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LEADER OF THE HOUSE
Departmental Tendering Policy
Martin Horwood: To ask the Leader of the House what his policy is on including (a) ethical and (b) environmental factors in tenders for services. [33338]
Nigel Griffiths: In tendering for services, the Office of the Leader of the House has regard to the rules and general principles of community law deriving from the EC Treaty that apply to all procurement by public bodies.
The general principles of Community law are: non-discrimination, equal treatment, transparency, proportionality and mutual recognition.
Members' Salaries
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Leader of the House how many different salary levels may be paid to hon. Members, including those for Select and Standing Committee Chairmen; and how many hon. Members are in each band. [34264]
Nigel Griffiths: 641 hon. Members are entitled to the full parliamentary salary of £59,095. (This excludes the five Sinn Fein Members who do not receive a salary). In addition, 31 Select Committee Chairmen are paid £13,107 per year and, since 1 November 2005, 30 Members of the Chairmen's Panel are paid according to length of service on the Panel as follows:
Members of the Chairmen's Panel who are also Select Committee Chairmen only receive the Select Committee Chairmen's salary.
These figures exclude those Members paid salaries out of the ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Departmental Estate
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) land and (b) property her Department (i) owns and (ii) rents in each constituency; and if she will make a statement. [33263]
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Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture Media and Sport owns a section of land adjoining the British Library in London.
The Department owns the freeholds to the following properties:
| Property | Constituency |
|---|---|
| Blythe House, 23 Blythe Road, London W14 OQX | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| 20, 21, 22, 23 and 29 Park Windsor | Windsor |
| St. Fairview Cottage, Windsor | Windsor |
| 9 St. Mark's Place. | Windsor |
The Department rents the following properties in central London for its office accommodation:
The Royal Parks Agency owns the following properties:
| Property | Constituency |
|---|---|
| Victoria Tower Gardens, London, SW1P 3JA | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Brompton Cemetery, Old Brompton Road, London, SW5 9JE | Kensington and Chelsea |
The agency does not rent any properties.
Departmental Tendering Policy
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on including (a) ethical and (b) environmental factors in tenders for services. [33328]
Mr. Lammy:
DCMS Terms and Conditions for Services include the subjects of 'Prevention of Corruption' and 'Discrimination'. It is already the policy in DCMS for all catering to make use of Fair Trade goods and provisions wherever possible.
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The Department requires bidders to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire which incorporates questions about their environmental capabilities. This is assessed prior to selection of candidates to participate in the tendering process.
DCMS alongside other Government Departments is developing a sustainable development strategy. Part of that strategy will be to take guidance from the OGC/DEFRA Joint Note on Environmental Issues in Purchasing. DCMS has also been taking guidance from the list of Quick Win" environmentally friendly products supplied by OGC Buying Solutions and the toolkits currently being devised by DEFRA.
Licensing
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of licensed premises have applied for a variation extending their licensing hours under the Licensing Act 2003. [32498]
James Purnell: We do not hold the information in the form requested. However, initial feedback from licensing authorities suggests that around 40 per cent. of premises in England and Wales that converted their old licences, also applied for variations including, but not exclusively, extensions to hours. This would equate to about 57,000 premises.
From an ongoing survey of licensing authorities in England and Wales in relation to pubs, bars and nightclubs, we estimate that two-thirds (about 54,000) will have secured licences for a variety of hours beyond 11 pm and that about 80 per cent. of these (or about 43,000) will have terminal hours of 1 am or earlier.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate the Government have made of the average cost to (a) village halls and community centres and (b) sports clubs of applying for a full premises licence and personal licences under the Licensing Act 2003. [32500]
James Purnell: We do not hold the information in the form requested. Under the Licensing Act 2003, premises apply for a one-off premises licence and then pay an annual charge for their licence thereafter. The charge is based on the rateable value of the property. The current fee structure for these two payments is as follows:
| Rateable value bands | Main application fee | Main annual charge |
|---|---|---|
| A | 100 | 70 |
| B | 190 | 180 |
| C | 315 | 295 |
| D | 450 | 320 |
| E | 635 | 350 |
The fee relating to an application for a personal licence has been set at £37 to be paid every 10 years. This would not be paid by sports clubs that hold club premises certificates.
The regulatory impact assessment that accompanies the fees regulations states that non commercial premises such as village and community halls and sports clubs tend to fall in fee bands A and B which should not place
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an undue or disproportionate burden on the premises affected. In addition, no fee is payable by a village hall or community centre if it intends only to put on entertainment. The Licensing Act 2003 also brings deregulatory benefits, reducing the number of administrative licensing processes under the previous arrangements by almost tenfold. This benefits village halls, community centres and sports clubs by removing the need to apply for several licences and permissions and allows them to offer a wider range of activities to their users and members under a single licence. Once the new licence is obtained, there will be no more form filling for committees unless the hall or sports club wish to change their licence.
As part of our arrangements for monitoring the impact of the Licensing Act 2003, an Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel has been established to consider the impact of fees on a wide range of stakeholders, including village and community halls and sports clubs. The panel will deliver an interim report shortly, followed by a Final report in autumn 2006 detailing findings and where appropriate making recommendations for the development of the licensing fees regime. We will consider carefully the evidence from these exercises and any recommendations to help community and village halls and sports clubs operate within the new regime.
TREASURY
Bank Accounts (Foreign Nationals)
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what role his Department has in monitoring bank accounts held in the UK by foreign politically exposed persons which are thought to hold funds derived from corrupt activities or theft of state assets; [34010]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1911W, on overseas public assets, whether his Department has undertaken analysis based on financial reporting of the amount of money circulating in the UK financial system which is derived from the illicit acquisition of foreign states' public assets. [34018]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: As part of its objective to promote efficient, stable, and fair financial markets the Treasury has lead responsibility for ensuring that the UK's anti-money laundering controls meet the requisite international standards, and are effective in their operation. Treasury approved guidance available to the financial services sector highlights the importance of a risk-based approach to politically exposed persons. The Financial Services Authority ensures that financial service providers are compliant with the obligations placed on them
The analysis of financial reporting on customer relationships and transactions involving politically exposed persons that are perceived to be suspicious is carried out by NCIS. Channels of communication exist for law enforcement and Government Departments to receive, and comment or act upon the products of NCIS analysis.
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