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30 Jun 2005 : Column 1655W—continued
Regional Fire Control Centres
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has spent on (a) consultancy and (b) other fees relating to the proposed regional fire control centres. [4936]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The FiReControl project commenced in January 2004. To the end of May 2005, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has spent £10,385,447 on consultancy and £2,524,472 on other fees related to the project. Some of these costs relating to building design are eligible to be reclaimed from selected accommodation developers.
Reviews (Funding)
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the budget for the conduct of (a) the Lyons Review and (b) the Balance of Funding Review. [4241]
Mr. Woolas: The Lyons Inquiry spent £239,565 in 2004–05 and has an estimated spend of £731,400 for 2005–06. The team working in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the implications of the Lyon's relocation review and the Gershon efficiency review is projected to cost £110,785 in 2005–06. About £37,000 of this can be attributed to Lyon's relocation review-related work.
For the Balance of Funding Review £118,789 was spent on externally commissioned research. The net cost of producing the report was about £1,000 taking account of sales. Other, administrative costs were not separately identified.
Thames Gateway Flood Risk Assessment
Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to delay the need for developers to provide a flood risk assessment for each new development until the Thames gateway flood risk assessment is available. [7077]
Yvette Cooper:
In line with planning policy guidance note (PPG) 25, those proposing developments in flood risk areas should carry out a flood risk assessment
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appropriate to the location, scale and nature of the development and should submit this with the application.
The strategic flood risk assessment currently being undertaken by the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership will provide information allowing local authorities in the area to work together to develop land use allocation strategies for managing flood risk. It will not remove the necessity for site-specific flood risk assessments which will still be needed to consider the specific risk of flooding to the development over its expected lifetime and address issues such as surface drainage and rainwater collection and discharge, as well as risks associated from fluvial or tidal flooding.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Chess
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the case for chess to be recognised as a sport; and if she will make a statement. [8366]
Mr. Caborn: The criteria that the sports councils use to decide whether an activity should be recognised as a sport are derived from their Royal Charters, and ultimately from the Physical Training and Recreation Act 1937. Legal advice has stated that chess does not fall within the meaning of the word sport" for the purposes of the Royal Charter, or the meaning of physical training and recreation" in the Act. Recognition of chess would therefore require amendments to the Act.
Sport is now a devolved matter, so a change in the current position would require the unanimous support of both the Devolved Administrations (DAs) and the sports councils, before any progress could be made. It would be necessary to put a case to the DAs and the sports councils for legislative change that would include chess, and if necessary other mind games", within the criteria for recognition as a sport. The case put forward must be able to convince them that chess provides the same benefits to the public, such as improved health and fitness, as recognised sports, in order to merit equal status and the financial support that comes with it.
Departmental Press Release
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she was first informed that her departmental press officer had disseminated a press release on behalf of her husband; and who authorised the press officer to take this action. [7293]
Tessa Jowell: The press officer, acting on his own initiative, e-mailed a single newspaper with a statement on behalf of Mr. Mills. He was not asked or encouraged to do so, and I was made aware later that day that he had done so.
National Lottery
Lynne Featherstone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which constituencies have received (a) less than 10 per cent. and (b) less than
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15 per cent. of the national average for constituencies of grants to good causes from the national lottery; and if she will make a statement. [8074]
Mr. Caborn: This answer is based on the latest commercially available constituency boundary information, which does not include the boundary changes made in Scotland for the 2005 general election.
The following constituencies have received less than 10 per cent. of the average (mean) amount awarded in each constituency:
Constituencies that have received less than 15 per cent. of the average (mean) amount awarded in each constituency include the seven listed above, and the following eight:
However the mean average of £23.9 million per constituency is distorted because of very large grants in a few constituencies. If the median average of £13.3 million is used, no constituencies have less than 10 per cent. of this and only Hornchurch and Birmingham, Hall Green have received less than 15 per cent.
The two lists of constituencies are derived from the Department's Lottery Awards Database which is based on information supplied by the lottery distributors.
Swimming Pools
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many swimming pools there have been in each London borough in each year since 1997. [8209]
Mr. Caborn: The information requested is provided in the following table. The information includes swimming pools provided by public and private operators.
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