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20 Jun 2006 : Column 1734W—continued
All official travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Swindon-Cheltenham Railway Line
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to re-signal the railway line from Swindon to Cheltenham. [77811]
Derek Twigg: Any plan to re-signal this route is an operational matter for Network Rail and their recently published business plan included £118 million to be spent on signalling on the Great Western Mainline as a whole over the next 3 years.
Weymouth Relief Road
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he has approved the building of the Weymouth Relief Road; [77774]
(2) what funding has been allocated for building the Weymouth Relief Road in each of the next 10 years. [77776]
Gillian Merron: The Weymouth Relief Road was provisionally accepted for funding through the Local Transport Programme with an agreed contribution of £54.567 million in December 2003, subject to Dorset county council completing the relevant statutory processes and complying with the conditions in our offer of funding.
In July 2005 we invited the South West region to provide advice on the priority it attaches to major transport schemes in the South West, including the Weymouth Relief Road, within an indicative Regional Funding Allocation up to 2015-16. We hope to announce our response to this advice before the summer recess.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans the building of the Weymouth Relief Road to start; and when it is scheduled to be completed. [77775]
Gillian Merron: Dorset county council, as the promoting authority for this scheme, is responsible for its delivery including completion of the necessary statutory procedures and compliance with the Department's major scheme requirements. We hope to respond before the summer recess to the region's advice on their priorities and suggested funding timescales for this and other schemes within the indicative Regional Funding Allocation for the South West.
Culture, Media and Sport
BBC
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the management of the BBC as part of the charter renewal process regarding the proposed re-location of BBC departments to Manchester. [78147]
Mr. Woodward: The Department has held numerous discussions with the management of the BBC on a wide range of issues as part of charter review, including on the BBC's proposals to move a significant amount of production outside London, particularly to the north west of England. The Government welcome the BBC's proposals in principle, subject to proper consideration of value for money.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will announce the new BBC licence fee settlement; and if she will make a statement. [77534]
Mr. Woodward: The BBC’s current licence fee settlement runs until the end of financial year 2006-07. The Government are currently conducting a funding review to determine the level of the television licence fee to apply from April 2007. It will announce the outcome later this year.
Mr. Greenway:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what account she will take of HM Treasury's forecast rate of growth of household income in determining the BBC's request
for a licence fee increase of 2.3 per cent. above inflation; [78112]
(2) what account she will take of the licence fee increase agreed in 2001 in determining the appropriate level of the BBC licence fee in the future; [78113]
(3) how she plans to determine affordability in setting the appropriate future level of the BBC licence fee; [78114]
(4) what account she will take of commitments to ensure (a) efficiency savings and (b) the prevention of inflation of staff and talent costs at the BBC in determining the future level of the BBC licence fee. [78232]
Mr. Woodward: The Government are currently conducting a funding review to determine the level of the licence fee to apply from April 2007. All relevant factors will be considered as part of the review.
Commonwealth Institute Building
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department has plans to bring forward legislation relating to the Commonwealth Institute building; what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials have had to discuss delisting of the Commonwealth Institute; and who attended each meeting. [78379]
Mr. Lammy: Given the Commonwealth Institute's unique role as an international and inter-governmental organisation, whose future is of concern to all 53 Commonwealth countries, Government are considering whether special measures are appropriate in relation to the Commonwealth Institute building. No decisions have yet been taken.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had two meetings with representatives of the Commonwealth Institute. A cross-government working group, which included representatives from the Commonwealth Institute, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development, Department for Education and Skills, and No. 10 met on a number of occasions to discuss Government support for the Commonwealth Institute. The group received advice on the planning process from the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Minister in her Department is responsible for monitoring her Department’s compliance with its duty under section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity in carrying out its functions; and if she will make a statement. [73947]
Mr. Woodward:
Under Section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Ministers and Government Departments have a duty to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity.
This has been replaced by a similar provision under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act which comes into effect on the 1 October 2006. There is no statutory duty to monitor compliance with this duty.
I have responsibility within the Department for sustainable development issues. We have taken a number of steps to benefit biodiversity including:
Signing up to the biodiversity target under the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.
Continuing to support the work of the Royal Parks Agency, delivered through their biodiversity management plans for each of the eight royal parks.
Departmental Chief Accounting Officer
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the chief accounting officer of her Department. [76823]
Mr. Lammy: The permanent secretary, Dame Sue Street, is the accounting officer for DCMS, has an MA degree and her professional career spans over 30 years in the public and private sector. The accounting officer is a role that the permanent secretary combines with her personal responsibility for the overall organisation, management and staffing of the Department and for Department-wide procedures in financial and other matters. The accounting officer is assisted in the discharge of these duties by suitably qualified and experienced senior managers including the chief operating officer who has a degree in economics and is an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Departmental Hospitality
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by her Department on alcohol for hospitality purposes. [77197]
Mr. Lammy: Expenditure in the Department is conducted in accordance with the principles of Government accounting as well as the Department’s internal guidance, including that on hospitality.
In line with this, the Department maintains records of expenditure on overall hospitality. The costs associated with expenditure on alcohol are met from within constraints of delegated divisional hospitality and are not separately identified. I have no plans to record these separately.
Diamond Jubilee
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what preparations are being made to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. [78586]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is not currently involved in preparations to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. Any announcement of plans will be made closer to the time.
Film Licensing Certificates
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance the Government have issued to licensing authorities on their powers to regulate film licensing certificates following the introduction of the Licensing Act 2003. [78300]
Mr. Woodward: Guidance to local licensing authorities on this matter was issued as part of the guidance issued under Section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003, published in July 2004.
Goodison Report
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the recommendations of the Goodison report she has implemented; which recommendations relating to direct taxation she has implemented; and what plans she has to implement the recommendations not implemented to date. [78308]
Mr. Lammy: The Goodison report contains a total of 45 recommendations. Of these, 29 recommendations are directed at a range of bodies, including: my own Department; the various funding bodies; the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA—formerly Resource); the Arts and Humanities Research Council (formerly—Arts and Humanities Research Board); the Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund; HM Revenue and Customs; and 16 recommendations relate to taxation and so are a matter for the Treasury.
The key areas in which the Goodison Report has been implemented are as follows:
my Department's administrative responsibilities for export licensing, the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, the Government indemnity scheme and the acceptance in lieu scheme have all been transferred to the MLA;
the Renaissance in the Regions programme for regional museums has been extended to all nine English regions;
annual funding for the National Heritage Memorial Fund will increase to £10 million in 2007-08; and
the VAT refund scheme has been extended to university museums and galleries.
Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) which Government Bills sponsored by her Department remain to be introduced during the 2005-06 session; [77833]
(2) which Government Bills sponsored by her Department she has bid for in the next session of Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [77834]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Straw) on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1431W.
Licensing Act
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will issue guidance on the licensing requirements for garden fetes and similar events held solely for the purpose of raising money for good causes which include an element of live music and charge a fee for entrance, but at which no alcohol is provided and there is no element of private gain. [77658]
Mr. Woodward: I see no requirement for guidance to licensing authorities covering the circumstances described, since the provision of entertainment at a garden fete or similar event held for charitable purposes is not ‘regulated entertainment’ for the purposes of the Licensing Act 2003. Such an event would therefore be exempt from the requirement for a licence, unless the intention was to apply some or all of its proceeds for the purposes of private gain or to undertake the sale or supply of alcohol.
London Bombings (Assembly Report)
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what response she has made to the recommendations aimed at her Department in the London Assembly’s report on the 7 July bombings. [77535]
Tessa Jowell: The Assembly report puts forward one recommendation for my Department. We will provide a full response to the 7 July Review Committee in due course.
National Lottery
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to which organisations New Opportunities funding has been distributed in each Westminster constituency; and which projects were funded. [78548]
Mr. Caborn: The New Opportunities Fund (NOF) has made 1,831 lottery grants, with a total value of over £110 million, in Northern Ireland. It is not possible to list all the recipient organisations and projects, but details of each project can be viewed on my Department's website, searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.
The following table gives the number and value of NOF awards in each Westminster constituency in Northern Ireland.
| Constituency | Number of awards | Total value of awards (£) |
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