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20 Dec 2004 : Column 1454W—continued

Civil Service Property

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items of civil service property within her Department are unaccounted for, broken down by type. [205570]

Mr. Caborn: All losses and thefts are reported annually to Her Majesty's Treasury. In the current year there have been no reports to date of any equipment or other property being unaccounted for.

Conferences

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many conferences were (a) attended by officials from her Department, (b) cancelled by and (c) facilitated by her Department in each year since 1997; and what the (i) cost to the Department and (ii) location was in each case. [205766]

Mr. Caborn: This information is not held centrally. To collect and analyse it would involve disproportionate costs.

County Hall

Mr. Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when County Hall, London, SE1 was last inspected by English Heritage; and whether English Heritage judged at the most recent inspection that the building was being properly preserved. [204675]

Mr. Caborn: English Heritage recently visited County Hall, London, SE1 on 15 December 2004. They consider the building to be in a sound, weather tight and secure condition.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on (a) new furniture and (b) hired furniture in each year since 1997. [205603]

Mr. Caborn: All furniture is purchased. Details of expenditure at this level is no longer available for the period 1997–2000.

The cost of furniture in subsequent years is as follows:
£
200142,526.19
200297,028.08
2003179,963.18
2004116,950.95

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on (a) indoor bought plants, (b) indoor hired plants, (c) outdoor bought plants and (d) outdoor hired plants in each year since 1997. [205623]

Mr. Caborn: Figures for the indoor plants for the years 1997 to 1999 are no longer available. The cost of hire and maintenance of indoor plants was £10,800 in 2000, £11,070 in 2001, £11,347 in 2002, £11,630 in 2003 and £11,921 in 2004. DCMS has no outdoor landscaping or plants.
 
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Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of refurbishments in her Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [205665]

Mr. Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Members for North-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Moss) and for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 15 July 2004, Official Report, column 1268, and 8 November 2004, Official Report, column 510 respectively. There are no plans for refurbishment in the 2005–06 financial year.

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on lighting in each year since 1997. [205746]

Mr. Caborn: The utility cost of lighting is inseparable from the cost of electricity. The only lighting units purchased have been part of suspended ceiling installations or task lighting. The cost of lighting as distinct from the total suspended ceiling cost is not available. The cost of purchasing task lighting has not exceeded £200 in any year since 1997.
 
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Electrical Equipment

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items of electrical equipment were used by her Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item. [205723]

Mr. Caborn: Every member of staff has the use of a personal computer, linked on a shared basis to desktop printers. Fax machines serve each sub-unit. Those aside, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Initiatives (Young People)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list each programme and initiative launched by her Department to help young people since 1997; and which of those programme initiatives remain in operation. [200263]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 29 November 2004]: The following table lists programmes and initiatives launched by the Department to help young people since 1997:
Programme/initiativeDate launchedStill in operation?
Education Challenge Fund (Museums and Galleries)1999No—ended in 2001
(time limited programme)
Free Admission to DCMS sponsored museums and galleries which previously charged1999Yes
Youth Music1999Yes
Your Creative Future Booklet and Website (DCMS in partnership with the Design Council and Arts Council England)2000Yes
Space For Sport And Arts2000Yes
Artsmark2001Yes
Step into Sport2002Yes
Club Links2002Yes
Get REAL2003Yes
Creative Partnerships2002Yes
PESSCL Strategy (DfES/DCMS)2002Yes
WebPlayUK2003Yes
Renaissance in the Regions (Education Strand, improving services for children and young people)2003Yes
DCMS/DfES Strategic Commissioning-National/Regional Museums Education Partnerships2003Yes
ArtisanCam2004Yes
Headline History2004Yes
Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme2004Yes
PAYP/Splash Extra1999–2002—Splash
2003—PAYP
No—Splash
Yes—PAYP
English Heritage (EH) programme whereby a young person can gain free admission if accompanied by an adult EH member2002Yes
Culture Online2002Yes

Disabilities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the staff employed by her Department have a declared disability. [205559]

Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport currently employs 12 people declaring a disability. Data on disability is collected on the basis of voluntary self-classification.

Ethnic Minorities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the extent to which her Department's policies meet the needs of ethnic minorities. [205558]

Mr. Caborn: DCMS has a Public Service Agreement (PSA) aimed at increasing the take up of cultural and sporting opportunities from priority groups (including ethnic minorities), which reflects the importance placed by this department on meeting the needs of this group. Prominent examples of work to meet the needs of ethnic minorities among the bodies we sponsor are the Museums' Association's Diversify project, which helps to persuade people from ethnic minority backgrounds to take up a career in museums and galleries, and the active encouragement of increased numbers of visitors from ethnic minorities by museums. Within the broadcasting sector we have encouraged the development of the Cultural Diversity Network, which aims to increase the entry of ethnic minority groups into the media.
 
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International Sports Bodies

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list international sports bodies based in the UK, broken down by location. [205927]

Mr. Caborn: The information requested is as follows:
LocationName of body
LondonInternational Cricket Council
International Tennis Federation
Commonwealth Games Federation
Federation Internationale de I'Automobile Foundation
Women's International Squash Players Association
CheltenhamInternational Badminton Federation
HastingsWorld Squash Federation
European Squash Federation
ManchesterInternational Federation of Netball Associations
AylesburyInternational Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation
BristolWorld Snooker
World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association
CardiffWorld Squash Players' Association
PerthWorld Curling Federation
EdinburghWorld Bowls
FifeRoyal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews

 
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Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list international sports bodies which have left the UK since 1997, broken down by year of departure. [205928]

Mr. Caborn: The information requested is as follows:
Year of
departure

Name of body

Details
1997International Rugby BoardRelocated from London to Dublin, Ireland.
2001International Table Tennis FederationRelocated from St. Leonard's-on-Sea to Lausanne, Switzerland.
2005International Badminton FederationHave made the decision to relocate from Cheltenham to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October 2005


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