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Obesity

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what plans the Government have to fight youth obesity through the further development of school sports; [216262]

(2) what steps her Department is taking to combat obesity through sport. [216278]

Mr. Caborn: Halting the growth in childhood obesity is one of our prime objectives. We have set a national target to halt, by 2010, the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole. This objective is shared jointly by my Department, Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills.

On Tuesday 14 December 2004, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Skills announced a further investment of £519 million from 2006–07 to 2007–08 for physical education and school sport.

The public service agreement target shared by the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will ensure
 
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that 75 per cent. of pupils by 2006 and 85 per cent. of pupils by 2008 should receive at least two hours each week of high quality PE and school sport.

By 2010, our ambition is for all children to be offered at least four hours of sport every week. This will comprise at least two hours of high quality PE and sport at school and, in addition, the opportunity for at least a further two to three hours beyond the school day, delivered by a range of school, community and club providers.

My Department is working in close collaboration with key agencies including Sport England, the Big Lottery Fund, local government and others to inspire people to get active. We have allocated £65.8 million of Exchequer funding to Sport England to help drive forward our agenda for increasing physical activity in 2005–06. In addition Sport England plans to invest £315 million, including £40 million of Exchequer funding in the development of 32 sports at all levels over the next four years.

This investment will enable us to help people to start and stay in sport, increasing and widening the base of participation for everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnic origin or disability; to create a dynamic network of clubs, coaches and volunteers thus creating a culture of lifelong participation, contributing to the wider public health agenda of tackling the problem of obesity in our society.

Parliamentary Questions

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2004, Official Report, column 166W on correspondence, when she will provide a substantive reply. [215033]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Media and Heritage has written to the hon. Gentleman today with further details on this decision, enclosing a copy of English Heritage's advice. The Department has now received English Heritage's advice. It advised that this telephone box does not meet the listing criteria. After careful consideration of the evidence and of this advice, the Secretary of State concurred with English Heritage and decided on 19 January not to add this building to the list. The listing applicant has been informed of this.

Playing Fields

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the sale of playing fields. [216275]

Mr. Caborn: The Government are committed to improving playing fields and protecting them wherever possible. The legislative changes we have introduced have dramatically reduced the number of sales of both school and community playing fields.

The Government will continue to explore ways in which the legislation can be tightened further so that even more playing fields can be protected.
 
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Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to enhance and protect playing fields in England. [216279]

Mr. Caborn: Since 1995 Sport England has funded the creation of more than 320 new sports pitches, and improvements to more than 520.

At the same time, the Government have dramatically reduced the overall number of sales of both school and community playing fields, by introducing legislative changes and improving checks to the planning system. These measures have successfully halted the indiscriminate disposal of school playing fields.

In the majority of cases where playing fields are redeveloped they are replaced with new improved sport and recreation facilities.

Social Exclusion (Midlothian)

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution the lottery has made to combating social exclusion in Midlothian. [216295]

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 and financial exclusion but a significant number of lottery-funded projects have helped to regenerate inner cities, create employment and strengthen communities. Since the lottery began 298 awards have been made to Midlothian, totalling £16.5 million.

Sports Clubs

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made in promoting the tax relief benefits available to sports clubs. [216276]

Mr. Caborn: Over 2,000 sports clubs have already received an estimated total of £5 million in tax reliefs by registering as Community Amateur Sports Clubs with the Inland Revenue. But many more clubs are still missing out because they do not know that this help is available.

My Department has therefore published Growing Community Sport", a leaflet publicising the CASC scheme. I have sent copies to many of my parliamentary colleagues, and hope that they will make use of this leaflet to tell their constituents about the benefits available to sports clubs. They can obtain extra copies by contacting the DCMS.

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on tax relief for amateur sports clubs. [216277]

Mr. Caborn: The Community Amateur Sports Club scheme provides such clubs with a relief of 80 per cent. on their non-domestic rates and Gift Aid on donations from individuals, as part of a package of benefits intended to promote community and grass roots sport.
 
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I welcome the fact that more than 2,000 clubs have so far registered with the scheme and received an estimated total of £5 million in tax reliefs as a result of doing so.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Asian Tsunami

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to recover documents lost by British citizensas a consequence of the tsunami in South East Asia; and what steps are being taken to prevent identity fraud. [215704]

Mr. Mullin: The nature of the disaster was such that many documents will never be recovered, but arrangements are in place to deal with those documents that are recovered. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas posts are maintaining a high level of vigilance against document fraud in close liaison with the United Kingdom Passport Service.

British High Commission (Swaziland)

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to retain the British High Commission in Swaziland. [215140]

Mr. Mullin: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary explained in his written statement on 15 December 2004, Official Report, columns 137–40WS, we have decided to close our High Commission in Swaziland while maintaining an honorary Consul in Mbabane and non-resident accreditation from Pretoria. This reflects the need to align better our resources with our priorities, to maximise efficiency, and to ensure that the UK has a cost-effective and flexible network of overseas representation.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on (a) entertainment lunches involving civil servants and guests and (b) working lunches, in each year since 1997. [215038]

Mr. Rammell: Due to the devolution of budgets, this information is not held centrally by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

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