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Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the unemployment levels for the Lagan Valley constituency were in each year since 1997. [202747]
Mr. Gardiner: Claimant count unemployment numbers and rates for the Lagan Valley Parliamentary Constituency Area (PCA) for the month of October of each year from 1997 to 2004 are as follows.
October each year | Number unemployed | Rate |
---|---|---|
1997 | 1,914 | 3.1 |
1998 | 1,787 | 2.9 |
1999 | 1,333 | 2.1 |
2000 | 1,122 | 1.8 |
2001 | 1,122 | 1.8 |
2002 | 1,020 | 1.6 |
2003 | 982 | 1.5 |
2004 | 878 | 1.4 |
10. Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects her Department to respond to the report "Getting serious about play" by the committee chaired by the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Mr. Dobson). [201766]
Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will write to the right hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras shortly setting out her response to his review.
11. Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has met the England and Wales Cricket Board to discuss future matches in Zimbabwe. [201767]
Mr. Caborn:
Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I has met the ECB to discuss future matches in Zimbabwe and we have no plans to do so in the near future. As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 6 May, at a joint press
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conference with David Morgan, Chairman of the ECB, and myself: "It is appropriate for the Government to express a view about issues of this kind. We would have preferred the tour to be postponed until the situation in Zimbabwe improves. But it is right that in our system it is for sporting authorities to make the decisions in cases such as this".
14. Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with Ofcom regarding ITV's regional television commitments. [201770]
Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon Member for Selby (Mr. Grogan) regarding regional commitments.
15. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution grants from Lottery distributors have made to combating social exclusion in Glasgow. [201771]
Estelle Morris: Lottery distributors are required to take into account the need to reduce economic and social deprivation in making awards.
It can be difficult to determine precisely the extent of their contribution to reducing social exclusion but a significant number of Lottery-funded projects have helped to regenerate inner cities, create employment and strengthen communities. Glasgow, Maryhill has received over 300 awards totalling over £46,000,000 from the Lottery.
20. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the areas of the country that have received the lowest Lottery funding. [201776]
Estelle Morris: The Government want to see all areas of the country and all sections of the population benefiting from the huge success of the National Lottery.
We consulted widely on the Lottery and our reforms will provide a more streamlined and transparent application process for applicants, so that more communities can benefit.
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the use of National Lottery grants in combating social exclusion in Lancashire and the north-west. [201769]
Estelle Morris: Lottery distributors are required to take into account the need to reduce economic and social deprivation in making awards.
It can be difficult to determine precisely the extent of their contribution to reducing social exclusion but a significant number of Lottery-funded projects have helped to regenerate inner cities, create employment and strengthen communities. Burnley has received over 200 awards totalling over £12,000,000 from the Lottery.
6 Dec 2004 : Column 333W
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on lottery tickets in Pendle constituency in the latest 12-month period for which figures are available; and what the total for lottery awards in Pendle was during the same period. [201711]
Estelle Morris: The National Lottery operator, Camelot, do not collect ticket sales information on a constituency basis and do not routinely collect ticket sales on a postcode basis. They have however been able to provide an updated table detailing sales by postcode area since the lottery began. I am arranging for copies of the updated table to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. In 200304 there were 26 awards in Pendle to a total value of £998,482.
17. Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has given to English Heritage on the advice it gives to those responsible for bringing town and village halls into compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [201773]
Estelle Morris: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has not issued formal guidance to English Heritage (EH) in relation to implementation of the DDA 1995 to historic properties. EH is the statutory advisor on all aspects of the historic environment. They are fully responsible for assisting owners and occupiers of historic buildings and sites in complying with the requirements of the 1995 Act.
18. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account she will take during BBC charter renewal of the services provided by the BBC to the nations and regions of the UK. [201774]
Tessa Jowell: The BBC's services to the nations, regions and communities of the UK are central to Charter Reviewindeed my independent adviser, Lord Burns, recently hosted a public seminar on exactly this subject. Full transcripts and video are available from the Charter Review website.
19. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on her Department's target on activity for children. [201775]
Estelle Morris:
We share with the Department for Education and Skills a Public Service Agreement target to increase the percentage of school children spending a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. A survey of over 6,000 schools in school sport partnerships, published this April, showed that we are making good progress with over 62 per cent. of pupils taking up two hours.
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James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the progress made by Creative Partnerships towards the Government's plans to offer a universal cultural entitlement to all children and young people. [199733]
Estelle Morris: The aim of Creative Partnerships is to give children and young people, particularly those living in disadvantaged areas, access to rich and diverse cultural experiences through working directly with artists and other creative professionals. 25 Creative Partnerships have been established so far, with a further 11 due to begin in September 2005. By this time coverage will have extended to 65 local education authority areas. Creative Partnerships is already having a significant impact. By November 2004, there had been over 217,000 attendances by young people at more than 2,500 projects, and the programme had also provided over 141,000 hours of professional development to teachers and creative professionals.
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