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7 Feb 2005 : Column 1301W—continued
Lyons Review
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Lyons review. [213471]
Mr. Boateng: I have been asked to reply.
As reported in the pre-Budget report in December 2004, around 4,000 posts will have been relocated out of London and the South East by the end of 2004–05. Further progress will be announced in Budget 2005.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
BBC
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role she will play in the sale of BBC Broadcast. [211912]
Estelle Morris: Any sale of BBC Broadcast will require the approval of the Secretary of State by virtue of a condition attached when its incorporation was approved in 2002. No application for such approval has been made.
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether competent companies will be allowed access to BBC Broadcast's essential financial information in order to determine whether to make a bid for the company; and if she will make a statement. [211913]
Estelle Morris: I understand that the BBC plan to begin the formal sale process with a public advertisement by early March and will make increasing levels of commercial and financial information available to bidders as the sale process progresses.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the Green Paper on the BBC Charter renewal; and if she will make a statement. [213246]
Tessa Jowell: The BBC Charter Review Green Paper will be published shortly.
Departmental Catering
Mr. George Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many departmental
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(a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997. [213624]
Mr. Caborn: The provision of canteen facilities, in the one staff canteen in the Department, is outsourced. Until 2001 the Department did not offer staff canteen facilities. As a new venture with no trading record the contract was an outsourced 'cost plus' contract costing as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | (26)104,432 |
| 2002–03 | 91,340 |
| 2003–04 | 67,431 |
(26)Including set-up costs.
A new contractor won the contract as from October 2004 on a fixed price basis, the annual cost of the new contract should not exceed £53,000.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Department spent on lawyers in each year since 1997; how many (a) actions, (b) settlements and (c) court cases there were in each year; and what the costs were of each settlement. [206461]
Mr. Caborn: The Department incurred the following costs in relation to actual or potential litigation each financial year since 1997.
The column headed Total cost" shows the total annual cost to the Department of legal services relating to litigation in courts and tribunals (including services which did not result in the issue of proceedings).
The Treasury Solicitor's Department's charges for services relating to litigation (which form by far the greatest part of the annual total) include the cost of (a) litigation lawyers (including solicitors and counsel) and other staff, (b) services and disbursements not attributable to the cost of lawyers (such as court fees) and (c) for the years up to 2001–02, costs and damages paid to other parties in litigation by the Department. After 2001–02, costs and damages paid to other parties in litigation come out of the Department's Treasury Solicitor's budget and such information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost
The column headed Number of files worked on by the Treasury Solicitor's Department" shows the number of files" worked on by the Treasury Solicitor's
7 Feb 2005 : Column 1303W
Department in each year. On receipt of instructions from the Department, a file" is opened by the Treasury Solicitor's Department to provide a reference for billing purposes. Such a file" will usually correspond with a court case (or action), but this is not always so. For example, a number of cases may be dealt with under one file" reference; or there may be a file" for a claim which is resolved before the issue of court proceedings. Many of the files" will have been worked on in more than one year. If so, the file" is included in each of the relevant years.
A breakdown of this information to give details of the number of cases, how many of these were settled or proceeded to a full hearing, and the legal costs of each case on an annual basis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department's own lawyers assist in the conduct of litigation on behalf of the Department but the costs to the Department of their services are not included in this answer because it is not possible to separate these costs from the total costs of the services they provide.
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department in each year since 1997. [213641]
Mr. Caborn: The figures for DCMS expenditure on in-house magazines in the years since 1997 are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | 10,770.85 |
| 2003–04 | 10,231.26 |
| 2004–05 | (27)4,851.58 |
(27)To date
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on (a) provision of parking spaces for civil servants and (b) parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997. [213802]
Mr. Caborn: Nine parking spaces are available and included in the lease cost of two of the Department's buildings. One additional space is provided at a third building at a cost of £2,500 per annum. Parking tickets and penalties are the responsibility of the individual concerned.
Digital Television
Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to ensure that people living in multiple dwelling units have access to digital television after switchover. [214547]
Estelle Morris:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Mr. Wyatt) on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 784W.
7 Feb 2005 : Column 1304W
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that digital television reception will be available to occupants of multiple dwelling units via (a) satellite and (b) digital terrestrial television through communal aerial systems; and if she will make a statement. [214191]
Estelle Morris: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Mr. Wyatt) on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 784W.
Fixed Odds Betting Terminals
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when she received a copy of the Association of British Bookmakers report on fixed odds betting terminals; and what assessment her Department has made of its findings; [214186]
(2) what conclusions her Department has reached on the impact of high stake slot machines, with particular reference to fixed odds betting terminals, on problem gambling; [214187]
(3) what assessment she has made of evidence from Gamcare on the effect of fixed odds betting terminals on the Gamcare helpline for problem gamblers; and whether she is re-examining the voluntary code drawn up with bookmakers in the light of that evidence. [214188]
Mr. Caborn: The research commissioned by Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) was shared with Government in November 2004. I sent a summary of the report to all members of Standing Committee B on the Gambling Bill on 6 January 2005.
DCMS has commissioned a peer review of the ABB's research and will make the results of this review available shortly.
No policy decisions will be made on the basis of a single piece of research.
High stake slot machines, including FOBTs, remain on probation and we will continue to adopt a cautious approach. Government will not hesitate to act should there be sound evidence of harm.
I understand that Gamcare is in the process of compiling its Care Services report, which will include information on helpline calls regarding fixed odds betting terminals. I await the publication of this report with interest.
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