| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 Nov 2005 : Column 1610W—continued
Departmental Assets
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by her Department. [27382]
Mr. Lammy: The 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by the Department are as follows:
The 10 most valuable movable assets owned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are works of art within the Government Art Collection.
It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the value of the Government Art Collection, which has no current market valuation. The current monetary value of a work of art can be accurately assessed only at the time of purchase or sale or by professional valuation. In the former case, the collection is not actively traded; in the latter, it would not be justified expenditure of public funds to have the whole collection valued professionally.
The Department owns the freehold of a site to the north of the British Library at St. Pancras. This was professionally re-valued at 31 March 2005 at £18,980,000. This valuation reflects the current block on use of the site while it is required for construction of the channel tunnel rail link terminus at St. Pancras.
The nine next most valuable immovable assets are all managed by the Department's agency, The Royal Parks, and are as follows.
The freehold of Blythe House at Olympia, London W14 is owned by the Department, and it was last valued for DCMS as at 31 March 2004 at a depreciated replacement cost of £21,800,000.
Blythe House is not carried on the Department's balance sheet as the risks and rewards of ownership are considered to lie with the three museums occupying the building for storage, each of which disclose the value of their share in their balance sheet, and has therefore been excluded from this list.
21 Nov 2005 : Column 1611W
The National Asset Register also includes the freeholds of properties occupied by DCMS sponsored NDPBs. These have been excluded from this table as the freeholds are vested in the Boards of Trustees of the national museums and galleries and the British Library, each of which is an exempt charity.
Departmental Estates
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who is responsible for managing the estates of her Department; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date. [26312]
Mr. Lammy: John Belza is the Department's Head of Procurement and Property Services. He has an MSc in Procurement, City and Guilds in Mechanical Engineering and Building Maintenance; is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, a Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management, and is a PRINCE 2 practitioner. Since leaving the Life Guards in 1993, John has worked in the private, voluntary and public sectors in facilities management, purchasing and procurement roles, before joining DCMS in 2005.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who the Head of the Finance and Planning Division is in her Department; what specialist finance qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date. [26313]
Mr. Lammy: The current Head of Finance and Planning Division in DCMS does not hold a specialist finance qualification but has held a number of relevant posts in Finance Divisions in other Government Departments. He reports to the Department's Chief Operating Officer and Finance Director who is responsible for finance issues at board level and does hold a specialist qualification.
The current holders of these posts are set out in the Civil Service Yearbook.
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who the Head of Personnel and Central Services is in her Department; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date. [26314]
Mr. Lammy: Shaun Cove is the Department's Head of Human and Business Resources. He has recently completed studying for an MA in Human Resource Strategy and Change and has eight years' experience in human resources practice, both in DCMS and what is now the Office for National Statistics, where he worked from 1985 to 1994. Since joining DCMS and prior to his roles in human resources, Shaun worked in museums and galleries sponsorship, international tourism policy, as secretary to the DCMS Board and as a Bill team leader.
Disability Discrimination Act
Mrs. James:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has
21 Nov 2005 : Column 1612W
made of the progress of leisure and tourism facilities towards complying with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [29274]
James Purnell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) on 13 June 2005, Official Report, column 2–3, by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport.
English Heritage
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many English Heritage sites she has visited in the last 12 months. [25874]
Tessa Jowell: I have been a member of both English Heritage and The National Trust for many years. Both organisations provide excellent value for money and make an important contribution to the nation's tourism and leisure industries. This year I have been to a number of heritage and cultural sites and events, both privately and in my official capacity as Secretary of State.
Essex
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the top 10 tourist attractions in Essex in terms of numbers visiting or attending in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [30072]
James Purnell: My Department does not keep a central record of the tourist attractions throughout the United Kingdom. VisitBritain who promote tourism in England and overseas carry out an annual survey of visitor attractions, and from this the visitor numbers to the top 10 tourist attractions in Essex in each of the last three years are as follows:
(27) Estimated
Gambling Commission
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the funding of the Gambling Commission's new headquarters in Birmingham. [30299]
Mr. Caborn: In line with the recommendations of the Lyons Review that more public bodies should be located outside London, the Gambling Commission has acquired new headquarters in Birmingham. Funding for this will come from the grant provided by my Department.
The Commission has secured a competitive rent for their new property with a significant rent-free period at a rate which compares very favourably with the rent for
21 Nov 2005 : Column 1613W
their current premises in London. It followed Office of Government Commerce recommended procedures in selecting the property, including completion of internal gateway reviews. The acquisition of new headquarters in Birmingham is part of the transition project to establish by September 2007 a fully operational Gambling Commission under the new regulatory system introduced by the Gambling Act 2005. The move will be completed by summer 2006.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |