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11 Jan 2006 : Column 648W—continued
Stratford Stations
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 327W, on Stratford stations, what kind of direct access he expects will be provided between Stratford International and Regional Stations from 2010; and whether any arrangements besides step-free access from Dockland Light Railway trains to street level will be provided for passengers with disabilities travelling to or between Stratford International and Regional Stations during the 2012 Olympic Games. [36908]
Derek Twigg: Subject to the approval of applications which are currently before the Secretary of State, the main form of direct access between the Stratford International and Regional Stations will be the proposed Docklands Light Railway (DLR) link from 2010. Access from DLR trains to platforms will be step free and both Stratford International and Stratford Regional Stations will provide step free access from platform to street for passengers with mobility difficulties.
In addition, the deemed planning permission for the CTRL development at Stratford (granted in 2001 to Union Railways North, a subsidiary of LCR), requires a 'mechanised link1 such as a travelator to be constructed between Stratford Regional and International Stations.
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Also, the outline planning consent for the Stratford City development, granted in 2004, requires the developer to make physical provision for the mechanised link, provided that LB Newham agree the procurement date and design of the travelator by January 2006. Discussions on how this requirement might be fulfilled are underway between LCR and London borough of Newham, who as local planning authority are responsible for the enforcement of these conditions.
Transport (Gravesham)
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Gravesham borough council on the Government's plans for concessionary travel for pensioners. [40623]
Ms Buck: None. The statutory entitlement to free off-peak local bus travel in England for people 60 and over and disabled people will come into effect on 1 April 2006. The Department for Transport has issued guidance to local authorities on implementation but it is for individual concessionary travel authorities, to design and operate their local concessionary fares scheme.
Unadopted Roads
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of unadopted roads in England. [39590]
Ms Buck: We have no current estimate of the number of unadopted roads in England as this information is not held centrally.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Administrative Costs
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which functions of her core Department are carried out in (a) England and (b) London; and what administrative costs were associated with these functions for each area in the last year. [39813]
Mr. Lammy: My Department's main activity is to set Government policy on a range of cultural and leisure activities. An analysis of administration costs by activity for 2004–05 as published in the Department's Annual Account 2005 (page 87) is shown in the table.
(3) Estimated outturn
My core Department is wholly based in London and, at present, administration costs are not attributed to areas.
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Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total administrative costs for her core Department are; and whether these are regarded as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses. [39840]
Mr. Lammy: The administration budgets regime overseen by the Treasury relates to Whitehall Departments only. Control of administration costs in the devolved Administrations is a matter for them.
My Department's net administration costs were £40,452k in 2004–05, and £39,335k in 2003–04. Table 8.19 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA) 2005 shows the Department's expenditure on services for 2003–04 (the latest available), including the elements of each that are identifiable and non-identifiable. Expenditure on administration is classified as in the same way as the service it supports. Copies of PESA 2005 are available in the Library of the House.
British Film Industry
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact on the British film industry of the requirements that film production projects applying for the new tax incentives are required to meet. [38518]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The Chancellor made a number of key announcements regarding the new film tax incentives at the pre-Budget report. Further details of the new tax incentives will be announced in due course.
Digital Broadcasting
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the expected average cost per household is of digital switchover. [39783]
James Purnell [holding answer 9 January 2006]: On 8 November 2005, Ofcom published research by the Generics Group which examined the cost and power consumption implications of digital switchover for UK households. The report estimates that the actual cost to individual households of switchover-driven non-voluntary conversion of sets and VCRs is estimated to range from £26 to £153 depending on the equipment in the home.
Licensing Hours
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pubs and clubs have sought variations in their licensing hours for televised events since the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003; and if she will make a statement. [40271]
James Purnell: Information on the number of pubs and clubs seeking variations in licensing hours for televised events is not held centrally.
Rural Tourism
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on rural tourism in East Yorkshire. [39504]
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James Purnell: Rural tourism is a vital element of the English and British tourism offer, and is supported at national and regional levels. At national level, my Department funds the work of VisitBritain and the England Marketing Advisory Board in promoting rural tourism to both the domestic and international markets. VisitBritain spent £1 million in directly promoting rural areas across England in 2004–05.
The regional development agencies have been responsible for supporting tourism at regional level since 2003. Yorkshire Forward's Economic Strategy for 2003 to 2006 includes tourism initiatives which take account of the region's rural areas. The Agency will be investing £4 million in the promotion of local tourism across the county over 2003 to 2006.
Following publication of the Government's Rural Strategy in 2004, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs requires each English region to
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set out its priorities in a Regional Rural Delivery Framework, setting out its rural priorities and agreeing how public sector bodies will work together to deliver them.
Television/Radio
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) television broadcast stations, (b) generic television repeater broadcast stations, (c) am radio broadcast stations, (d) am repeater radio broadcast stations, (e) fm radio broadcast stations, (f) fm repeater radio broadcast stations, (g) short wave repeater radio broadcast stations and (h) short wave radio broadcast stations are sited in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) each of the English regions and (iv) Northern Ireland. [39205]
James Purnell: Details on transmitters, as determined by Ofcom, are listed in the following table.
| England | Wales | Scotland | NI | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV(4) | 679 | 216 | 234 | 50 | 1,179 |
| FM radio | 877 | 279 | 387 | 70 | 1,613 |
| AM radio | 141 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 173 |
| SW radio | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
(4) Includes restricted service licences and non-co-sited Channel 5 transmitters.
Note:
Figures for England include The Channel Islands and The Isle of Man.
We do not have a breakdown of the above figures for radio transmitters, indicating broadcast sites and repeater broadcast sites. For a breakdown of TV transmission sites across the country, I suggest visiting either the Ofcom website at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/reception_advice/index.asp.html or the BBC website at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/transmitters/tv_trans/index.shtml
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average number of television sets per household is. [39788]
James Purnell: According to figures from the research company GfK, there is currently an average of 2.6 TVs per home.
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