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Public Appointments
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what public appointments she made in the last financial year; and if she will make a statement. [21465]
Tessa Jowell: The details of each public appointment, made by myself and my Department's Ministers, are announced on my Department's website at www.culture.gov.uk/public appointments. The public appointments made in the last financial year, ending 31 March 2005, were as follows:
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Regional Casinos
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for how long the first regional casino will be open before she assesses its impact. [24043]
Mr. Caborn: The Government will ask the Gambling Commission to advise on the impact of the one regional, eight large and eight small casinos permitted by the Gambling Act 2005 no earlier than three years after the award of the first premises licence.
Television Signal
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of (a) people and (b) households in (i) Kingston and Surbiton constituency and (ii) London can receive analogue but not digital television signals. [23880]
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 or town 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.
Tri-nations Rugby League
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether (a) she and (b) the Minister for Sport intends to attend one of the forthcoming Tri-Nations rugby league matches. [23956]
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Mr. Caborn: I hope to attend the Final in Leeds on 26 November, subject to diary commitments, but my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State is unable to attend any of the forthcoming Tri-Nations rugby league matches.
Wembley Stadium
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement
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on progress being made with the new Wembley stadium; and when she expects it to be open for sporting events. [23955]
Mr. Caborn: Wembley National Stadium Ltd and the Football Association are working towards hosting the 2006 FA cup final at Wembley.
This is an extremely complex project that will ensure that Wembley remains one of the world's great sporting venues and a fitting stadium for football in the 21st century.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Burma
Mr. Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK position is on the proposed United Nations Security Council resolution that would require the regime in Burma to work with the United Nations to restore democracy to Burma and release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all prisoners of conscience; and if he will make a statement. [22547]
Ian Pearson: The UK supports any action in the UN Security Council which would help to promote reform and positive change in Burma.
The UK remains deeply concerned about the political and human rights situation in Burma. The UK has been at the forefront of all efforts over many years to bring pressure to bear on the military regime to reform and respect human rights. We fully support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Burma, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, and the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Sergio Pinheiro, and call on Burma's military regime to co-operate fully with them, and to allow them full access to Burma.
We regularly raise our concerns about the continued detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other prisoners of conscience in Burma with the military regime, most recently on 26 October, when our ambassador in Rangoon met the Burmese Home Minister, Major General Maung Oo.
We look forward to the immediate release of all political detainees without condition, in order to enable the participation of all social and political forces in the reconciliation process.
Congo
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent violence in the Walungu territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo. [22554]
Ian Pearson: Areas of instability remain in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In Ituri and the Kivus, the security situation remains fragile, with civilians continuing to suffer abuses by armed groups.
We were appalled by the recent atrocities against civilians in South Kivu, including those committed near Walungu, which have been attributed to hard-line elements of the Rwandan Hutu rebel group, the Forces Democratiques de Libe"ration du Rwanda (FDLR).
We support the UN peacekeeping mission's robust approach to protecting civilians and tackling armed groups in Ituri, which they are beginning to replicate in the Kivus. Despite these efforts to disrupt the activities of the FDLR, the FDLR continues to persecute civilians. We have urged regional governments to work together to disarm these groups.
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Departmental Staff
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people in his Department (a) were relocated in 2004–05 and (b) are expected to be relocated in 2005–06 following the Lyons review; where they have been relocated; and if he will make a statement. [23711]
Mr. Straw: 31 posts were relocated from London in 2004–05. 11 went to Hanslope Park and 20 were functions redistributed to overseas posts.
In 2005–06 we expect to relocate 30 human resources posts from London to Hanslope Park. Over 85 per cent. of the jobs will be filled locally.
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many full-time equivalent employee reductions as a result of the Gershon review have been made; what (a) cost savings relating to IT projects and (b) total value of efficiency savings (i) were achieved in 2004–05 and (ii) are expected to be achieved in 2005–06; and if he will make a statement. [23990]
Mr. Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 28 October 2005, Official Report, column 635W, on the progress of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's efficiency programme.
In 2004–05 efficiency savings of £0.2 million were due to IT projects. In 2005–06 we expect £3.9 million of savings attributable to better IT.
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