| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2534W—continued
Licensing Committees
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will issue guidance to clarify whether an objector making oral representations at a licensing committee is able to raise new issues which she has not previously raised in written representations on the same application. [37038]
James Purnell [holding answer 12 December 2005]: Under the Licensing Act 2003 (Hearings) Regulations 2005 (SI No. 44), interpretation of the regulations regarding the governance of hearings is a matter for the licensing committee hearing the individual case, and ultimately for the courts if any decision is challenged.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued on local authority officers informing elected councillors of licensing applications in their wards. [37327]
James Purnell:
None. It is for local authorities to decide what policy to adopt in relation to communications with elected councillors about licensing matters.
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2535W
London Development Agency
Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what legal entity will own the land acquired by the London Development Agency for the 2012 Olympics (a) prior to and (b) after 2012. [36864]
Mr. Caborn: The ownership of the land will depend on the decision taken by the Secretary of State about whether to confirm the London Development Agency's Lower Lea, Olympic and Legacy Compulsory Purchase Order (expected in 2006).
If it is confirmed, the London Development Agency, as the acquiring authority, would have legal title vested in the land within the Olympic Park—both prior to and after the games in 2012.
Maldives
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the UK tourist industry about the safety of British tourists travelling to the Maldives. [38355]
James Purnell: My Department has not held discussions with the UK tourist industry about dangers to British tourists travelling to the Maldives. My Department's responsibilities are focused on inbound and domestic tourism.
I am aware that the FCO provides travel advice notices on its website for over 200 countries based on the most accurate and up-to-date information available to that Department. This is designed to help British travellers make informed decisions about travelling abroad.
Media Ombudsman
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will consider appointing an independent media ombudsman; and if she will make a statement. [38599]
James Purnell: The Government is satisfied with the present arrangements for the independent regulation of broadcasting, principally by Ofcom, and of the press, by the Press Complaints Commission.
Music Education
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on Government support for music and music education. [38079]
Mr. Lammy: The Government are committed to supporting music in all its forms. We are achieving this through increased investment—funding for music through Arts Council England has more than doubled since 1997 to over £100 million this year.
My Department continues to work very closely with the Department for Education and Skills on the Music Manifesto, which celebrated its first anniversary in July. This sets out a series of shared aims for music education over the next three to five years, and has the support of over 420 signatories from across the education, cultural and music sectors.
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2536W
Responsibility for music within schools falls to the Department for Education and Skills.
Through the Live Music Forum, we are working to ensure that opportunities for the promotion of live music are realised to the full.
Organised Sport
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture,Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to encourage organised sports in inner city areas. [37157]
Mr. Caborn: The Department is committed to driving up participation in sport by providing facilities and services that meet local needs. Sport England is delivering a number of projects which target inner city areas, including StreetGames networks that specialise in providing organised sporting activities for young people in deprived inner city neighbourhoods and which promote the development of local leaders and coaches.
Pornography
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what definition of pornography is used by her Department. [38637]
James Purnell: We use the same definition as everyone else. In terms of regulation, we consider the harm that any type of material (whether pornography, violence, portrayal of drugs use, etc.) is likely to cause to the vulnerable, particularly children.
Press Complaints Commission
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the (a) role, (b) accountability of the Press Complaints Commission and (c) its work in relation to sexist material. [38531]
James Purnell: The Press Complaints Commission is entirely independent of Government. It is accountable to the Press Standards Board of Finance. The Editors' Code of Practice contains a clause on discrimination which forbids pejorative reference to an individual's gender, but it does not cover matters of taste and decency.
Sailing
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on steps the Government are taking to encourage people with disabilities to participate in sailing activities. [38074]
Mr. Caborn: Through Sport England and the English Federation for Disability Sport, we are working with the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and RYA Sailability to encourage more disabled people to take up sailing.
UK Sport funding is being provided to support elite disabled sailors in their preparations for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. £304,000 has been provided so far with the prospect of more being provided in 2006. In addition to this, one sailor is currently being supported through a TASS 2012 Scholarship.
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2537W
Sports Funding (Manchester)
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been provided for sport in Manchester in the last 12 months, broken down by source of funding; and how much of this went to (a) activities and (b) organisations in the Gorton constituency. [38420]
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2538W
Mr. Caborn: The following amounts of funding for sport have been made available in the north west region from December 2004 to December 2005: £24,118,150 lottery funding and £1,462,642 Exchequer funding. Financial information isn't available at constituency level and cannot be split between activities and organisations. However, table 1 gives some examples of projects in the Gorton constituency during this period.
Taxis
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on taxi travel in the 2005–06 financial year; and what proportion of such travel was undertaken in each nation and region of the UK, including London. [37484]
Mr. Lammy: My Department's expenditure on taxi travel to November in 2005–06 is £12,161.27. It represents expenditure on taxis provided by the Department's contracted agent, black cabs and taxis in London and elsewhere.
An analysis of expenditure by nation and region is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |