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5 Jun 2006 : Column 127W—continued
Betting and Gaming
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what regulations govern the sponsoring of terrestrial television programmes by gambling companies; and if she will make a statement. [72967]
Mr. Woodward: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the chief executive’s letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration her Department has given to introducing a levy on betting and gaming in connection with other sporting activity analogous to that which applies to horse racing. [74132]
Mr. Caborn: The horse race betting levy recognises the unique relationship between that sport and the betting industry. Horse racing is a sport whose primary purpose is to provide a betting product. In that respect, it is a symbiotic relationship not shared by other sports, except perhaps greyhound racing which has a separate arrangement with bookmakers. Consequently, the Government currently have no plans to introduce a betting levy for other sports.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Gambling Commission has powers to make the prohibition of lottery-style betting games by gambling operators a licence condition. [73439]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 24 May 2006]: The Gambling Act 2005 sets out the definitions of different types of gambling activity, and provides that it is a criminal offence to offer facilities for gambling without authorisation. It would be inappropriate for the Gambling Commission to duplicate these provisions through the introduction of licence conditions.
The Commission does, however, have powers under section 79 of the Act to impose conditions on operators which relate to the manner, nature and circumstances of licensed activities (including lottery style betting games), should the Commission consider that there is a regulatory need to do so.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the uprating of gaming machine stake and price levels. [75037]
Mr. Caborn: We have received many representations on this issue from gambling operators, trade bodies, and from Members of Parliament.
We will be publishing our proposals for gaming machine stake and prize limits under the Gambling Act 2005, for consultation, in the near future. This will give everyone with an interest an opportunity to comment on the proposed stake and prize levels that will operate from September 2007 onwards.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will next uprate gaming machine stake and prize levels. [75038]
Mr. Caborn: The stakes and prizes that will apply from September 2007 when the Gambling Act 2005 comes into force were set out at the time the Gambling Bill was introduced into Parliament in October 2004. This remains Government policy.
These proposals involve raising the maximum stake on Category C gaming machines (currently all cash amusement with prizes machines) from 30p to 50p, and raising the maximum stake on Category B3 and B4 gaming machines (currently jackpot machines in bingo premises and registered clubs respectively) from 50p to £1.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures are in place to assist (a) the Gambling Commission and (b) sports governing bodies to monitor betting placed from outside the UK on sporting events which take place within the UK. [74117]
Mr. Caborn: While the Gambling Commission has no jurisdiction over betting operators licensed outside Great Britain, it is continuing to build upon its co-operative relationships with overseas gambling regulators.
The Government have worked with sports governing bodies to develop a 10-point plan which facilitates information sharing between sports bodies and betting operators. So far 11 sports bodies have signed up to the voluntary plan and an increasing number have a Memorandum of Understanding with betting operators allowing for the sharing of information about suspicious betting patterns or individuals betting with those operators here or abroad.
Big Lottery Funding
Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress with the work of the Big Lottery Fund. [74137]
Mr. Caborn: The Big Lottery Fund is the operating name of the National Lottery Charities Board and the New Opportunities Fund, working jointly together. A UK-wide framework of themes and outcomes for their work has been agreed, and within that relevant priorities for each of the four parts of the UK have been set.
The Fund has announced a range of new programmes following extensive public consultation,
including children's play; support for the voluntary and community sector, the environment and well-being; and international grants.
The National Lottery Bill currently before Parliament will establish the Big Lottery Fund as a new statutory NDPB. A recruitment campaign for Board and Committee positions on the Big Lottery Fund is currently under way.
Black/Asian Employees
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) black and Asian and (b) other people are employed in her Department's press office. [74363]
Mr. Lammy: The Department currently has 14 members of staff employed in the press office of which six have declared they are white and the remainder have not declared their ethnicity. Information on ethnicity is collected on a voluntary basis.
Charles Darwin
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will allocate funds to Shrewsbury borough council to help it promote the town as Darwin's birthplace in the run up to the bicentenary of Darwin's birth in 2009. [74767]
Mr. Lammy: This Department has no funds to allocate to Shrewsbury borough council to help promote the town as Darwin's birthplace or assist with events leading up to the bicentenary of Darwin's birth in 2009. However, Darwin at Downe, Charles Darwin's home and workplace, was this year nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List and will be considered by the World Heritage Committee in 2007.
Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter of 31 March (departmental ref. 40297). [73897]
Mr. Lammy: I wrote to the hon. Member on 23 May 2006.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 23 May 2006 to question 72575 on the delay in responding to a letter from a constituent, what the reasons are for the delay. [74429]
Mr. Caborn: I have received several letters about Holme Pierrepont over recent months and officials have been working with Sport England and others to ensure that our response to those inquiries is as complete and up to date as possible. I hope to be able to respond to the hon. Member’s inquiry immediately after the Whitsun recess.
I shall also be meeting representatives of Nottinghamshire county council in the near future to discuss progress.
Departmental Credit Cards
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what facility is available for senior civil servants in her Department to use credit cards supplied by the Department. [70486]
Mr. Lammy: If an officer has a business need they can apply for a Government Procurement Card. This is a debit card facility and utilises an agreement set up by the Office of Government Commerce.
Departmental Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff from her Department attended the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-Ul-Adha event in London in 2005; and what the total cost was to her Department of allowing them to attend. [73013]
Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster wrote to the hon. Member on l June with details of the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-Ul-Adha event. Copies of her letter are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental Funding
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from the Department in each of the last five years. [71803]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Staff
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what percentage of staff in her Department are making voluntary contributions to their pension. [73011]
Mr. Lammy: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) can pay additional contributions to top up their pension either through the Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contributions Scheme (CSAVCS), a money purchase arrangement, or by buying added years of service in the PCSPS. As an alternative to membership of the PCSPS recruits from 1 October 2002 have been able to join a stakeholder arrangement, the partnership pension account.
The number and percentage of staff in the department who are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension as at 1 May 2005 are shown in the table.
| Number | Percentage of Headcount (excl Ministers and Special Advisers) | |
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department have had (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years. [73012]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Sick absence figures are contained in the annual report entitled Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based. The most recent report for the calendar year 2004 was published on 1 November 2005, copies of which are available in the Library. This report and those for 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/occupational_ health/publications/index.asp
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of her staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost. [73016]
Mr. Lammy: The information is in the following table:
| Number of non-pensionable bonuses | Total cost of non-pensionable bonuses (£) | Percentage of paybill | |
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case. [75121]
Mr. Lammy: In each of the last three years, the number of employees who did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report totalled less than five. The actual numbers and the percentages these represent of the total number of staff cannot be released on grounds of confidentiality.
Engagements
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will visit Shrewsbury to discuss the proposed theatre project with the council. [74762]
Mr. Lammy: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have plans to visit Shrewsbury at the current time. I am however aware of plans to build a new theatre in the town and understand that Arts Council England's West Midlands office is in contact with the council over the project.
The Public
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been paid by the Arts Council to the consultant Paul Lamb in connection with his work for the arts organisation The Public in West Bromwich in each of the last 10 years. [69133]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested in this question is commercial-in-confidence and as The Public is currently in administration, it would not be appropriate to release it at this time.
Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Arts Council paid the consultant Gary Jones to examine the management structure of the arts organisation the Public in West Bromwich; and if he will list other projects he has assessed for the Arts Council. [70244]
Mr. Lammy: The information requested in the first part of this question is commercially sensitive and as The Public is currently in administration, it would not be appropriate to release it at this time.
Gary Jones’ company, Blackbushe, has received direct payments from Arts Council England for work on three projects since January 2004. These are for work on the Derby Playhouse (January 2004), the Ocean Music Trust (October 2004) and The Public (March 2005).
Government Art Collection
Mr. Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 1018W, on the Government Art Collection, whether there are plans to insure further items in the Government Art Collection. [73806]
Mr. Lammy: The Government Art Collection is not commercially insured. As a general rule, the Government does not purchase commercial insurance for the risks it faces as, in general, it is cheaper for Government to cover its own risks. The Government Art Collection does not plan to insure further items beyond those works of art on display in non-government buildings.
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