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26 Oct 2005 : Column 431W—continued
Child Obesity
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of five-year-olds she expects will be participating in two hours or more of sport or physical activity in school by (a) 2006 and (b) 2008; and if she will make a statement. [21484]
Mr. Caborn: The results of the 2004–05 school sport survey confirmed that we are on track to deliver the Public Service Agreement Target—shared with the Department for Education and Skills—to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds in England who spend a minimum of two hours a 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 survey showed that overall, 69 per cent. of pupils in partnership schools were participating in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport in a typical week—an 11 per cent. increase from the 2003–04 survey.
The results of the 2004–05 school sports survey—the largest survey of its kind in Europe—were published on 2 September. A copy of the survey report The Results of the 2004–05 School Sport Survey" has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Departmental Spending
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial support her Department has given to each of the (a) executive non-departmental public bodies, (b) advisory bodies and (c) public corporations for which her Department is responsible in each year since 1997. [21085]
Mr. Lammy: Details of the financial support provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to each of its executive non-departmental public bodies, advisory bodies and public corporations can be found in the Department's annual reports, specifically:
Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
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Departmental Staff
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to her Department. [21010]
Mr. Lammy: Recruitment is on a competency based assessment. All new recruits are subject to a eight months' probation period during which time their progress made in meeting the competence requirements of their grade is continuously assessed. Where any skill gaps are identified training will be provided.
Digital Television
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households do not have access to digital television in each London constituency; and if she will make a statement. [21993]
James Purnell: The vast majority of households in the UK can, with the appropriate equipment, receive digital television services via at least one of digital satellite, digital terrestrial, cable or DSL broadband.
We do not have a breakdown of coverage by constituency but the Government are committed to ensuring that at digital switchover everyone in the UK who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them on digital systems.
Libraries (Lancashire)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) books, (b) DVDs, (c) video cassettes, (d) computer games and (e) audio books have been available in library service stock in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley in each year since 1997. [21688]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 25 October 2005]: The information is not held centrally. However, the table shows, respectively, the total bookstock and the total numbers of audio visual, electronic and other types of stock held by Lancashire libraries since 1997–98. The comparable figures for public libraries in the Ribble Valley constituency are not held centrally.
(25) No return received from Lancashire libraries.
Source:
Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy—Public library statistics (Actuals)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was collected in public library fines in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley in each of the last five years. [21689]
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Mr. Lammy [holding answer 25 October 2005]: The public library statistics, published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy for the past five years shows the following amounts of overdue fines per 1,000 population collected by Lancashire libraries as in the following table. The corresponding resident population figures for the areas served by Lancashire libraries for those years are also shown. Comparable figures for the public libraries in the Ribble Valley constituency are not held centrally.
| Overdue fines collected by Lancashire libraries per 1,000 population (£) | Resident population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 234 | 1,137,100 |
| 2000–01 | 227 | 1,140,700 |
| 2001–02 | 234 | 1,135,000 |
| 2002–03 | 243 | 1,140,500 |
| 2003–04 | 248 | 1,147,000 |
Licensed Premises
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will put in place emergency measures to compensate licensed premises whose new licences have not been processed by 24 November; and if she will make a statement; [20409]
(2) what assessment she has made of the likely financial impact per month of a suspension in trading by those establishments who will not have an alcohol licence by 24 November in (a) England and (b) Wales; and if she will make a statement. [20410]
James Purnell: To qualify for the conversion of their existing alcohol licences, premises licensed under the existing licensing framework should have submitted applications between 7 February and 6 August 2005. The Licensing Act stipulates that, should any such applications not have been processed within two months, the appropriate licences are deemed to have been granted.
The Act includes these safeguards to ensure that the issue of licences is not delayed due to the pressure of work on licensing authorities. All premises which have applied in time for the conversion of existing licences will have licences to trade after the Second Appointed Day. I have not, therefore, carried out any assessment of the possible economic effects of unprocessed applications. Nor do I consider that emergency compensation measures are necessary.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department was notified by (a) the Magistrates' Association and (b) the Justices Clerks' Association of potential problems in magistrates' courts of dealing promptly with appeals in respect of the Licensing Act 2003; what steps have been taken to deal with such problems; and if she will make a statement. [20513]
James Purnell:
My Department holds regular meetings with the Magistrates' Association and the Justices' Clerks' Society, the last being on 27 July 2005. Likely workloads arising from appeals against licensing authorities' decisions have been discussed at these meetings.
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I have a great deal of confidence in the ability of the Courts to deal adequately with the administrative workloads arising from any appeals. However, my Department is monitoring the position closely, in conjunction with the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
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