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21 Oct 2005 : Column 1224W—continued
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
British Olympic Association (Chairman)
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 605W, on the British Olympic Association Chairman, which candidate approached her; and which candidate approached the Chair of UK Sport. [20203]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 20 October 2005]:As I stated in my answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 605W, I was approached by a candidate for the post of British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman who asked his opinion on the nature and scope of the role. I can confirm that the identity of that candidate was Mr. David Hemery who was publicly named as one of the two candidates to stand in the election for the new chairman post of the BOA.
It would not be appropriate for me to release the name of the person who approached the Chair of UK Sport, since this person has not been publicly identified as a potential candidate for this post.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions took place between Ministers in her Department and UK Sport on the recent election to the chairmanship of the British Olympic Association. [20453]
Mr. Caborn:
I can confirm that there were no specific meetings, telephone conversations or exchanges of correspondence between Ministers in the Department and UK Sport on the recent election to the chairmanship of the British Olympic Association. The topic did arise from time to time in general conversation between myself and the chair of UK Sport, as a matter of interest regarding elite sport in this country.
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Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 605, on BOA Chairman, whether officials discussed the election of the new chairman of the British Olympic Association with (a) candidates for the post, (b) potential candidates and (c) voting members. [20870]
Mr. Caborn: I can confirm that my officials did not discuss the election of the new chairman of the British Olympic Association (BOA) with either candidates for the post, potential candidates or voting members of the BOA prior to that election.
Internet Access (Gravesham)
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proportion of households in Gravesham that have had access to the internet in each of the last 10 years. [19826]
Alun Michael: I have been asked to reply.
It is not possible to answer this question as information is not available in the form requested, but the Office for National Statistics stated, in the first quarter of 2005, 60 per cent. of households in the UK (13.1 million) 1 currently have access to the internet from home. Broadband is available to 99.3 per cent. 2 of households in the UK and has been taken up by over 8.1 million of them. 3
The UK has made great strides in recent years and now has the most extensive broadband market in the G7 and is third for competitiveness, closing the gap on Canada in second place. 4
National Lottery
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total value of National Lottery ticket sales in the Isle of Man has been in each year since 1994. [20468]
Mr. Caborn: Ticket sales for the National Lottery in the Isle of Man did not commence until 1999. Information for the subsequent years is as follows:
| Amount (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 2,092,766 |
| 2000–01 | 5,570,281 |
| 2001–02 | 5,779,743 |
| 2002–03 | 5,802,121 |
| 2003–04 | 6,056,134 |
| 2004–05 | 6,155,452 |
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the current balance of Lottery funds held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund on behalf of the Millennium Commission. [20469]
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Mr. Caborn: The Millennium Commission's current balance held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund is £83 million, of which £67 million has been committed to existing grant programmes and for operating costs. The Millennium Commission remains in operation, and Commissioners retain discretion to offer further grants where they believe this to be appropriate.
Under the provisions of the National Lottery Bill, the Big Lottery Fund as successor body, would take on any remaining balance and funding commitments.
Olympic Games
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the public capital investment projects outside the south east which will be made as a result of the UK gaining the 2012 Olympics. [19081]
Tessa Jowell: The bid folder presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in November 2004 set out details of capital investment projects necessary to stage the games. This can be found at
The majority of investment will take place in the Lower Lea Valley and surrounding areas in keeping with IOC requirements to deliver a compact and cost effective games that builds where possible on existing infrastructure.
Premier League Football (TV Rights)
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2005, Official Report, columns 265–66W, on premier league football (TV rights), what recent discussions her Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) Ofcom, (ii) the Office of Fair Trading, (iii) the Department of Trade and Industry and (iv) the premier league on its role in working with the European Commission on the matter of deciding the structure of FA premier league television broadcasting rights from season 2007–08 onwards. [19418]
Mr. Caborn: Ministers and officials from both the Department for Culture Media and Sport and the Department for Trade and Industry have remained in close contact with the FA premier league, Ofcom, and OFT over the premier league broadcasting rights issue.
On all occasions the Government have made clear that this is a competition issue in which the Government have no locus to intervene.
DEFENCE
Armed Forces Personnel (Northern Ireland)
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were stationed in Northern Ireland in each of the last 15 years. [19583]
Mr. Ingram:
The strength by posted location for UK regular armed forces is given in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 10, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. TSP 10 was reinstated in February 2005,
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following its suspension due to concerns over data quality which necessitated a review of the source data and computer programs used to produce it. Data prior to this are not comparable due to changes in methodology. As at 1 April 2005 there were 7,060 UK regular forces personnel posted to Northern Ireland. In addition, there were 2,010 full-time and 1,210 part-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service deployed in Northern Ireland.
Figures for the number of army personnel deployed in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2005 are given in Table 7.4 of United Kingdom Defence Statistics 2005, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Comparable figures for the naval service and Royal Air Force are not held centrally.
Asian Earthquake
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what resources his Department had made available as of 11 October to India and Pakistan following the Asian earthquake. [18425]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 17 October 2005]: The Department for International Development (DFID) is the lead Government Department for the United Kingdom response to the Pakistan relief effort. The Ministry of Defence is in close consultation with DFID about possible UK military assistance and is scoping a range of potential contributions.
The MOD has offered the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) the use of a C-130 Hercules aircraft based in Afghanistan. The MOD plans to use this aircraft to fly 3,150 MOD Halal ration packs and some bottled water to Islamabad for the World Food Programme, as requested by DFID. The UK currently contributes four C-130s and a Ground Handling Team to the NATO Response Force which may be called upon to support the relief effort. One UK officer travelled to Islamabad on 13 October as part of a six-person Operational Liaison Reconnaissance Team (OLRT) scoping the options for NATO assistance.
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