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22 Nov 2005 : Column 1827W—continued
Olympic Delivery Authority
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who was involved in setting the (a) person specification and (b) job description for the job of chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority. [25489]
Tessa Jowell: The person specification and job description for the chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority were agreed by me following consultation with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Greater London authority, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets. In addition to this specific consultation, more general consultation has also taken place with the organisers of previous games.
Olympic Games
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget of the Nations and Regions Group for the London 2012 Olympics is; and how (a) Essex and (b) Kent will be dealt with by the Group. [25628]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 7 November 2005]: The Nations and Regions Group met on 4 November to discuss how best to co-ordinate UK-wide interests in staging the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will meet again early next year to confirm its remit and membership. Any budgetary requirements would need to be considered as part of those discussions.
Each English region has, or is putting place, a regional group responsible for taking work forward and reporting to the Regions and Nations Group. They will include representatives from Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), Regional Sports Boards and other relevant stakeholders. Under this arrangement, Kent would be dealt with through the South East Group, and Essex through the East of England Group.
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The RDAs will of course play a vital role in this work,and we will write to them shortly to ask them to develop plans to maximise business and development opportunities offered by the 2012 Olympics in their region.
Among other areas of potential benefit they will wish to consider is the opportunity to host preparation and holding camps for overseas teams. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the British Olympic Association (BOA), will develop a Pre-Training Guide by 2008, which will include details of facilities appropriate for use as preparation or training camps. They will work closely with regional representatives to maximise opportunities across the UK.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to appoint representatives at a regional level to ensure that each region in the United Kingdom has access to advice on making the most of business and development opportunities offered by the 2012 Olympics. [25650]
Tessa Jowell: The Nations and Region Group, chaired by Charles Allen, met on 4 November to discuss ways to co-ordinate UK wide interests in staging the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Group will meet again early next year to confirm its remit and membership.
In the meantime, each of the English Regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have established, or are putting in place, regional working groups tasked with taking work forward. Regional groups will involve the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and appropriate representatives from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The RDAs will of course play a vital role, and we will write to them shortly to ask them to develop plans to maximise business arid development opportunities offered by the 2012 Olympics in their region.
Among other areas of potential benefit they will wish to consider is the opportunity to host preparation and holding camps for overseas teams. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the British Olympic Association (BOA), will develop a Pre-Training Guide by 2008, which will include details of facilities appropriate for use as preparation or training camps. They will work closely with regional representatives to maximise opportunities across the UK.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria (a) the London Development Agency and (b) Transport for London will use to decide which companies will be awarded contracts in relation to the requirements of the Olympic Park; and whether British companies will be given (i) preference and (ii) assistance by the Government when bidding for those contracts. [25707]
Tessa Jowell:
The London Development Agency (LDA) and Transport for London are only letting critical contracts in advance of the establishment of the
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Olympic Delivery Authority. The contracts will be let on the basis of a number of objective criteria, including cost, quality and capacity to deliver.
The interim Olympic Delivery Authority (interim ODA) is preparing a draft procurement strategy addressing the key criteria that need to be defined to ensure a successful project. The initial draft is expected to be published in December. The interim ODA has already published 'Procurement Principles' setting out its commitment to sustainability, design quality, local benefits, regeneration, legacy use and best value for money.
In accordance with European Union procurement regulation, no preference can be given to UK companies, but the Government will work with the LDA and other public agencies to ensure that UK companies can compete effectively for these contracts and that UK people have the best possible chance of seeing the thousands of jobs that will be created.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to (a) meet officials in charge of delivering previous Olympic games and (b) visit (i) Beijing, (ii) Athens, (iii) Atlanta, (iv) Barcelona, (v) Seoul, (vi) Los Angeles, (vii) Moscow and (viii) Montreal. [25709]
Tessa Jowell: During the bid phase, the Minister for Sport and Tourism and I visited previous host cities—specifically Athens, Sydney, Barcelona and Beijing.
We drew heavily on the experience of the Sydney games in developing the bid and will continue to draw on the experience of previous host cities as we move forward to hosting the games.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the evidence from the Chief Executive of the British Olympic Association to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 1 November, which voting members of the British Olympic Association were contacted by (a) Sport England and (b) the English Institute of Sport in connection with the recent election of the new Chairman of the British Olympic Association. [27642]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 11 November 2005]: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 605W, where I confirmed that no member of Sport England has discussed the election to the Chairmanship of the British Olympic Association (BOA) with either candidates for the post, potential candidates for the post nor voting members of the BOA.
The identity of the NOC member referred to in my answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 157W, is Mr. Graham Bell, the representative of Snowsport Great Britain. I understand that the Chair of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) contacted him to establish whether he was prepared to take a call from a prospective candidate and that he communicated with both in his capacity as a personal friend, and not in his capacity as EIS chair. I understand that at no stage was any attempt made to influence the election of the new chair of the BOA.
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Olympic Lottery
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Lottery funding is available for grass root sports clubs; and what assessment she has made of the effect on grass root sports clubs of the Olympic funding arrangements. [27352]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 11 November 2005]: Information on the Lottery funding available for grass roots sports clubs in England is provided in the table. Information on the Lottery funding available for grass roots sports clubs in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales can be obtained from the Scottish Executive, the Northern Ireland Office and the National Assembly for Wales.
Sport England's business Plan for the next four years identifies a number of Lottery programs that are available to Grass Roots sports clubs either directly or through the National Governing Bodies. The total amount of Lottery funding into those programs amounts to £440.9 million and comprises:
We have been quite clear since launching our Olympic bid three years ago that Lottery proceeds would form a key part of the public funding package. We have allowed for up to £1.5 billion to be raised in this way, some of which will be raised by new Lottery games solely for this purpose. We expect the non-Olympic good causes to receive up to 5 per cent. less in income, as a result of sales diversion, over the eight-year period from 2005 to 2013. In addition, up to £410 million will be redirected from the proceeds of non-Olympic Lottery games after 2009.
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