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Paternal Rights

Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to improve the enforcement of fathers' rights to contact with their children. [16869]

Maria Eagle: The Government believe that children benefit from a continuing relationship with both parents following divorce or separation, where it is safe and in the child's best interests. The Children Act 1989
 
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supports this and under the Act it is the welfare and interests of the child concerned that are paramount, not the rights of parents.

Where contact has been agreed or ordered by the courts, it is essential that the terms of court orders are followed. The Children and Adoption Bill has introduced legislation which, if approved by Parliament, will give judges additional powers to facilitate contact and enforce contact orders. In addition to the current system of fines and imprisonment, they will be able to refer parents to a counsellor or a parenting programme or make enforcement orders
 
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imposing requirements for unpaid work. Judges will also be able to award financial compensation, for example where the cost of a holiday has been lost. These additional levers will be available to the courts at any stage in a contact case, if the court considers they would assist resolution. These provisions will be available for use by the courts in relation to both mothers and fathers.

Youth Matters Green Paper

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the opportunity card proposed in the Youth Matters Green Paper will be connected to the National Identity Register proposed in the Identity Cards Bill. [16442]

Maria Eagle: We currently propose that the Opportunity Card will be available to young people from age 13 up to 19. It will be delivered by local authorities and be available in England only. The UK-wide National Identity Register will cover people age 16 and over but my Department is currently discussing with the Home Office how the two schemes might be linked.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the future of the Connexions card in the light of the entitlement card proposed in the Youth Matters Green Paper. [16443]

Maria Eagle: We will make decisions about the future of the Connexions card when we have completed the evaluation of the Youth Opportunity Card pilots.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the companies that have expressed an interest in working with the Government to develop the entitlement card scheme proposed in the Youth Matters Green Paper. [16444]

Maria Eagle: As of 6 October 2005, Transport for London and Mouchel Parkman had expressed an interest in working with the Department for Education and Skills to develop the Youth Opportunity Card.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the existing youth cards schemes that will be brought together within the entitlement card scheme proposed in the Youth Matters Green Paper. [16445]

Maria Eagle: We are at the early stages of design and have not yet selected the areas that will take part in the pilots. Once we know the pilot areas, we will be clear about which card schemes we need to work with and build on.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the cost to business of installing equipment necessary to read the information stored on the entitlement card proposed in the Youth Matters Green Paper. [16446]

Maria Eagle: We are still at the early stage of pilot design. Youth Matters makes clear our expectation that we will build where possible on existing schemes and
 
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infrastructure. However this is a pilot, and one of the aspects we want to test is the impact on providers and businesses.

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what data she intends will be stored on the entitlement card proposed in the Youth Matters Green Paper. [16447]

Maria Eagle: The Youth Opportunity Card pilot will test whether giving real influence and spending power to young people increases their likelihood of engaging in constructive activities. At this early stage in pilot development, and before the end of the Youth Matters consultation, no decisions have been taken about what data a card would need to store.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Divis Mountain Transmitter

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the transmitter on Divis Mountain provides freeview coverage for the whole of the City of Lisburn; and if she will make a statement. [15337]

James Purnell: Most households in Lisburn should be able to receive digital terrestrial television (DTT) services, although there may be problems with reception towards the north west of the area.

The regional timetable for digital switchover has now been published, with the Ulster region due to be switched in the second half of 2012.

Our plans are based on the conversion of the entire terrestrial network, so that the level of coverage at switchover can match existing analogue coverage—around 98.5 per cent. of households. This is in line with our commitments that everyone who can currently receive analogue services today should be able to receive them in digital form and that as many people as possible have access to a choice of platforms.

Licensing Fees (Charities)

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the rates charities, who operate licensed premises, are charged for their new licensing fee. [16552]

James Purnell: The licensing fees have been set centrally by Government at a level to enable licensing authorities to recover fully their legitimate administration, inspection and enforcement costs, while at the same time achieve arrangements which are fair to business, non commercial organisations and to other individuals seeking licences. The Government have established an Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel to consider whether the fees regime is meeting these objectives. The panel will deliver an interim review shortly, followed by a final report in autumn 2006.
 
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National Sports Foundation

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much will be allocated to the National Sports Foundation (a) in 2005–06 and (b) for each subsequent year for which budgets have been agreed. [15632]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 10 October 2005]: The total allocated to the National Sports Foundation is £27.5 million. For 2006–07, £7.5 million has been allocated and for 2007–08, £20 million has been allocated.

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from sports bodies on the National Sports Foundation. [15634]

Mr. Caborn [holding answer 10 October 2005]: We have been engaged in extensive and ongoing discussions with five major sports governing bodies. These discussions continue.

Reserve Art Collections

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items in national museums and galleries have not been on public display in the past three years. [16578]

Mr. Lammy: The number of collection items in the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries that have not been on public display in the past three years has recently been estimated to be around 105 million. These items are very diverse, and include large amounts of organic material and archaeological finds which are not suitable for public display; for example, a study in 2002 showed that the Natural History Museum has 70 million organic items in storage. Many of the items not on display such as books and archive material, prints, photographs and textiles are available to the public on request. The large majority of works of art not on display comprise of prints or items in need of conservation. Our museums and galleries actively pursue a policy of loans and touring exhibitions throughout the UK and overseas to ensure that their collections are accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the most recent estimate was of the size of the reserve collections of the national museums and galleries. [16579]

Mr. Lammy: My Department last made an estimate of items in the reserve collections of 17 DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries in 2002 as part of a study of storage facilities. This showed that there were more than 136 million items in storage.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the last estimate was made of the number of works of art in the reserve collections of the national museums and galleries. [16580]

Mr. Lammy: My Department last made an estimate of items in the reserve collections of 17 DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries in 2002 as part of a study of storage facilities. This study covered all types of collection items stored, including works of art.
 
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