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7 Nov 2005 : Column 156W—continued
Museums and Galleries (London)
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether visitor numbers for those museums and galleries in London that are funded by grant in aid have declined since the terrorist attacks in July. [24928]
Mr. Lammy: Yes, the numbers of visits to London-based museums and galleries sponsored by my Department have fallen since the terrorist attacks in July. Compared to the same period last year, visit numbers fell by 20 per cent. in July and by 30 per cent. in August. However, recent figures have shown an improvement, with only a 5 per cent. drop in visits in September.
National Heritage Act
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many undertakings to indemnify objects under section 16 of the National Heritage Act 1980 have been made in each year since 1990 by (a) her Department and its predecessors and (b) the Museums Libraries and Archives Council and its predecessors; what the contingent liabilities were in each case; and if she will make a statement. [24168]
Mr. Lammy: Information on undertakings to indemnify objects prior to the setting up of the Department of National Heritage in 1992 is no longer available. The information from 1992 is set out in the following table which details all statutory/non-statutory actual and contingent liabilities held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its predecessor, the Department of National Heritage, as at the end of each financial year.
Olympic Games
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what rules govern the staging of other sports fixtures in the UK during the Olympic games in 2012. [25026]
Mr. Caborn:
The IOC, as part of the host city contract, ask all host cities to take steps to ensure that no major event that could have an impact on the successful organisation and staging of the games takes place in London or at other competition venues during the period of the games. The Government and LOCOG will be working with the IOC, venue owners, local
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authorities and national governing bodies to ensure we take a common sense approach to the application of this particular requirement.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any member of the English Institute of Sport had discussions with (a) candidates, (b) potential candidates and (c) voting members during the recent elections to the chairmanship of the British Olympic Association. [22610]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 28 October 2005]: The English institute of Sport (EIS) is not a body sponsored by this Department but is grant funded by and therefore accountable to Sport England.
I have been informed by Sport England that the chair of the EIS was asked by a potential candidate for the post of chairman of the BOA for his personal opinion as to whether their possible candidacy had merit. On his behalf, the EIS chairman contacted a voting member of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) about the possibility of a late nomination for the potential candidate being accepted. The potential candidate ultimately did not stand.
I have also been informed that at no stage did the EIS chairman have discussions with, or make suggestions to, NOC members about how they should vote in the election.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many businesses in the Marshgate area need to be resettled to accommodate the London 2012 Olympics; how many have accepted final settlements; and by what date the relocation needs to be completed. [22613]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 28 October 2005]: There are 284 businesses (of which 96 are in or adjacent to Marshgate Lane) in the Olympic Park area that the London Development Agency is seeking to engage with individually to understand their relocation requirements and to discuss with them the LDA's offer to acquire their premises by agreement.
164 of these have appointed advisers in order to start negotiations and the LDA has reached in-principle agreements with 31 businesses, of which 22 have signed Heads of Agreements.
The majority of the businesses in the Olympic Park area will need to move by mid-2007. However around 53 of the businesses will not be required to relocate until later in the process, as vacant possession of their land is not required until 2009.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how compensation for businesses due to be relocated due to the London 2012 Olympics is calculated ; and on what date the land value is assessed. [22614]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 28 October 2005]: The businesses or parties with an interest in the land to be acquired under a confirmed Compulsory Purchase Order are compensated under the statutory Compensation Code.
They receive the market value of their premises or other land interests. In addition they are entitled to the following: a disturbance payment in terms of either the
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business' relocation or extinguishment, a statutory loss payment can be made to commercial and residential owners/occupiers based on a percentage of market value of their property or interests. They are also paid the reasonable costs of their legal advisors and surveyors. Each party with a compensateable interest is entitled to appoint a chartered surveyor to negotiate the compensation on their behalf with the acquiring authority. Disputes as to the level of compensation payable are referred to the Lands Tribunal.
If the CPO is confirmed the date of land valuation is either a date the parties agree as appropriate, or the date the acquiring authority takes possession of the land. This will not be before the date on which the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry issues his decision concerning confirmation of the CPO.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what rules govern the use of sports stadiums whose name includes an advertisement as a venue for Olympic Sports in 2012. [25024]
Mr. Caborn: The IOC require all host cities to sign up to a comprehensive Look of the Games" programme, which includes details of how Olympic venues are presented. All 2012 venues, as part of this programme, have agreed to give LOCOG the exclusive control of all venues naming rights and signage for the period of the Games.
Television Signal
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to provide individuals with assistance with the switchover to digital television. [24050]
James Purnell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, North (Ann McKechin) on 28 October 2005, Official Report, column 614W.
World Cup
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which day in 2006 has been earmarked for the return of the football World Cup trophy to England in the event of victory in Germany. [24817]
Mr. Caborn: In the event of the England football team being victorious at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, suitable arrangements to celebrate this success and to welcome both the team and trophy home will be made with the relevant authorities.
CABINET OFFICE
Civil Servants
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what account is taken of differences between the value of civil service pension provision and that of workers in comparable jobs in the private sector in setting the pay of civil servants. [24819]
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Mr. Jim Murphy: When making recommendations to Government on pay for the senior civil service, the independent Senior Salaries Review Body reviews all the elements of the total reward package, including pension, and compares them with those available to executives with similar roles in the private and wider public sectors. The Government are not bound to accept the Review Body's advice but always consider its independent views.
Departments and agencies have authority to determine pay and conditions for their staff below the senior civil service which are appropriate for their business needs and are consistent with Government's policies on the civil service and take account of the Government's policies on public sector pay. Her Majesty's Treasury's annual Pay Remit Guidance" makes it clear that pay is only one element of the total reward package. Accordingly, Departments and agencies are expected to take account of the overall package, including pensions, when benchmarking against pay levels in the wider economy.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cohort life expectancy of (a) male and (b) female civil servants retiring in normal health at age 60 (i) was in 1972, (ii) is based on the latest available data and (iii) is projected on dates for which estimates are available up to 2045. [24879]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Scheme Actuary to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) has provided the following figures for the expected average life expectancy of civil servants retiring in normal health at age 60:
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 79.5 | 83.2 |
| 2003(55) | 84.4 | 87.4 |
| Current civil servants | 86.8 | 89.8 |
(55) The assumptions used for existing pensioners in the last review of employer contributions to the PCSPS.
No projected figures have been made for each year up to 2045.
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