delivering an ambitious Public Service Agreement target to increase the percentage of 5–16 year olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport to 75 per cent. by 2006 and to 85 per cent. by 2008.

Gambling Bill

13. Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received regarding grandfather rights for certain gambling operators in the Gambling Bill. [194578]

Mr. Caborn: All sectors of the industry have sought assurances that gambling which is now permitted under the current law will continue to be permitted under the Bill. Where we are satisfied that this reassurance can be provided without compromising necessary protections for children and the vulnerable we have provided it; and Schedule 15 of the Bill makes provision for this. But in other cases we have made it clear that protection in the public interest must take priority.

15. Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect on the number of people with gambling problems of the provisions of the Gambling Bill. [194581]

Mr. Caborn: We are providing in the Gambling Bill a comprehensive package of new protections for children and the vulnerable which are designed to ensure that problem gambling does not increase. We shall, however, keep the position under close and continuing review, and will not hesitate to make use of the powers in the Bill to adjust the balance of regulation should the need arise. Without the Bill it is very likely that problem gambling in Britain will increase, as those concerned with prevention and treatment have recognised.

Regional Opera Companies

14. Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to increase the support given to regional opera companies. [194579]

Estelle Morris: Arts Council England investment in regional opera will increase by almost £1 million next year, bringing funding to over £17 million.

This increasing level of support for regional opera funds the equivalent of 57 touring weeks every year, bringing high quality opera to every region.

A further £500,000 has been allocated to smaller scale touring opera, producing an additional 124 performances in 89 venues across the country.
 
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British Grand Prix

16. Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations her Department has made regarding the future of the British grand prix. [194582]

Mr. Caborn: While we support and desire a British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Government's role has been one of dialogue and facilitation. The current commercial negotiations between the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) and Formula One Management (FOM) to reach an agreement to secure the British Grand Prix on the 2005 Formula 1 Calendar are a matter for them. However, where appropriate, Derek Mapp, Chair of the East Midlands Development Agency and I have done everything we can to help bring the parties together to broker a suitable outcome.

National Guild of Jesters

17. Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the National Guild of Jesters. [194583]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had discussions with the National Guild of Jesters. The Minister for Media and Heritage has recently written to the hon. Member for Salisbury about the concerns of the National Guild with the recent appointment of a jester by English Heritage.

Olympic Games

19. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the impact will be on North Yorkshire of the Olympic bid for London 2012. [194585]

Mr. Caborn: Yorkshire Forward fully support the London bid for the 2012 Olympics. We and London 2012 will work with them and with RDAs throughout the country to ensure that North Yorkshire and the whole UK can benefit.

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the benefits to Romford of holding the 2012 Olympics in London. [192658]

Mr. Caborn: The London Development Agency have advised that potential benefits to Romford would include:

The opportunity to motivate young Romford schoolchildren to take up sport and get more active,

Romford residents will be just minutes by train from the biggest sporting and cultural event on earth,

The games will need the support of a huge variety of businesses,

And people in the local community will be free to access job opportunities in sectors such as tourism, construction, food and the media.

Organisations like the London Development Agency and the East London Business Alliance have recognized these opportunities and are fully supportive of the bid.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has made an assessment of the response of voluntary organisations in relation to the proposed London Olympics. [194171]

 
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Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has noted the response of voluntary organisations to the London Olympic bid. Some organisations have expressed concern at the potential impact of the proposed Olympic lottery games on income to the existing lottery good causes. There is, however, widespread support in the voluntary sector for the Olympic bid generally, because of the benefits the games would bring to the UK, including opportunities for volunteering.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for events in the proposed London Olympics to be held (a) in Scotland and (b) outside London. [194172]

Mr. Caborn: London 2012 is responsible for selecting the venues for the bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic games and their plans are for the Olympic football competition to be held in stadia across the country including Hampden Park, Glasgow. Sailing events will take place in Weymouth and Portland, the rowing events at Eton Dorney and mountain bike events in Brentwood.

Key agencies in Scotland and throughout the UK have been meeting to co-ordinate arrangements and to agree how best to maximise the benefits that can be derived from a London Olympics.

In addition the Cultural Olympiad will take place across the UK over the four years up to and including 2012 and the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay is likely to involve every major city and town throughout the UK over several months.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her most recent assessment is of the cost to public funds of the proposed London Olympics in 2012; and if she will make a statement. [194207]

Mr. Caborn: As set out in the Command Paper 5867, laid before the House in June 2003, provision has been made for a public sector funding package of up to £2.375 billion to fund Olympic costs.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Sportscotland will be contributing funding for the proposed Olympic games in London in 2012. [194208]

Mr. Caborn: In the event of a successful London bid, the sports lottery distributors, including Sportscotland, will contribute a total of £340 million to the overall lottery funding package of up to £1.5 billion. This money will be used to fund elite sport and associated sports infrastructure development. Sport England has already committed £40 million towards the development of an aquatics centre in the Olympic Park. Exactly how the remaining £300 million expenditure will be allocated is a matter for the sports lottery distributors. They are now collectively considering how best to contribute to this element of the lottery funding package in order to maximise Olympic opportunities for elite sport and on-going community legacies. Any expenditure by Sportscotland as part of its contribution
 
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will be entirely for the benefit of Scotland, for investment in its elite athletes and associated sports infrastructure.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her latest estimate is of the proportion of funding for the proposed London Olympics which will come from the national lottery. [194211]

Mr. Caborn: As set out in paragraph 12 of the Command Paper 5867, laid before the House in June 2003, the expectation is that public funding for Olympic staging will be met in the ratio 11:24, where 11 is the Olympic precept in London, and where 24 is grants by the national lottery. Additionally, as set out in paragraph 11 of the Command Paper, up to £300 million from the sports lottery distributors will be used to fund elite sport and associated sports infrastructure development. A substantial proportion of the overall costs will be met by Olympic revenues or by the private sector.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the allocated spending for the 2012 Olympics will be used on (a) construction costs and (b) promotional costs. [191901]

Mr. Caborn: We are in the process of finalising the budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in 2012 should we be successful in our bid. However, the current intention, which is unlikely to change significantly, is that the bulk of the expenditure will go on the construction of venues, provision of transport facilities and the various operational costs associated with staging the games, and that the promotional costs will only be a small proportion of the total.

Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether Point 17 of the Olympic Funding: Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London
 
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requires council tax payers in London to fund any overspend associated with the proposed London 2012 Olympics; [194016]

(2) whether the Olympic Funding: Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London requires the Government to fund any cost overspend associated with the proposed Olympics in London in 2012. [194017]

Mr. Caborn: The robust and business-like approach to planning and financial controls on the part of the Olympic Stakeholders is designed to prevent such overspend. As the memorandum of understanding, laid before Parliament as Command Paper 5867, states in paragraph 17, in the event of any overspend the Government will be the ultimate guarantor. We further reported this to Parliament in a departmental minute dated 2 December 2003. As the memorandum goes on to say, the Government expects to discharge that responsibility (should it arise) in a sharing agreement to be agreed as appropriate with the Mayor of London and through seeking additional national lottery funding in amounts to be agreed at the time. At this stage however, no such specific sharing arrangements exist. Whatever the arrangements which might apply, levels of any London council tax precept would be a matter for the Mayor of London.

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