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Olympics 2012

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the implications are of the successful bid to hold the 2012 Olympic Games in London for the (a) workload and (b) staffing levels of her Department. [11676]

Tessa Jowell: We have already undertaken detailed planning on the resources needed to successfully deliver the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A transitional Organising Committee are already in place and an Olympic Delivery Authority will be established as part of the London Olympics Bill.

Within Government, the OGC are advising on the additional resources required to ensure Government will fulfil their obligations and delivers the commitments given.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assurances the Government have given to the International Olympic Committee of financial guarantees for the London Olympics in the event of cost overruns. [11895]

Tessa Jowell [holding answer 13 July 2005]: London's bid underwent rigorous assessment by the International Olympic Committee, Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce. The Government remains committed to ensuring the 2012 Games are delivered on time and on budget.
 
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As part of the bidding process we have provided the International Olympic Committee with a guarantee that:

the Government will act as the ultimate guarantor of Olympic funding should there be a shortfall between the LOCOG's (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games) costs and revenues".

Copies of the guarantees given by the Government to the International Olympic Committee were deposited in the House Libraries on 19 November 2004.

Young People (Summer Activities)

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2005, Official Report, columns 550–51, to the hon. Member for Worsley (Barbara Keeley), on young people (summer activities), if she will list the programmes of summer activities for young people that her Department intends to fund during the summer holidays. [12751]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 14 July 2005]: My Department supports a number of activities funded across Government, our public bodies and by the Big Lottery Fund which will deliver a range of sporting and cultural opportunities for young people this summer. There are two main national programmes:

Positive Activities for Young People—with Department for Education and Skills, Youth Justice Board, ODPM, Government Offices and the Big Lottery Fund and

Do it For Real—run by the Big Lottery Fund

In addition there will be a wide range of local opportunities for young people supported by our public bodies and local authorities :

Many Museums will providing summer schools, festivals and other projects

Libraries will once again be running the summer reading challenge and other events.

Sport England will be supporting local clubs and projects such as the Street Games in London and the North East.

Art Council England will be supporting local arts clubs activity.

Youth Development Sport Schemes

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department is giving to sporting schemes and youth development through sport in (a) Teesside and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. [12955]

Mr. Caborn: This data are not held centrally in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) national strategy—being implemented jointly with the Department for Education and Skills—aims to increase the percentage of five to16-year-olds in England spending two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent. by 2006, and to 85 per cent. by 2008. The 2003–04 school sports survey—the largest and most comprehensive survey of school sport in England—found that overall 62 per cent. of pupils in the 6,500 schools taking part in the survey were already spending at least two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport in a typical week.
 
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Spearheading action is the establishment of a network of 400 sports colleges and school sport partnerships. To date there are six live school sport partnerships (SSPs) in Teesside. This includes two in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. SSPs are 'families of secondary and primary schools' which come together to increase the amount and quality of sports opportunities for all children.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Airwave System

Mr. Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the evaluation he has made of the Airwave system in advance of a decision on Firelink. [13664]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is still engaged in the Firelink procurement and does not propose to release evaluation considerations because of the commercial sensitivity of the information.

Civil Service

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out the remit and membership of the Sustainable Procurement Task Force. [13529]

Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.

Established in May 2005, the Sustainable Procurement Task Force is charged with drawing up an action plan by April 2006 to bring about a step-change in sustainable public procurement so that the UK is among the leaders in the EU by 2009.

The Action Plan will set out how to:

Avoid adverse environmental impacts arising on the government estate and in the supply-chain.

Make more efficient use of public resources.

Stimulate the market to innovate and to produce more cost effective and sustainable options for all purchasers.

Set an example for business and the public and demonstrate that government and the wider public sector is serious about sustainable development.

The Task Force is business led under the chairmanship of Sir Neville Simms but the membership of the group has been chosen to bring in a wide cross-section of expertise. Further information about the Sustainable Procurement Task Force can be found at: www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/delivery/global-local/ProcurementTaskForce.htm

Consultants

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's total spending on management consultants has been in each of the last three years. [13155]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed in May 2002. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
 
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Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the total expenditure saved in each of the last three years as a result of implementing recommendations by management consultancies within his Department. [13621]

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether occupied Crown property is exempt from council tax. [11984]

Mr. Woolas: The largest class of dwellings owned by the Crown is armed forces' accommodation. This is exempt from council tax under section 4 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. The Ministry of Defence pays contributions in lieu of council tax to billing authorities instead. The Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to other occupied Crown owned property in the same way as it does to other domestic accommodation.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what definition of (a) composite hereditament and (b) hereditament is used for council tax purposes. [11985]

Mr. Woolas: For council tax purposes, the definition of a composite hereditament which is used is that contained in Part III of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and the definition of a hereditament which is used is that in section 115(1) of the General Rate Act 1967, if that Act had remained in force.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the penalties are for non-payment of council tax. [12002]

Mr. Woolas: If the appropriate reminder notices have been sent and a debt remains unpaid, a local billing authority may apply to the magistrates court for a Liability Order which formally establishes that there is a debt. The Liability Order enables enforcement action to be taken.

Local authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, including attachment of earnings orders, deductions from some benefits, the levying of distress by bailiffs and, ultimately, where the billing authority has sought to levy distress and has failed to find any or sufficient goods on which to levy the amount, if the non-payment is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect on the part of the council taxpayer, application to the magistrates court for commitment to prison.

Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2005, Official Report, column 298W, on council tax, what the percentage second homes council tax discount levied by the local authorities that cover his official residences at (a) Admiralty House and (b) Dorneywood is. [12031]

Jim Fitzpatrick [holding answer 14 July 2005]: The council tax on the flat at Admiralty House occupied by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is levied by the Westminster city council. The second home discount on council tax is 10 per cent.
 
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Dorneywood is owned and operated by the Dorneywood Trust which is a registered charity and is not accountable to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

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