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Big Lottery Fund

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on plans to establish the Big Lottery Fund. [13251]

Mr. Caborn: Plans to establish the Big Lottery Fund were agreed within Government. However, neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have had any specific discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this matter.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's projections are for the balances held by the Big Lottery Fund. [13253]

Mr. Caborn: The Department issues projections for income from the lottery as a whole. It does not produce estimates of individual distributors' income or balances. However, data recently submitted by the Big Lottery
 
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Fund suggests that its balance will fall from its June 30 level of £851 million to £678 million by the end of this financial year.

Buckmore Park Scout Centre

Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will direct Sport England to recover £2 million of lottery funding given to Buckmore Park Scout Centre now that it is in the ownership of the Rochester Bridge Trust. [12653]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 18 July 2005]: Sport England understands that the land on which Buckmore Park Scout Centre stands is no longer in the ownership of the Rochester Bridge Trust.

Sport England is closely working with the liquidators appointed for Buckmore Park Centre and my Department's legal advisers to ascertain what, if any, monies are recoverable. To this end, Sport England is facilitating a meeting between the new freeholder and an interested leisure operator to discuss future options for the facility and the potential for the recovery of lottery funding and community use.

Commonwealth Games

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the role Chorley played in the Manchester Commonwealth games. [12239]

Mr. Caborn: In addition to the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay passing through Chorley in advance of the Manchester Commonwealth games, I am also aware that the sporting facilities in and the residents of Chorley made a significant contribution these games.

Rivington Park successfully hosted the outdoor cycling events, including the mountain bike events, the road races and the road time trials. The role of volunteers in the staging of events of this size cannot be overlooked and I am aware of the numbers of volunteers from Chorley who gave up their time to help in the staging of this event. These were key contributors to the successful staging of this significant sporting event.

Community Coaches

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many community coaches she intends to fund in Oxfordshire. [12406]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 18 July 2005]: Four community sports coaches are currently in place in Oxfordshire and funding has been agreed and allocated for a further 21 coaches. These coaches will be recruited by the end of the summer.

Community Lottery Fund

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she has taken to ensure that charitable funding is not disrupted following the closure of the Community Lottery Fund and related programmes. [13254]

Mr. Caborn: This is a matter for the Big Lottery Fund. They are conscious of the need to avoid disruption and are committed to introducing new demand led funding
 
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programmes at the earliest opportunity. The fund are also ensuring that 60–70 per cent. of their funding goes to voluntary and community sector organisations.

Community Radio

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what process Ofcom follows for considering bids for community radio licences; [12841]

(2) what applications Ofcom has received for community radio licences in the Guildford area; what the process is for the consideration of those applications; and if she will make a statement. [12842]

James Purnell: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Gambling Act

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to protect young people from addictive gambling; and if she will make a statement. [12433]

Mr. Caborn: The Gambling Act 2005 includes important new safeguards to protect children and vulnerable adults, and we will bring it into force as soon as the necessary preparatory and transitional measures have been taken.

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timetable is for (a) the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005, (b) the passage of secondary legislation under the Act and (c) the publication of guidance for local authorities. [12837]

Mr. Caborn: We plan to commence the provisions of the Act establishing the Gambling Commission with effect from October, and to make the subordinate legislation required to implement the Act over the following 20 months in order to complete the process of implementation in September 2007.

It will be the responsibility of the Gambling Commission to issue guidance to licensing authorities; and current plans envisage that it will do so from May 2006, having previously consulted on the terms of that guidance.

Licensing Act

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the needs test that magistrates considered for new licensed premises was abolished; and if she will make a statement. [12838]

James Purnell: The new regime introduced by the Licensing Act 2003 makes no provision for licensing authorities to take need, or the means of applicants, into account in their decisions. The new regime is designed to advance the licensing objectives of ensuring public safety, preventing crime and disorder, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm. To those ends, the 2003 Act allows licensing authorities to take
 
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full account of the possible effects of the concentration of licensed premises on levels of crime and disorder. This is a separate matter to need or means, the consideration of which is allowed under the current licensing regime.

Under the provisions of the Licensing Act 1964, licensing justices can consider need or means, along with other matters at their discretion, in dealing with licence applications. The consideration of means in such decisions was reviewed by the Departmental Committee on Liquor Licensing, under the chairmanship of Lord Erroll of Hale. The Committee concluded in December 1972 that, in the special context of liquor licensing law, the application of the test of need to new applications for justices' on-licences was out of date and unnecessary.

That conclusion informed subsequent guidance, including the last Good Practice Guide to licensing committees published under the old licensing regime. This was produced by the Justices' Clerks' Society in consultation with the Magistrates' Association, and stated that

when considering the question of need/demand, committees do not attach much, if any, weight to the threat from competition and should not consider trade protection as a matter which is relevant when exercising their discretion."

However, different licensing committees continue to be inconsistent in their applications of tests of need. In this and other areas, the 2003 Act will bring greater consistency to licensing decisions.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of premises in Wales licensed under (a) the Licensing Act 1964 and (b) the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 which fall into each of the rateable value bands for licence fees under the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations; how many in each category will be required to pay the fee multiplier; and if she will make a statement. [12539]

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of premises in Cardiff Central licensed under (a) the Licensing Act 1964 and (b) the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 which fall into each of the rateable value bands for licence fees under the Licensing Act (Fees) Regulations; how many in each category will be required to pay the fee multiplier; and if she will make a statement. [13229]

James Purnell: As at 30 June 2004 there were, under the Licensing Act 1964, 10,909 on-and off-licensed premises, and 1,442 registered clubs in Wales. On this date there were 1,117 on- and off-licensed premises, and 68 registered clubs in the Cardiff petty session division.

DCMS deposited the source publication for these figures Statistical Bulletin Liquor Licensing (England and Wales, July 2003-June 2004)" on 27 October 2004 in the House Libraries. This document is available on the DCMS website at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/research/statistics_outputs/liquor_licensing_statistics.htm

Figures for the numbers of premises licensed under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 are not collected centrally. However, surveys
 
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suggest that approximately 46,000 public entertainment licences are issued in England and Wales annually. Such licences would include those issued under the London Government Act 1963 as well as those under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

No estimates have been made centrally about the numbers of licensed premises in Wales or in Cardiff Central that fall into each of the fee bands, or how many in these areas will be required to pay the fee multipliers. It is likely that individual licensing authorities have estimates for these figures. However, the Regulatory Impact Assessment in respect of the fees regulations estimated the spectrum of premises lying in each band as a percentage of the total, as follows:

Rateable value bands	Non-domestic rateable value	Percentage of premises in band
A	£0-£4,300	19
B	£4,301-£33,000	60
C	£33,001-£87,000	13
D	£87,001-£125,000	3
E	£125,001 and over	5

It also estimated that approximately 2,000–4,000 premises falling in Bands D and E across England and Wales would meet the definition of being primarily or exclusively engaged in the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises, meaning that they would be required to pay the fee multipliers.

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