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Ministerial Activities
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) public speeches and (b) official visits she has made since 5 May 2005; and how many letters she sent in this period. [55705]
Tessa Jowell: Since the 5 May 2005 I have made 31 public speeches and (26) official visits. All speeches and visits were conducted in accordance with the ministerial code.
The number of letters sent could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the
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performance of departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005 (column 137WS–140WS). Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House. The report for 2005 will be published in due course.
Newspaper and Magazine Distribution
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and (b) the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) since December 2005 on the potential impact on the freedom of the press of the OFT's final opinion in its review of newspaper and magazine distribution; [57409]
(2) what representations her Department has made to (a) the Office of Fair Trading and (b) the Department of Trade and Industry during the review of the newspaper and magazine distribution. [57410]
James Purnell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) or with any other Government Department, although officials have held a meeting with OFT officials. The Secretary of State wrote to the Chairman of the OFT on 12 October 2005, pointing out that serious concern had been expressed about how a different system could protect plurality and serve the public. She asked the OFT to give these concerns appropriate weight in reaching its conclusions.
Olympic Games
Hugh Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the terms of reference
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are for the KPMG contract to scrutinise the 2012 Olympics; how much the project will cost; and whether preliminary conclusions have been reached. [58190]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 13 March 2006]: KPMG are providing support for the ongoing analysis of the various elements of the costs of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. As this work is ongoing, the final cost will depend on the amount of work carried out.
Private Offices
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of her private office was in the last year for which figures are available. [55724]
Tessa Jowell: For the financial year 2004–05, the cost of my private office was £344,480.
Television Licence
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for television licence evasion there were in each of the last five years; and how many in each category were of women. [57152]
Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
The information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform is contained in the table and shows the number of people prosecuted against at magistrates courts and convicted at all courts for offences under the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 to 1969 (mainly television license evasion) and the Communications Act 2003, in England and Wales, 2000–2004.
(1) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(2) Total figures include other defendants such as companies.
(3) The TV licensing provisions of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 were replaced by new provisions in the Communications Act 2003 which came into effect 1 April 2004.
Source:
RDS-Office for Criminal Justice Reform
Temporary Events (Licensing)
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under what circumstances temporary events notices can be used for licensing large scale temporary events. [56475]
James Purnell [holding answer 6 March 2006]: Licensable activities can be authorised under a temporary event notice, provided that no more than 499 people will be on the premises at any one time when licensable activities are being carried on. The maximum figure of 499 does not just include the audience, spectators or consumers, but also includes, for example, staff, organisers, stewards and performers who will be present on the premises.
A temporary event notice can be given for part of a building, such as a single room or a plot within a larger area of land. It may therefore be possible to use a temporary event notice to cover licensable activity that is being carried out as part of a larger event which is not otherwise licensable under the 2003 Act. For example, it may be possible to operate the bar or entertainment areas at a country show or outdoor sporting event under temporary event notices, rather than licensing the whole event. Premises users should consider carefully whether there are licensable activities taking place outside of the
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areas covered by temporary event notices and be confident that they will be able to restrict the number of people in each area covered to less than 500 at any one time when licensable activities are taking place. Activities may otherwise be unlawful and the premises user could be liable to prosecution. If in doubt, premise users should check with their licensing authority.
SCOTLAND
Engagements
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) public speeches and (b) official visits he has made since 5 May 2005; and how many letters he sent in this period. [55703]
David Cairns: In his capacity as Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend has made (a) six public speeches; (b) 20 official visits; and (c) sent approximately 315 letters since 5 May 2005. This is in addition to his responsibilities as Secretary of State for Transport, which will be outlined in a separate response. I have also made speeches, undertaken official visits and issued many letters in my role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. All speeches and visits are conducted in accordance with the ministerial code.
Private Office
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of his private office was in the last year for which figures are available. [55722]
David Cairns: The information is not available in the form requested. All the Scotland Office private offices have been combined for cost and efficiency purposes.
Transport Schemes
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what investment in transport infrastructure schemes to support economic regeneration is being considered in Objective 1 areas in Scotland; what the schemes are; what the amount of public investment is; and when he expects decisions to be made. [54945]
David Cairns: On 28 February the Government launched a consultation on the UK's draft national strategic reference framework for the Structural Funds from 2007–13. This will establish the broad priorities for future Structural Funds programmes in the UK, and provide programme managers with an initial basis to begin planning for the 2007–13 financial perspective.
The consultation will end on 22 May, and the Department of Trade and Industry aims to publish a response to the consultation within three months of that date.
Implementation of the Structural Funds in Scotland is devolved and is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
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