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2 May 2006 : Column 1359W—continued
NDPBs/Agencies
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies for which she is responsible have been subject to a peer review in 2005–06; what the (i) purpose, (ii) terms of reference and (iii) outcome was of each review; and what reference to the outcome of the review has been made when making funding decisions for those organisations. [65093]
Tessa Jowell: During 2005–06 one full peer review was undertaken, of Arts Council England (ACE), plus a one-day follow-up review of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The purpose of peer review is to take an independent, strategic view of an organisation's effectiveness and capacity, in order to help that organisation improve its performance.
The terms of reference and the report of the ACE peer review can be found on the ACE website www.artscouncil.org.uk/peerreview. The conclusions of the review will be taken into account in drawing up the funding agreement between DCMS and Arts Council England for the 2006–08 period.
The MLA follow-up review concluded that the MLA had made considerable progress towards implementing the recommendations of the original peer review, but that MLA and DCMS would have to work together
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closely to deliver the full, challenging agenda. The peer review conclusions underpin the current funding agreement between DCMS and MLA.
Shooting Training
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations her Department has made to the Home Office concerning a possible relaxation of the handgun legislation to enable Olympic target shooters to train in the country. [67141]
Mr. Caborn: The Department is committed to supporting its very best athletes, and looks carefully at reducing any barriers that may restrict the development of talent.
In the case of the sport of shooting, the Firearms Amendment Act (1997) has limited the practice of three of the 15 shooting disciplines defined as an Olympic sport.
In light of representations from the sport, this matter has been brought to the attention of the Home Secretary. He has been asked to consider ways in which our Olympic hopefuls in those three disciplines affected under the current legislation may be able to train in Britain, while respecting the very important issue of public safety.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the money recently awarded by UK Sport to shooting will be used to fund the costs of training outside the UK. [67142]
Mr. Caborn: UK Sport's total allocation of £4.817 million to the sport of shooting between 2006–9, announced in April, is based on its investment model which calculates how many athletes should be supported at each stage of the performance pathway in order to deliver a potential number of medals in that sport.
The allocation per athlete is calculated according to a number of criteria, including the cost of training in the UK and the cost of training and competing abroad.
These costs have been averaged across all the sports, which means that each national governing body has some flexibility about how it allocates the funding to its athletes, while being required to deliver against a set of agreed milestones.
Great Britain Target Shooting Federation, the national governing body, in discussion with UK Sport, is in the process of planning precisely how it will spend its allocation across the world class talent, development and podium programmes. It is estimated that this process will take approximately three months.
However, for those high performance athletes on UK sport's world class performance programme over the course of the Athens cycle (2001–05), we understand that target shooting spent approximately £375,000 on funding the cost of training and competing abroad. UK Sport estimate that the cost of overseas training alone was in the region of £155,000.
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Sports Funding (Coventry)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what central Government funding has been allocated to sport in Coventry in each of the last eight years. [66498]
Mr. Caborn: Financial support for sport from public sources is primarily channelled through Sport England and UK Sport, the two DCMS sponsored bodies which award Lottery grants and dispense Exchequer funds for sport from DCMS.
The table shows the Exchequer and Lottery funding which Sport England has awarded to Coventry between 1997 and 2005.
(4) The figures provided include Lottery awards made through programmes such as: Community Capital, Community Investment Fund, Active Communities Development Fund, Active Sports, Active England, Community Athletics Refurbishment Programme, Sport Action Zones and Green Spaces. They also include mixed Lottery and Exchequer awards made through programmes such as: School Sports Partnerships and Space for Sport and Arts.
It is not possible for UK Sport to determine an amount of Lottery or Exchequer funding allocated to Coventry as its funding is not directed to specific regions.
Sports Infrastructure (Northamptonshire)
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her officials have had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the provision of appropriate sports infrastructure in Northamptonshire in connection with growth area housing expansion. [67308]
Mr. Caborn: My officials are in regular contact with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about the development of all four housing growth areas including Milton Keynes South Midlands.
On the provision of appropriate sports provision for the area, Sport England, my Department's lead delivery agency, is working closely with regional and local government. In 2005 the Government launched Living Spaces"; guidance for Local Delivery Vehicles on culture and sustainable communities in the MKSM Growth which was developed by a number of DCMS's NDPBs including Sport England.
A copy of the guide can be downloaded from the Culture South East website at:
Telephone Advice Lines
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many telephone advice lines her Department and its non-departmental public bodies support; how many telephone advisers each employs; and how much funding is provided to each by (a) her Department and its non-departmental public bodies, (b) other Government departments, (c) the private sector and (d) the voluntary sector. [66590]
Mr. Lammy: My Department does not hold the information requested. The question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
Television Companies (Financial Returns)
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether Ofcom has received and reviewed financial returns from all relevant television companies over the last five years; [66971]
(2) if she will make a statement on the approach Ofcom takes where (a) a television company fails to provide required returns and (b) issues are found with the returns provided; [66972]
(3) if she will make a statement on Ofcom's system for receiving and reviewing financial returns from relevant television companies. [66973]
James Purnell: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), as independent regulator for the communications sector. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
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