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12 Jun 2006 : Column 935W—continued
Tessa Jowell
[holding answer 8 June 2006]: The review of the cost of the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games is still ongoing. Any revised estimates will be reported only when they have been agreed.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2006, Official Report, column 1792W, on the London Olympics, what inflation rates were applied to each element of the 2012 Olympics infrastructure budget. [75963]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 8 June 2006]: The inflation rate applied to venue costs was 3.5 per cent. per annum from 2003-06 and 6.5 per cent. per annum from 2006 onwards. The inflation rate applied to other infrastructure costs was 5 per cent. per annum.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what additional funding will be available to meet the commitments to mass participation sport made during the 2012 Olympic bid. [75964]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 8 June 2006]: Funding will be available as part of the Government's overall drive to strengthen community sport and drive up participation levels in sport across the UK.
Over £1 billion is being invested in grassroots sport through Exchequer and Lottery funding over this spending review period. For example, the Government are committing £34.5 million over the next two years to the National Sports Foundation to fund a range of projects to benefit grassroots sport, and we will be encouraging the private sector to match this funding.
We are also putting more than £1.5 billion into transforming PE and school sport in the five years leading up to 2008, to encourage children and young people to be more active.
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provision has been made for planting during and leading up to the London Olympics to ensure the provision of sustainable green sites. [75676]
Mr. Caborn: The Government are committed to ensuring not only that we deliver the most successful games, but also that they are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Sustainable landscaping and planting for the Olympic Park is an important issue, both in terms of hosting the games and for the longer term legacy.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), recently set up by my Department to deliver the venues and infrastructure for the games, has responsibility for the design and delivery of the Olympic Park, including its landscaping and planting, and recognises that the park will need extensive landscaping to create a sustainable redevelopment of the local environment. The ODA has recently employed park-wide designers to work on an overall design concept for the park, including landscaping and planting.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what costs were incurred by her Department in relation to the 2012 Olympic bid. [75829]
Tessa Jowell: The Department spent £9.3 million from a budget of £10 million on London 2012 Ltd., the company established to take forward the bid, and spent a further £4.6 million from its £5 million bid support budget on supporting the bid including feasibility studies and master planning.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps will be taken to improve hotel and tourist facilities outside London in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games. [75830]
Mr. Woodward: The consistent high quality of hotel and tourism facilities in the English regions, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be vital to the success of the tourism industry in making the most of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and of their legacy.
My Department, in partnership with VisitBritain and Visit London, will shortly be consulting on the DCMS Tourism 2012 Strategy. The tourism accommodation grading schemes across the UK will be prominent in that consultation, as will the quality of the wider destination welcome.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the potential benefits to non-London tourist centres of the 2012 Olympics. [75831]
Mr. Woodward: The economic benefits to the tourism sector of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are projected at between £1.4 billion and £2 billion nationally. Although London's visitor economy will account for a significant proportion of that total, substantial benefits are expected across the country—not least because 50 per cent. of inbound tourists to London visit other parts of the UK during their stays.
My Department's forthcoming consultation on the DCMS Tourism 2012 Strategy will seek views on maximising the benefits of hosting the games for the English regions, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of hotel rooms planned to be available in London by the time of the 2012 Olympics which will be of an inspected standard. [76027]
Mr. Woodward: Consistent high quality in the standards of visitor accommodation in London and the rest of the country will be important to the success of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and to the tourism industry's making the most of their legacy. The percentage of hotel rooms in the capital which are currently subject to inspection under the grading schemes operated by VisitBritain and the Automobile Association is not available to my Department. However, it is generally accepted in the industry that the London percentage is significantly less than the average of 53 per cent. in membership of quality schemes across Great Britain.
My Department will shortly be consulting on the DCMS 2012 Tourism Strategy, in partnership with
VisitBritain and Visit London. Product quality, in London and the rest of Britain, will be prominent in that consultation.
Act (Royal Assent)
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list those (a) Acts and (b) parts of Acts which received Royal Assent between 1976 and 2006 and for which her Department has policy responsibility which remain in force. [68847]
Mr. Lammy: The list of relevant Acts for which the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible is as follows. The Acts listed are as amended. No separate references are given for purely amending legislation.
Theatres Trust Act 1976 (c. 27)
Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 (c. 32)
Public Lending Right Act 1979 (c. 10)
Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (c. 46)
National Heritage Act 1980 (c. 17)
Licensed Premises (Exclusion of Certain Persons) Act 1980 (c. 32)
Licensing (Alcohol Education and Research) Act 1981 (c. 28)
Horserace Betting Levy Act 1981 (c. 30)
National Heritage Act 1983 (c. 47)
Video Recordings Act 1984 (c. 39)
Films Act 1985 (c. 21)
Gaming (Bingo) Act 1985 (c. 35)
Museum of London Act 1986 (c. 8)
National Maritime Museum Act 1989 (c. 8)
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (c. 9)
Broadcasting Act 1990 (c. 42)
Museums and Galleries Act 1992 (c. 44)
National Lottery etc Act 1993 (c. 39)
Olympic Symbol etc. (Protection) Act 1995 (c. 32)
Treasure Act 1996 (c. 24)
Broadcasting Act 1996 (c. 55)
National Heritage Act 1997 (c. 14)
Wireless Telegraphy Act 1998 (c. 6)
National Lottery Act 1998 (c. 22)
Royal Parks (Trading) Act 2000 (c. 13)
Television Licences (Disclosure of Information) Act 2000 (c. 15)
Office of Communications Act 2002 (c. 11)
National Heritage Act 2002 (c. 14)
Licensing Act 2003 (c. 17)
Communications Act 2003 (c. 21)
National Lottery (Funding of Endowments) Act 2003 (c. 23)
Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003 (c. 27)
Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 (c. 28)
Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 (c. 25)
Gambling Act 2005 (c. 19)
London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 (c. 12)
Advertising Standards
Mr. Ian Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to
ensure that the Advertising Standards Authority fulfils its duty to ban advertisements containing (a) knives and (b) other weapons. [76174]
Mr. Woodward: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supports the Advertising Standards Authority's role (ASA) as the independent regulator of advertising content. There is not a ban on the depiction of all knives and weapons in advertising, although the Advertising Codes require that advertisements are responsible and do not condone violence. All advertisments are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the medium used, the product being advertised, the likely audience and whether a threat of violence is being depicted or condoned. The ASA will continue to take action against irresponsible advertisements.
Care Homes (TV Licences)
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will direct the Television Licensing Authority to exempt residents of short-stay respite care homes from the requirement for individual television licences. [76447]
Mr. Woodward: The BBC, as television licensing authority, is responsible for administering the licensing system and determining licensing requirements in individual cases. The Secretary of State has no power to direct the BBC, or its agent TV Licensing, on the licensing requirements in individual cases or classes of case.
As part of BBC Charter Review, the Government have looked carefully at the existing concessionary arrangements, with a special focus on the Accommodation for Residential Care scheme. As indicated in the White Paper published in March this year, the scheme gives rise to a number of apparent anomalies to which there is no simple solution. However, it helps a significant number of very vulnerable individuals. We therefore have no plans to amend the scheme.
Commonwealth Institute Building
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the Commonwealth Institute Building. [75824]
Mr. Lammy: The Government recognise the importance of the Commonwealth Institute's work to support educational programmes to benefit young people in all 53 Commonwealth countries, and understand that the building is no longer appropriate for that work. It would be inappropriate for me to comment further on this matter while discussions are still to be concluded.
Croquet
Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on
promoting the sport of croquet; and if she will make a statement. [75753]
Mr. Caborn: Croquet is a sport recognised by Sport England, the Government’s lead body on promoting grassroots sport, but it is not a priority or development sport that can seek direct funding through a “Whole Sport” plan. However, individual croquet clubs are eligible to apply for funding from Sport England’s lottery community programmes, although no funding has been awarded since 1998.
Croquet continues to be promoted through its national governing body, the Croquet Association.
Digital Services
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of access to the digital signal in Coventry South. [75801]
Mr. Woodward: The vast majority of households in the West Midlands can receive digital TV services via digital satellite, terrestrial or cable. Digital terrestrial television (via an aerial) is available to 74 per cent. of households. Overall take-up of digital television in the West Midlands is 66 per cent.
After switchover, which takes place in the Central region in 2011, UK digital terrestrial television coverage will match the current analogue coverage of 98.5 per cent.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many homes in Northern Ireland (a) are unable and (b) she expects to be unable after analogue switch-off in 2012 to receive digital television services. [76530]
Mr. Woodward: The vast majority of households in Northern Ireland can receive digital TV services via digital satellite, terrestrial or cable. Currently, digital terrestrial television (via an aerial) is available to 58 per cent. of households. Overall take-up of digital television in Northern Ireland is 53 per cent..
After switchover, which takes place in the Northern Ireland region in 2012, UK digital terrestrial television coverage will match the current analogue coverage of 98.5 per cent.
School Sports
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) of 16 May 2006, Official Report, column 859W, on school sports, how much has been awarded to (a) Sport England, (b) the Youth Sports Trust, (c) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and (d) other partners charged with delivering the National School Sports Strategy over the three years 2003-04 to 2005-06; and if she will list the projects included. [75352]
Mr. Caborn: Over the three years 2003-05 to 2005-06, joint DCMS/DfES funding to deliver projects and programmes within the National School Sport Strategy has been awarded as follows:
| Organisation | Amount (£) |
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(Association for Physical Education, Sports Coach UK, and Youth Sport Trust): Professional Development | |
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