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Women Entrepreneurs

Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of women entrepreneurs in the North East. [63283]

Alun Michael: Greater levels of entrepreneurship are essential if we are to succeed by increasing economic growth, and female entrepreneurship can, make a crucial contribution in this growth. Because there are unique issues attaching to female entrepreneurship the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has established the National Women's Enterprise task force, in association with women's business support organisation Prowess. The task force will champion women's enterprise issues across Government.
 
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Both directly and through regional development agency ONE NorthEast the Government supports a range of initiatives which are achieving increases in the numbers of entrepreneurs in the North East of England. Support provide through the Business Link network in the region, ongoing restructuring and simplification Government business support, and the £26.4 million to be shared by Easington, Derwentside, Wear Valley, Sedgefield and South Tyneside under the local enterprise growth initiative (LEGI) will all contribute to the encouragement of new business start-ups in the region.

While many initiatives are aimed at all potential entrepreneurs, there are some which seek to increase opportunities, enhance levels of business skills and raise entrepreneurial aspirations specifically among the female population.

For example:

The Government announced this month that ONE NorthEast will receive £80,000 to establish a pilot Women's Enterprise unit, which will assess measures needed to accelerate rates of women's entrepreneurship in the North East of England.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which services that the BBC proposes to offer will be subject to (a) a market impact assessment and (b) the public value test. [62815]

Tessa Jowell: The BBC's new Charter and Agreement will require the BBC Trust to subject all new services and significant changes to existing services to a public value test. Every public value test will include a market impact assessment.

British Sub-Aqua Club

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will meet the elected officials of the British Sub-Aqua Club. [63636]

Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no current plans to meet the elected officials of the British Sub-Aqua Club.

Officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the chairman of the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites have recently met elected officials of the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), among other
 
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diving organisations. Officials have been in regular correspondence with BSAC and are forming good working relationships over a variety of issues.

Freeview

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken to increase the number of households able to receive Freeview television in (a) South Swindon and (b) England. [64036]

James Purnell: Digital Switchover will enable digital terrestrial coverage to match the current 98.5 per cent. analogue level. Switchover for the HTV West region and the Central region will happen in the first half of 2010 and the first half of 2011 respectively.

The Government have confirmed the regional timetable for the switchover to digital television and announced details of a support scheme to help the most vulnerable households to make the switch.

Digital UK, an independent, not-for-profit company, will co-ordinate the implementation of digital switchover and ensure that consumers have timely and accurate information about the switch.

Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates she met the Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee; who represented the committee; and whether they were (a) elected or (b) appointed. [63635]

Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not recently met the Joint Nautical Archaeology Policy Committee (JNAPC).

I met Robert Yorke, the chair of the JNAPC, on 2 November 2005.

Robert Yorke was elected as chairman of the JNAPC by the committee.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Capita Group

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much business his Department has placed with (a) Capita Group plc and (b) its subsidiaries in each of the last five years; what the total value is of outstanding contracts placed with Capita Group plc and its subsidiaries by his Department; for which current tenders issued by his Department (i) Capita Group plc and (ii) its subsidiaries have been invited to bid; and whether (A) Capita Group plc and (B) its subsidiaries have seconded staff (1) temporarily and (2) on a longer-term basis to (X) his Department and (Y) any of its agencies. [61077]

Ian Pearson: In each of the last five financial years the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has placed the following levels of business with Capita Group plc.
 
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£
2001–021,198,500
2002–03763,300
2003–04565,100
2004–05199,300
2005–06860,500

In 2005–06 the FCO placed £44,000 of business with Veredus, a subsidiary of Capita Group plc.

The total value of outstanding contracts with Capita Group plc is £321,116.

The FCO has no current tenders ongoing which involve Capita Group plc or its subsidiaries.

Neither the FCO nor its Executive Agency, Wilton Park, have seconded staff from Capita Group plc or its subsidiaries either temporarily or on a longer-term basis.

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the value of contracts held by his Department with (a) Capita plc and (b) its subsidiaries was in the last three financial years. [61435]

Ian Pearson: The value of contracts held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with Capita plc in the last three financial years is:
£
2003–04565,100
2004–05199,300
2005–06860,500

The value of contracts held with Veredus, a subsidiary of Capita plc, over the last three financial years is as follows:
£
2003–040
2004–050
2005–0644,000

Ministerial Responses

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy when placing material in the Library in response to a parliamentary question to supply a copy of the material to the hon. Member who tabled the question; and if he will make a statement. [64210]

Mr. Straw: Yes.

Political Memoirs

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his evidence to the Public Administration Committee of 29 March 2006, HC 689-v, on publication of political memoirs, why and how he will arrange to dismiss an official or an adviser who keeps a daily diary; whether an official or an adviser may keep a journal; when that policy was first made; and when it was first made public. [63685]


 
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Mr. Straw: The Diplomatic Service Regulations do not prohibit the keeping of diaries by officials, and no official or adviser would be dismissed for doing so. My evidence to the Committee made clear that I do not object to the keeping of diaries in principle, only to their publication in disregard of the Regulations.

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