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24 Jan 2006 : Column 1962W—continued
Pension Costs
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) Executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06. [40002]
Mr. Thomas: The cost of pension contributions incurred by the Department for International Development is as follows:
(2) DFID's first partnership option was made in May 2003, therefore no partnership contributions were made during 2002–03. There are only 30 members of the Partnership Pension Scheme. The figures in column four are payments to the Civil Superannuation Vote in respect of risk relating to death in service/ill health benefits for the Partnership Pension Scheme.
(3) Projected figures.
For 2005–06, employers' contributions are payable to the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) at one of four rates in the ranges 16.2 to 24.6 per cent. of pensionable pay, based on salary bands. The scheme actuary reviews employer contributions every four years following a full scheme valuation; last carried out as at 31 March 2003. The contribution rates reflect the cost of benefits as they accrue (net of employee contributions), not the costs as they are actually incurred, and reflect past experience of the scheme.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development is not responsible for any non-departmental public bodies, Executive agencies or any other public body.
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SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Jo Martinson
Mr. Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will take steps to ensure disciplinary action is taken against those in the Crown Prosecution Service responsible for the failure to bring to court the case of the death of Jo Martinson. [44394]
The Solicitor-General: This case has been the subject of previous correspondence between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the hon. Member. The Crown Prosecution Service considers that the case referred to was handled appropriately, and therefore, the question of disciplinary action does not arise.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Arts Schemes
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what publicly-funded support is being provided to schemes to promote Islamic talent in the arts; and if she will make a statement. [44436]
Mr. Lammy: Arts Council England does not make funding decisions based on an applicant's religion. It funds artistic practice according to strategic priorities and on the basis of artistic merit. However, it may fund artists for whom Islam happens to be a part of their artistic inspiration. The Arts Council has supported an extremely diverse range of young artists, some of which are Islamic, through an inclusive approach.
One of the Arts Council's priorities is to encourage funding applications from people from a diverse range of backgrounds, and in many regions it is, where possible, facilitating community programmes and encouraging artists to apply for funds through the Grants for the Arts (GfA) programme.
There are some excellent case studies such as the West Midlands artist called Mohammed Ali. Mohammed received a GfA grant of just under £10,000 to undertake an exhibition of art work in Dubai titled Salam in the City. This exhibition is to be held late February/early March 2006.
Ulfah Arts has also received a GfA award of around £13,000 to support the development of their organisation, which encourages increased engagement in the arts for women across all faith groups but with a particular focus on Islam.
Pillars of Light, a year long programme across the Yorkshire and Humber region, aims to explore interactions between Muslim cultures and other cultures, within the context of their heritage and contemporary reality. Events throughout 2006 will focus on the visual arts, literature, film, music and theatre. Pillars of Light is being funded through Yorkshire's 'Illuminate' Urban Cultural programme, which is in turn being funded through the Arts Council
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and the Millennium Commission. Alchemy Anew, an Islamic Arts charity funded directly by the Arts Council, is coordinating it. Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust are one of the key participating organisations in Pillars of Light and are currently hosting the Palace and Mosque" exhibition on loan from the V&A museum.
Another exciting project is the innovative and ambitious new cultural building being created by Rich Mix to serve London's many communities. The building work is currently underway in Tower Hamlets, which is one of the most deprived areas in the country and has 48 per cent. ethnic minority population, the majority of which is Bangladeshi and Muslim. Rich Mix, due to open in spring 2006, combines workshop and performance spaces, managed workspaces for creative industries, training and education spaces and houses a three screen cinema. Rich Mix has raised £23 million from funders, including the Arts Council and the London Development Agency.
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what publicly-funded support is being provided to schemes to promote young Asian talent in the arts; and if she will make a statement. [44437]
Mr. Lammy: There is an enormous amount of work going on in the arts sector that helps to promote young Asian talent. The Arts Council has not delivered programmes specifically for the benefit of talented young artists from any particular religion or ethnicity, but has supported an extremely diverse range of young artists through an inclusive approach. One of its priorities is to encourage funding applications from people from a range of backgrounds. In many regions it is, where possible, facilitating community programmes and encouraging artists to apply for funds through the Grants for the Arts (GfA) programme. Furthermore, schemes such as Creative Partnerships and the Arts Award reach many young Asian people.
The innovative and ambitious new cultural building being created by Rich Mix will serve London's many communities. The building work is currently underway in Tower Hamlets, which is one of the most deprived areas in the country and has 48 per cent. ethnic minority population, the majority of which is Bangladeshi. Rich Mix, due to open in spring 2006, combines workshop and performance spaces, managed workspaces for creative industries, training and education spaces and houses a three screen cinema. Rich Mix has raised £23 million from funders, including the Arts Council and the London Development Agency.
Another exciting project is the Bernie Grant Centre, which is currently being built in Tottenham, North London. A £14 million funding package including £6 million from the Millennium Commission and £3.5 million from London Development Agency has been awarded to transform the former Tottenham swimming baths into a major performance and education centre fostering and showcasing local and
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national artistic talent. Black and minority ethnic communities in particular will benefit from the training and business prospects that the Bernie Grant Centre will bring.
The Inspire Fellowship programme is an initiative devised by the Arts Council in order to address the under-representation of Black African, Caribbean, Chinese, South Asian and south-east Asian curators in the museums and galleries sector. Successful candidates receive high quality training and a bursary of £30,000 to £42,000 (depending on experience) over a two year period.
There are numerous examples of projects funded by the Arts Council that promote young Asian talent in all of the art forms. For example, Decibel Performing Arts Showcases is a programme aimed at significantly developing diversity in the arts in England and seeks to increase the profile of culturally diverse arts practice. The 2007 showcase will be held in Birmingham.
Examples of music organisations which are funded by the Arts Council, and are dedicated to working with Asian young people include, Asian Dub Foundation, SAMPAD (a South Asian Arts development agency), South Asian Arts UK, Milap Festival Trust and The National South Asian Youth Orchestra.
Arts Council England regularly funds South Asian dance companies Shobana Jeyasingh and Akram Khan, and a number of others such as Angika, Sankalpam and Mavin Khoo on a project basis. These companies provide essential role models and beacons of aspiration for young Asian talent All these companies provide education and outreach work. The Arts Council also funds the South Asian dance website, SADA, and the magazine, PULSE.
There are Asian visual artists in the Arts Council Collection (i.e. Sutapa Biswas, Chila Burman, Zarina Bhimji) and the work of Asian artists is promoted through funding for publications such as Third Text. The Arts Council also established the Institute of International Visual Artists, (inlVA) London in 1994 to take forward the advocacy and support of culturally diverse artists, especially artists of the diaspora.
In addition to receiving funding through GfA, Asian writers receive funding through the International Fellowships programme. An example is Nadeem Aslam who was a recent International Fellow at the Santa Maddalena Centre in Italy. The Arts Council also run the Positive Action Traineeships—placing young people from black, Asian and Chinese backgrounds in publishing houses to gain experience of the industry over a year/six months. Two out of five current trainees are of Asian background.
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