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17 Nov 2004 : Column 1542W—continued
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
Equal Pay
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women what representations she has received from women's organisations on equal pay for equal work. [197078]
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Ms Hewitt: I host regular meetings with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Women's Committee, at which the subject of equal pay is discussed. Recently, I announced the funding by the Government of the Equal Pay Panel of Experts, developed by the TUC, which will give free advice/guidance sessions to organisations looking to investigate or undertake an equal pay review in partnership with unions
We are working with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), Opportunity Now, trade unions and employers to meet our target of 45 per cent. of organisations having conducted equal pay reviews by 2008. Recently, I announced the Government's Plan to tackle occupational segregation, which grew out of the EOC's timely investigation into occupational segregation, one of the causes of the gender pay gap
WALES
Departmental IT
Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what plans are in place to raise this level. [195663]
Mr. Touhig: There is minimal use of Open Source Software (OSS) within the Wales Office.
There are no immediate plans to increase usage of OSS in the Wales Office at present.
Our future use of open source software will follow the Government's open source software policy published on 28 October 2004. The draft policy document is available to view at www.govtalk.gov.uk
Departmental Staff
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of the staff in his Department in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 were people with disabilities. [196124]
Mr. Touhig: The figures are as follows:
Health Services
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly regarding the delivery of health services in rural areas in Wales. [197077]
Mr. Touhig: The National Assembly has responsibility for managing the National Health Service across Wales. At a local level, Local Health Boards (LHBs) are responsible for commissioning health services based on the needs of the people who live in their area, including rural communities. Powys LHB has the largest rural area and also provides community services to its population.
I regularly meet the National Assembly's Health Minister to discuss the provision of healthcare in Wales, including services provided in rural areas.
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Mobile Phones
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was. [191439]
Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office was established from 1 July 1999, and information before April 2000 would only be available at disproportionate cost.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer previously given to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight) on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 323W. The total cost of providing mobile phones in 2003–04 was £7,259. This includes the costs of rental and calls. Records indicate that only one handset was reported lost and there was no cost.
Quangos
Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with his Welsh Assembly colleagues on the role of quangos in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [197813]
Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Assembly Ministers on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including the work of the various assembly sponsored public bodies.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Departmental Archaeologists
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many professional archaeologists are employed (a) directly in her Department and (b) in agencies for which her Department is responsible. [198847]
Mr. Caborn: The Department does not directly employ any archaeologists. Our statutory advisers on archaeological matters are English Heritage, and they employ a total of 306 archaeologists.
Free TV Licences
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners in Newcastle-under-Lyme receive a free television licence. [198686]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
The information on the numbers of households in receipt of free TV licences is not available by constituency. The number of households with at least
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one resident aged 75 or over in the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency in each year since 2002–03 is in the table. Each of these households would therefore be eligible for a free TV licence. Household information relating to earlier years is not available.
| Households with someone aged 75 or over | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 5,565 |
| 2003–04 | 5,640 |
Notes:
1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
2. Winter fuel payment data 2002–03 and 2003–04.
3. Any residence found to have four or more occupants aged 60 and over is not included in the household figures as it is assumed to be RCNH (Residential Care/Nursing Home).
4. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample.
Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households are in receipt of a free television licence in the Wansbeck constituency. [198694]
Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
The information on the numbers of households in receipt of free television licences is not available by constituency. The number of households with at least one resident aged 75 or over in the Wansbeck constituency is 5,265. Each of these households would therefore be eligible for a free TV licence.
3. Any residence found to have four or more occupants aged 60 and over is not included in the household figures as it is assumed to be RCNH (Residential Care/Nursing Home).
4. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Lottery Funding
Mr. Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the contribution of the National Lottery to reducing poverty in deprived areas of the UK. [198671]
Estelle Morris: Since its launch in November 1994 the National Lottery has raised more than £16 billion for the good causes, with over 180,000 projects benefiting from awards across the UK. Although it can be difficult to determine precisely the extent of their contribution to reducing poverty, a significant number of Lottery-funded projects have helped to regenerate inner cities, create employment and strengthen communities.
This is supported by the conclusions of an independent report commissioned by Camelot and published in November 2004 by the Henley Centre. It concluded that there was "consistent and clear evidence" of improved economic and/or social outcomes; and that "the vast majority of awards are inclusive in their effort". Henley Centre comments that
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this trend has become marked since 1998, when Lottery distributing bodies were required to address more strongly social and regional projects.
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