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G8 Summit (Tourism)

18. David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that visitBritain maximises the tourism opportunities arising from holding the G8 summit. [10640]

James Purnell: In view of the events of last Thursday, it would be inappropriate to discuss the G8 summit in terms of tourism. VisitBritain works continuously to use major international events to promote Britain overseas. That work will continue.

The Market for Art" Report

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department expects to respond to the Sixth Report of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, HC 414, Session 2004–05, on The Market for Art. [11530]

Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will respond to the Report of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on The Market for Art before the summer recess.

Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with manufacturers and installers of play equipment on the implementation of the play programme for England of the Big Lottery Fund. [10496]

Mr. Caborn: I have held no discussions with manufacturers or installers of play equipment regarding the Big Lottery Fund's play programme.

Culture and Commerce Conference

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will ensure representatives of European trade unions are invited to the Conference on Culture and Commerce, being organised by her Department. [11880]

Mr. Lammy: Yes.

Opera

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take further steps to make opera more accessible to wider audiences; and if she will make a statement. [10630]

Mr. Lammy: Government support for opera is channelled through Arts Council England (ACE). All of the opera organisations funded by the Arts Council have policies in place to improve access to a wider and more diverse audience including ticket pricing policies, touring and the work of their education departments.

Osborne Estates Act

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what conditions she expects to be met before supporting measures to repeal the Osborne Estates Act 1902. [10105]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 7 July 2005]: We are fully committed to seeking Parliament's approval to amend the Osborne Estate Act 1902. There are no conditions attached to this, other than the need to find a suitable legislative slot.
 
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Public Sector Spectrum

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions her Department has had with the Treasury on releasing public sector spectrum to the market; and if she will make a statement. [10204]

James Purnell: My Department has regular discussions with the Treasury and other Departments, on a wide range of issues, including spectrum matters.

Radio Station (Chorley)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture,Media and Sport if she will provide support for a radio station for Chorley; and if she will make a statement. [10803]

James Purnell: Planning, licensing and regulation of independent radio in the UK is a matter for the independent regulator, Ofcom.

My Department has made £0.5 million available for community radio for each of the years to 2007–08. The fund will be handled by Ofcom, who will take decisions on allocation in due course.

Sport England

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding was allocated to Sport England by her Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) Government region and (b) parliamentary constituency; and if she will make a statement. [6942]

Mr. Caborn: Exchequer funding allocated to Sport England by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport can be broken down by Government region. This is shown in the following table:
Regional costs 1997–2004 £

	Financial year
	1996–97	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000
Northern	1,131,020	1,114,129	548,850	799,755
Yorkshire	1,303,919	1,272,570	740,530	1,102,934
East Midlands	1,262,237	1,242,020	772,700	1,017,987
Eastern	1,289,334	1,236,528	748,250	931,789
London	1,494,021	1,118,350	487,372	819,746
South-east	1,078,175	1,053,715	475,528	810,109
Southern(7)	1,080,764	1,208,279	493,871	945,355
South-west	1,164,165	1,227,023	607,950	813,456
West Midlands	1,193,329	1,301,333	733,750	1,122,526
North-west	1,359,291	1,412,961	759,320	1,262,145
Total costs	12,356,255	12,186,908	6,368,121	9,625,802
Out of a total funding of:	15,700,000	33,700,000	33,500,000	34,500,000

£

	Financial year
	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Northern	845,203	767,043	801,011	616,522
Yorkshire	929,366	1,101,121	1,026,042	589,873
East Midlands	923,216	865,806	765,791	554,271
Eastern	897,524	780,252	580,779	415,681
London	1,035,734	1,251,373	959,769	615,197
South-east	741,993	1,533,149	1,242,907	777,329
Southern(7)	967,330	0	0	0
South-west	948,582	917,756	844,576	585,641
West Midlands	982,481	1,006,831	1,032,574	636,513
North-west	1,204,827	1,343,257	1,211,431	634,001
Total costs	9,476,254	9,566,589	8,464,881	5,425,029
Out of a total funding of	34,500,000	34,500,000	34,725,000	39,475,000

⁽⁷⁾Sport England no longer recognise a separate Southern region.
Note:
These are the total regional costs delivered locally, it excludes any nationally delivered regional programmes.





 
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It is not possible to provide figures on funding allocated to Sport England by parliamentary constituency.

Television Licence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in Hampshire have been prosecuted for not having a television licence in each of the last five years. [9788]

James Purnell: The data collected by the Home Office relate to all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts of 1949 to 1967, most though not all of which involve television licence evasion. The number of people proceeded against for such offences at magistrates courts in Hampshire in each of the last five years for which information is available was:

	Proceeded against(8)
1999	1,728
2000	3,968
2001	3,282
2002	2,110
2003	1,814

⁽⁸⁾These data are on the principal offence basis.

Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a television licence will be required for television-on-mobile devices. [9991]

James Purnell: The BBC, as television licensing authority, is responsible for interpreting the licensing regulations and determining the licensing requirements for specific equipment. However, the general position is that a television licence is required to install or use a television receiver, which is defined in regulations as any apparatus installed or used for the purpose of receiving any television programme service. Mobile or portable devices are not exempt from the licensing requirements, but a television licence for a person's home address covers the use, anywhere else in the United Kingdom, by the licensee or any person normally living with them at the licensed address, of a portable television receiver powered solely by its own internal batteries.

Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many prosecutions for failure to pay the TV licence fee there have been in each year since 2000. [9993]

James Purnell: The data available relate to all offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts of 1949 to 1967 in England and Wales, and to all offences under the 1949 Act in Scotland, most though not all of which involve television licence evasion. The number of people
 
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proceeded against for such offences in England, Scotland and Wales, in each year since 2000 for which information is available, was:

	Proceeded against(9)(5508010010)
2000	123,153
2001	97,877
2002	111,671
2003	95,380

⁽⁹⁾Figures for Northern Ireland are not available.
⁽¹⁰⁾On the principal offence basis.

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in the Mid-Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency are in receipt of the free television licence for over 75-year-olds. [10905]

James Purnell: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency in 2004–05 was 4,745, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

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