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30 Jan 2006 : Column 52W—continued
Amateur Sports Clubs
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of sports clubs (a) eligible for and (b) which have attained community amateur sports club status, broken down by sport; and if she will make a statement. [45999]
Mr. Caborn: The Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) scheme is administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), who provide data on CASC registrations and the overall financial benefits to clubs. There are however no reliable estimates of the number of clubs that may be eligible for CASC status. As of 22 December 2005, 3,504 clubs had successfully registered as CASCs, up from a figure of 2,004 on 31 December 2004, representing an increase of 74 per cent. over the twelve month period. The following table breaks down registrations by sport.
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Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to promote community amateur sports club status in each quarter since April 2002; what the costs were; and if she will make a statement. [46000]
Mr. Caborn: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.
Since April 2002 my Department has supported and undertaken a number of initiatives to promote the Community Amateur Sports Clubs Scheme (CASC), resulting in a 74 per cent. increase in registration in the year ending 31 December 2005.
In both 2003 and 2004 the Department contributed to the costs of a series of seminars organised by the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR) to promote the scheme.
In June 2004 the Economic Secretary to the Treasury and I held an event at Totteridge Cricket Club to publicise the scheme. In November 2004 DCMS organised, and I spoke at, a seminar for the National Governing Bodies (NGB) of sport to encourage their members to seek CASC membership. The meeting was held in tandem with the publication of a new information leaflet to NGBs about the benefits of CASC and information about the application process. This leaflet was produced and distributed by my Department.
In addition, we have also worked with Sport England to promote the CASC Scheme, including a round of regional seminars in 2003, and the organisation of nine regional workshops which were staged in the second half of 2005.
Anniversary Events
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has for celebrating anniversaries of major events up to 2010; and if she will make a statement. [45995]
Mr. Lammy:
The Secretary of State is responsible for organising, on behalf of the Government, the annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Cenotaph and the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) is
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working closely with the Deputy Prime Minister and Paul Goggins, Minister for Race Equality and external stakeholders to ensure the best support for the forthcoming bicentenary marking the abolition of the slave trade in 2007.
Many of DCMS's sponsored bodies are planning to celebrate anniversaries of various other major events, including the 200th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunei in 2007, the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War in 2008 and the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII's accession to the throne in 2009. Any plans by the Department or its sponsored bodies for the celebration of other major anniversaries will be announced closer to the time.
Ashes Test Series
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Ministers or officials will represent the Department at any of the Ashes test series matches in Australia in 2006. [46094]
Mr. Lammy: No decision has been reached on whether Ministers or officials from the Department will be going to any of the Ashes test matches in Australia in 2006. A decision on the matter will be made later in the year.
Citizens Juries
Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions her Department consulted citizens juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens jury. [46241]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has not used citizens juries as a means of consultation in the last five years.
Concessionary Television Licences
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners over 75 years were receiving a free television licence in Selby constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available. [46799]
James Purnell: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Selby constituency in 2004–05 was 5,500 according to Department for Work and Pensions records.
Constantine Anniversary
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government is taking to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation in the City of York of Constantine, the Roman Emperor; what support her Department has given to the York Museums Trust's exhibition on Constantine; and if she will make a statement. [45765]
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Mr. Lammy: The Constantine exhibition, mounted in association with the British Museum, has received £50,000 in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The activities of York Museums' Trust are supported through the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's Renaissance in the Regions programme. Renaissance has funded a new space in the Yorkshire Museum to support activities for schools. During the exhibition, this learning space will be dressed in Roman style with real objects to handle. A Roman story trail for children and families has also been developed.
Departmental Estate
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps have been taken to provide a clear description of her Department's estate which includes (a) executive agencies, (b) staff numbers, (c) buildings and (d) land managed. [44705]
Mr. Lammy: Both the Department for Culture Media, and Sport and The Royal Parks have their own Estates Management databases. They are also working with the Office for Government Commerce on the Electronic Performance Indicator Management System for the Government Estate.
The number of staff in the Department and The Royal Parks are published in Table C in Civil Service Statistics 2004 which is available in the Library of the House and on the Cabinet Office website www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
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