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20 Dec 2004 : Column 1458W—continued
IT (Disciplinary Procedures)
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department have (a) received official warnings and (b) faced disciplinary procedures following breaches of IT policy in each year since 1997. [205816]
Mr. Caborn: DCMS has had 11 cases of computer misuse in the last five years, all occurring in one year, 1999.
Licensed Premises
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proposed change in fees payable by licensed premises consequent upon the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003. [205742]
Mr. Caborn: On 4 November we began a consultation on the fee levels payable under the Licensing Act 2003. A copy of the consultation document is available at www.culture.gov.uk and a copy has also been placed in the House Libraries. This document shows the details of the fees currently payable under existing licensing regimes and the proposed fees under the 2003 Act. Fees payable for individual licensed premises under the 2003 Act may be higher or lower depending on their Non Domestic Rateable Value. The Government's policy is that licensing fees must be set at a level that allows full recovery of the administration, inspection and enforcement costs falling on licensing authorities.
Ministerial Meetings
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list her official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans she has to establish a public register of such information. [202406]
Mr. Caborn: Ministers meet many individuals and organisations and attend many functions relating to Government business, and as part of the process of policy development. To provide the detailed information requested would incur disproportionate cost. The daily on the record briefing by the Prime Minister's official spokesman regularly provides details of Ministers' public engagements.
Motor Racing
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance the Government has provided to Formula One racing in each year since 1997; and what the planned level of assistance is for each year up to 2006. [205052]
Mr. Caborn: The Government have provided no financial assistance to the British Grand Prix since 1997. Nor does it plan to do so in the future.
Senior Women
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many women there are in senior positions in her Department. [205560]
Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has 30 senior civil servants, of which 10 (33 per cent.) are women.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will list the attributable
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interviews that her Department's special advisers gave to (a) newspapers, (b) journals, (c) books and (d) other media in their official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004; [201400]
(2) if she will list the attributable (a) articles and (b) contributions that her Department's special advisers made to (i) newspapers, (ii) journals, (iii) books and (iv) other media in their official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004. [201461]
Mr. Caborn: All special advisers' contacts with the media are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Special Advisers.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether departmental special advisers have made appearances before parliamentary Select Committees in their official capacity since May 1997. [204304]
Mr. Caborn: No DCMS special advisers have appeared before parliamentary Select Committees in their official capacity.
Taskforces
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on task forces and similar bodies in each year since 1997. [204875]
Mr. Caborn: Expenditure on taskforces and similar bodies since 1997, for which records are readily available, is as follows (figures have been rounded to the nearest £1,000):
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 52,000 |
| 2001–02 | 36,000 |
| 2002–03 | — |
| 2003–04 | 8,000 |
| 2004–05 | 80,000 |
This expenditure is not separately identifiable in the Department's accounts.
The are a number of smaller bodies which would have been included in the answer, except that their costs were borne by the Department's central administration budgets, and could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost.
Telephone Useage
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many non-geographic 0870
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telephone numbers are in use by her Department; and what services can be accessed by calling each of them. [205840]
Mr. Caborn: The Department does not operate any non-geographic 0870 numbers.
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much revenue her Department has received from the use of non-geographic 0870 telephone numbers for the period 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2004. [205850]
Mr. Caborn: The Department has received no revenue from the use of non-geographic 0870 numbers.
VisitBritain
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will make a statement on her strategy for meeting the National Audit Office recommendations made in its recent report on VisitBritain on (a) long-term returns, (b) measuring and reporting return on investment, (c) ensuring good communication through VisitBritain with the tourism sector and (d) ensuring that the tourism industry gives feedback to VisitBritain; [204655]
(2) if she will make a statement on her strategy for meeting the National Audit Office recommendations made in its recent report on VisitBritain on ensuring there is clarity of roles and responsibilities among organisations within the tourism industry. [204656]
Mr. Caborn: The Department and VisitBritain are presently considering how best to implement the recommendations contained in the National Audit Office's report, VisitBritain: Bringing Visitors to Britain. In particular:
(a) VisitBritain was already reviewing its evaluation of both short and long-term returns prior to the publication of the report, and is now in the process of investigating a number of options for improving the evaluation of its longer term activities in new and emerging markets, and of its efforts to establish the Britain brand.
(b) In measuring and reporting on return on investment, VisitBritain currently uses a ratio which compares levels of DCMS grant in aid to the additional visitor spending generated. ViistBritain plans to improve this methodology to include all its income sources, both public and private. Other technical changes in the weighting formulae used are also planned.
(c) and (d) VisitBritain is considering how best to respond to the recommendations on communication and industry feedback, by means of initiatives such as Sector Clubs and other partnership projects with the industry and the wider sector. Detailed implementation proposals will be reviewed with the National Audit Office in March 2005.
Those implementation proposals will also address the office's recommendation concerning VisitBritain's role and responsibilities in relation to those of other publicly funded tourism bodies.
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