---

17 Jan 2005 : Column 717W—continued

Tax Credits

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in the Leyton and Wanstead constituency who have benefited from tax credits; and if he will break that estimate down by (a) category of tax credit and (b) average amount received in each category. [208772]

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the number of in-work families receiving tax credits in each constituency (broken down by families with and without children) appear in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses. January 2004." This can be found on the Inland Revenue website at
 
17 Jan 2005 : Column 718W
 
www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm. The estimates are based on a sample of cases, and are subject to sampling uncertainty.

Information on the average value of tax credit awards is not currently available.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Veterans Reunited

14. Mr. Bailey : To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the promotion of lottery funding for Veterans Reunited activity. [208462]

Estelle Morris: Under the Big Lottery Fund's Veterans Reunited initiative, £27.3 million of Lottery money is being made available to ensure that all generations of UK residents can commemorate the momentous events that led to the end of the Second World War. Over £17.2 million has already been awarded and grants will continue to be made until the end of 2005. The initiative has been actively promoted, receiving wide press and media coverage.

Regional Programming

16. Linda Gilroy : To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to ensure that regional programmes are well represented in independent television schedules. [208464]

Tessa Jowell: The Government remain committed to retaining a strong regional dimension to public service broadcasting and this is reflected in the provisions of the Communications Act 2003.

It is for the regulator, Ofcom, to determine how the statutory obligations are best met.

Public Service Broadcasting

17. Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her policy towards public service broadcasting. [208465]

Tessa Jowell: This Government remains committed to Public Service Broadcasting, delivered by a plurality of broadcasters.

Ofcom is currently reviewing Public Service Television Broadcasting with the aim of maintaining and strengthening its quality, as required under the Communications Act. This review will make an important contribution to the debate about the future of Public Service Broadcasting and I look forward to the publication of Ofcom's final conclusions.

Tourism

18. Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for tourism. [208466]

 
17 Jan 2005 : Column 719W
 

Mr. Caborn: I am pleased to announce that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has decided to increase VisitBritain's grant in aid funding by a total of £2 million over the period from 2005–06 to 2007–08. This is a good settlement for VisitBritain and demonstrates the Government's commitment to the wider tourism sector, which received an estimated total of £285 million in public funding across the United Kingdom in 2003–04.

Heritage Funding

19. Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sportwhat recent meetings her Department has had with English Heritage to discuss funding for heritage. [208467]

Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met English Heritage's Chairman on 6 December 2004 to discuss funding for heritage. The Minister for Media and Heritage and DCMS officials also have regular meetings with English Heritage to discuss funding issues.

National Lottery

20. Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether it is her policy to maintain the principle of additionality in the allocation of national lottery money to good causes. [208468]

Estelle Morris: This Government remain committed to the principle of additionality—that lottery money should add to, and not substitute for, services already provided by the Government.

BBC

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action she will take to meet considerations of taste and decency in the context of BBC charter renewal. [208460]

Estelle Morris: As I said in my earlier reply to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous), all aspects of the BBC's organisation, operation, funding and Governance are being considered as part of the on-going BBC Charter Review, and the mechanisms for securing appropriate programme standards come within the scope of that Review.

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with regulatory bodies regarding the screening on terrestrial television of allegedly blasphemous material. [208421]

Estelle Morris: None. Responsibility for what is broadcast on television and radio rests with the broadcasters and the organisations which regulate broadcasting—the Office of Communications (OFCOM), the Governors of the BBC and the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C). They are independent of the Government and responsible for safeguarding the public interest in broadcasting in accordance with the duties laid upon them. They set the detailed rules and guidance with which broadcasters must comply. It is a long-standing principle that the Government does not interfere in editorial matters, either in relation to scheduling or content.
 
17 Jan 2005 : Column 720W
 

Church Building Grants

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consultations she has had with church authorities about the effect on Heritage Lottery grants to church buildings of relevant provisions in the National Lottery Bill; and if she will make a statement. [207912]

Estelle Morris: We have had no consultation with church authorities about the National Lottery Bill, but have received written representations from a number of Diocesan Advisory Committees, and others, concerning how clauses 7 and 8 of the Bill may affect Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grants to church buildings. We have been in close contact with HLF to address their concerns and have made assurances both to them and the correspondents that there is no question whatsoever of reallocating balances in the National Lottery Distribution Fund in a way that would endanger the commitments made to existing heritage projects. We have also made clear that, if Parliament approves these powers, we would ensure that any money reallocated would still go to heritage projects but would be allocated to a different distributor. We will set out the Government's position more fully when the Bill is considered by the House.

Digital Broadcasting

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the coverage is in England for digital television provided by the BBC. [208463]

Tessa Jowell: The vast majority of households in England can, with the appropriate equipment, receive the BBC digital services via either digital satellite, digital terrestrial or cable. However at least 20 per cent. of households cannot currently receive the BBC services via digital terrestrial television; this figure cannot be increased before switchover.

Film Distribution

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to encourage greater competition in the UK film distribution industry; and if she will make a statement. [208311]

Estelle Morris: The Government aim, through the UK Film Council (UKFC), to promote the availability of the widest possible variety of films to the widest possible audience. The UKFC's initiatives in this area do not directly address the issue of competition in the market place, but do account for it within the broader objective of improving variety and accessibility. The £2 million available annually through the Prints and Advertising Fund is designed, for example, to encourage film distributors to acquire more specialised films and to release them more widely. The UK Film Council is separately in constant dialogue with both individual distributors and relevant trade organisations to ensure that any structural or competition issues are dealt with appropriately.

---