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18 Apr 2006 : Column 648W—continued
Eastway Cycling Circuit
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what factors underlay her Department's decision to close the Eastway cycling circuit in September 2006 in preparation for the 2012 Olympics. [63994]
Mr. Caborn: The London Development Agency (LDA) is responsible for assembling the land for the Olympic park.
Eastway cycle circuit falls within the footprint of the Olympic park and will therefore need to be closed to make way for the construction of the site. I have been informed by my colleagues at the LDA that the decision was taken to close the facility in September 2006 to enable the necessary preparation work to take place ahead of construction works. The site is required at the earliest opportunity due to the presence of contamination and the significant amount of earth works required.
I understand that the LDA is currently working with stakeholders such as British Cycling to secure an alternative facility for the period during which Eastway is unavailable to users.
Funding (Museums etc)
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department has made available for (a) museums, (b) libraries and (c) archive development in each of the last five years. [63290]
Mr. Lammy: The information is in the following table.
(278) Comprises grant-in-aid to the 22 sponsored museums and the DCMS contribution to the Strategic Commissioning programme run jointly with DfES. The 2004–05 figure includes £1.3 million DCMS reform pot funding.
(279) Figures quoted are DCMS contribution only. This is matched by an equivalent sum from the Wolfson Foundation.
(280) Includes £1.5 million DCMS reform pot funding.
(281) Figures show the amount of private finance initiative credits allocated to local authority libraries projects based on a competitive bidding process.
(282) Excludes regional film archives and any funding for archives held by museums or other cultural bodies.
Grievance Procedures
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many grievance procedures have been initiated in her Department in each of the last three years. [63554]
Mr. Lammy: The number of times the grievance procedure has been initiated in the last three years are so small that they cannot be provided on grounds of confidentiality. 1
All staff are provided with a personal copy of a leaflet entitled Putting Things Right" which gives a quick
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guide to the informal and formal processes and support this Department has in place for anyone who has a problem or complaint in the workplace which they wish to be addressed.
1 Where there have been less than five cases in any one year this information is suppressed on grounds of confidentiality.
Harassment Complaints
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of (a) bullying and (b) sexual harassment have been investigated in her Department in each of the last three years; and how many complaints have been upheld. [63555]
Mr. Lammy: There have been less than five cases of sexual harassment and bullying in DCMS in the past 3 years. As this is the case, further information is suppressed on grounds of confidentially.
Orchestras (National Insurance)
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received from orchestras on national insurance contributions; and if she will make a statement. [63987]
Mr. Lammy: Arts Council England is facilitating discussions between representatives of the music sector and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to clarify the circumstances in which Class 1 national insurance contributions are payable for freelance musicians. I understand that good progress is being made. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Regional Casinos
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2520–1W, on gambling, if she will publish the work done by her Department on the social cost of regional casinos referred to by the Minister of State on 1 March 2006, Official Report, column 100WH. [63460]
Mr. Caborn: Exchanges during the Westminster Hall Adjournment debate on 1 March 2006, Official Report, column100WH referred to a report published by Hall Aitken in February 2006. The estimate of the possible social cost of regional casinos contained in the Hall Aitken report was based on the February 2004 Henley Centre report Economics and Social Impact Study of the Proposed Gambling Bill" which had been commissioned by the British Amusement Catering Trade Association. The Hall Aitken report took no account of any alternative views to the Henley report, including a review of Henley report commissioned by DCMS, which was published on the Department's website in July 2005.
I set out the research to which we are committed into the impact of the introduction of the new categories of casino permitted by the Act in my previous answer of 17 March 2006, Official Report, columns 2520–1W.
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Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact on the number of regional casinos of the new measures on casino taxation announced in the Budget. [63796]
Mr. Caborn: The number of new casinos that will be permitted under the Gambling Act 2005 is set out in section 175 of that Act. The Act makes provision for one regional, eight large and eight small casinos.
Taxation is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the tendering process will be for regional casinos. [63990]
Mr. Caborn: The process for the consideration of application for casino premises licences, including the one regional casino premises licence, is set out in Schedule 9 to the Gambling Act 2005.
If the licensing authority (or licensing board in Scotland) receives more than one application for the regional casino premises licence, it will conduct a two stage process.
The licensing authority shall first consider in respect of each application whether they would grant it, if there were no limit on the number of regional casino premises licences.
If more than one application passes this initial stage, the licensing authority is required to determine which of those applications to grant on the basis of which, if successful, would be likely to result in the greatest benefit to the authority's area.
In making these determinations, the licensing authority will be required to comply with a code of practice which will be issued by the Secretary of State in due course.
Sporting Events
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the organisers of the (a) Melbourne Commonwealth games and (b) Sydney Olympics on the hosting of major sporting events; and if she will make a statement. [63319]
Mr. Caborn: Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I visited the recent Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and met Ministers responsible for the games. I also met Ron Walker, Chair of Melbourne 2006, and other Melbourne 2006 officials.
During London's bid for the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games, we took advice from a number of previous Olympic host cities, including people involved in the Sydney games.
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