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8 May 2006 : Column 47W—continued
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in her Department. [69126]
Mr. Lammy: The minimum retirement age at which all staff can retire with full superannuation benefits is 60, but all staff below the senior civil service may, if they wish, work until age 65. Retirement age for the senior civil service is currently age 60 but heads of Departments have the flexibility to retain staff beyond age 60 if they judge it to be in the public interest.
Football
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with (a) the Football Association, (b) the Premier League, (c) the League Managers’ Association, (d) the Professional Football Association and (e) individual football clubs on tackling homophobia in football. [67200]
Mr. Caborn: Further to my written answer of 20 April 2006, Official Report, column 755W, there have been no ministerial discussions with any football authorities or clubs on tackling homophobia in football. The Government believe that there is no place for homophobia in football or in wider society and we fully support the campaign being led by the Football Association against homophobic abuse in football in England.
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Minister for Sport's statement of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 70WH, on football players (behaviour), what her response is to the hon. Member for Nottingham North's proposal on the relaunch of sportsmanship on the first day of the next season. [67562]
Mr. Caborn: I am keen to see all those involved in professional football—football authorities, club chairmen, managers and players—play a part in ensuring that sportsmanship is given the utmost priority both for the remainder of this season and during future seasons.
Although this is ultimately a matter for the football authorities to determine, I will carefully consider whether to write to all 92 Premier and Football League club chairmen, as I have done at the beginning of previous seasons, to remind them of their responsibilities in acting as role models to young football supporters.
Gaming Machines
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to increase the level of stakes and prizes permitted for gaming machines; and if she will make a statement. [68301]
Mr. Caborn: The maximum stakes and prizes that will apply to gaming machines once the Gambling Act 2005 is implemented were published alongside the draft Bill. These include commitments to increase the maximum stake on Category C gaming machines (currently all cash amusement with prizes machines) from 30p currently to 50p, and to increase the maximum stake on Category B3 and B4 gaming machines (currently jackpot machines in bingo premises and registered clubs respectively) from 50p currently to £1.
Sport Funding
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what central Government funding has been allocated to sport in Tamworth constituency in each of the last eight years. [68355]
Mr. Caborn: Funding for sport 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. Not all data by distributing bodies is kept at constituency level.
However Sport England and UK Sport have made a number of grants to the Tamworth constituency since 1997.
Sport England awarded Exchequer funding of £20,000, £20,000 and £17,500 in 2001, 2002 and 2003
respectively. Lottery funding provided by Sport England to the Tamworth area since 1997 includes £10,000 for the Green Spaces programme, 169,183 Awards for All and £403,780 for the development of the Anker Valley.
UK Sport has also provided Exchequer funding for UK Competitors in the Tamworth area: £60,000 in 1999-2000, £40,000 in 2000-01 and £20,000 in 2001-02.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department has provided to (a) football, (b) cricket, (c) tennis, (d) rugby, (e) athletics and (f) other sports in (i) the Tees Valley and (ii) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. [67198]
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 following table summarises the lottery funding which Sport England has awarded to the sports specified in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and Tees Valley areas since 1997.
| Award (£) | ||
| Sport | Tees Valley | Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East |
| (1)This information is not available in the format requested. Note: Sport England has defined the Tees Valley area as the local authorities of: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-On-Tees. |
It was only possible to identify Space for Sport and the Arts and Green Spaces figures by local authority area which do not coincide exactly with constituency boundaries. As such they are included in the overall Tees Valley figures but not the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland figures. The report will therefore slightly understate the amount of funding benefiting Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.
The other sport category includes those projects classified as multi sport. It is likely that some of the individual sports listed in the table also benefited from these awards.
It is not possible for Sport England to determine an amount of Exchequer funding allocated to individual sports in these two areas as its Exchequer funding is awarded to the National Governing Bodies of sports who then distribute this funding to projects in different areas. However, the total Exchequer funding awarded by Sport England to the Tees Valley area since 1997 is £902,928.
For this purpose, Sport England has defined the Tees Valley area as the local authorities of: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees.
It is not possible for UK Sport to determine an amount of lottery or Exchequer funding allocated to these two areas as its funding is not directed to specific regions. However, UK Sport has identified two athletes with a declared address in the Middlesbrough South &
Cleveland East area who have benefited from lottery funded Athlete Personal Awards of approximately £63,000.
Note:
This figure shows the funding awarded since 2001, the date which UK Sport took over management of Athlete Personal Awards from Sport England.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support her Department has provided to increase (a) female and (b) ethnic minority participation in (i) football, (ii) rugby and (iii) cricket. [67199]
Mr. Caborn: The Department has a PSA target to increase participation in sport from priority groups by 3 per cent. by 2008. These priority groups include women and ethnic minorities.
Through their Whole Sport Plans and other initiatives, Sport England provides the national governing bodies of football, rugby and cricket with significant funding to contribute towards achieving this target.
Staff Development
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost was of (a) staff away days and (b) staff team building exercises in her Department in each of the last three years. [69125]
Mr. Lammy: The Department encourages Divisions to undertake staff away days and staff team building exercises as part of its commitment to the development of its staff and to improving performance. It does not record the costs of these separately from other forms of training and development.
The Public (West Bromwich)
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps were taken by Arts Council England to prevent the arts organisation The Public in West Bromwich from going into administration. [68421]
Mr. Lammy: Despite efforts to strengthen the organisation's capacity through the provision of an additional £12 million by the funders in June 2005, and the advice of Arts Council England's stabilisation unit, the public informed funders that it was likely to breach its funding envelope in January 2006.
At this point, the Arts Council commissioned a stock take report and options appraisal and the funders agreed upon one of the recommended options and to make short term cash flow funds available.
However, in spite of close working between all stakeholders, the Board of The Public acted on legal advice and registered for insolvency on 3 March 2006 this year.
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Arts Council are taking to ensure that the objectives of its charter
are being met in discussions on the future of The Public's arts building in West Bromwich. [68422]
Mr. Lammy: As a result of the administration process for The Public, Arts Council England has been working closely with the administrators to ensure the artistic vision continues and is realised.
All the funders recognise and continue to support the central place of creative activity within this landmark building. The Arts Council is leading on evolving a new artistic model and programme for the dedicated arts spaces within the building. A number of the visitor attraction "exhibits" have been commissioned and it is expected these will be placed within the gallery as originally intended.
Trade and Industry
Energy Provision
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of UK energy was generated from (a) nuclear, (b) oil, (c) gas, (d) coal and (e) renewables sources in each of the past 30 years. [68028]
Malcolm Wicks: Data over a 30 year period are only available in terms of fuel used for electricity generation. Percentages calculated from the published data are as follows:
| Percentages of total fuel input for electricity generation | ||||||
| Nuclear | Oil | Natural gas | Coal | Renewable sources | Other fuels( 1) | |
| (1) Other fuels include coke and breeze, coke oven gas, blast furnace gas and waste products from chemical processes and non-biodegradable wastes. (2) Data for all generating companies are only available from 1987 onwards, and figures for 1987 to 1989 contain a high degree of estimation. Before 1987 the data are for major power producers, transport undertakings and industrial hydro and nuclear stations only. (3) 2005 data are provisional. Source: Calculated from data published in tables 5.1.1 and 7.1.1 of the internet version of the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2005. |
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