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(2) how many tourists used information centres in England in each year since 2000; [80274]
(3) how much funding Tourism England committed to supporting tourist information centres in each year since 2000. [80275]
Mr. Woodward: Most tourist information centres (TICs) are controlled by local authorities and not funded or managed centrally. The provision of tourism services by local authorities, including TICs, is a discretionary matter for them.
However, VisitBritain has recently conducted a consultation on a strategy for providing national leadership for the tourist information network in England. The proposals, put forward after extensive discussion with the National TIC Steering Group and regional partners, include a range of actions designed to increase efficiency and service standards; increase revenue opportunities; and ensure integration with the ‘Englandnet’ business support tool.
It is hoped that these actions will strengthen the TIC brand and allow VisitBritain to market the network in Britain and overseas.
Until March
2006, VisitBritain part-funded One NorthEast and the Yorkshire Tourist
Board (YTB) to
conduct co-ordination of the network. Between 2000 and 2003, this work
was carried out by the regional tourist boards, led by the English
Tourism Council. The costs of this work centrally were as
follows:
| £ | |
Unfortunately, detailed annual records of the number of TICs and their visitor numbers are not held centrally. There were approximately 560 TICs in 2000 and there are about 514 now. YTB made a rough estimate in 2002 that around 75 million visits were made to England’s TICs. The acquisition of improved data on these matters is an important element of VisitBritain’s current proposals.
Electoral Commission Committee
Finance Director
Chris Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what the (a) name, (b) professional and academic qualifications and (c) relevant experience are of the finance director of the Electoral Commission. [80078]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not have a specific post of finance director, but that the responsibilities of its Director of Corporate Services, Roger Gough, include Finance, as well as Human Resources, IT, Procurement and Facilities. Mr. Gough has a Diploma in Management. Before becoming Director of Corporate Services at the Electoral Commission, Mr. Gough was a Directorof Resources in the magistrates courts service for seven years.
Treasury
Building Costs (2012 Olympics)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of possible inflation of building costs in (a) London, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England as a result of the construction work associated with the 2012 Olympics. [80132]
Mr.
Timms: The Treasury has made no estimate of the possible
inflation of building costs as a result of the construction work
associated with the 2012 Olympics. As announced in January, the Public
Sector Construction Clients’ Forum, set up by the Office of
Government Commerce, is carrying out a project to examine the
construction industry’s capacity to deliver
planned national capital construction programmes, including the
provision of the Olympic’s infrastructure, in the period 2005 to
2015.
Correspondence
Mr. Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average cost was to his Department of replying to a letter written by (a) an hon. Member, (b) a Member of the House of Lords, (c) a member of the public writing to a Minister at the Department and (d) an internal letter written by another Minister, in the last period for which figures are available; and how much of the cost was accounted for by (i) officials time, (ii) cost of stationery and (iii) postage costs. [80169]
John Healey: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to correspondence from Members of both Houses of Parliament. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006, Official Report, columns 76-78ws.
Information relating to costs is not recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Custom Entry Clearances
Nick Harvey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2006, Official Report, column 5767W, on AK-47s, what UK custom entry clearances have been issued to UK-based companies for the import into the UK from Bosnia of (a) military vehicles and (b) assault rifles sinceJune 2003. [79909]
Dawn Primarolo: Since June 2003 UK Customs have issued six entry clearances to UK companies in respect of imports of military vehicles from Bosnia that have been recorded under Commodity Code heading871 00000 which covers military vehicles.
Since June 2003 UK Customs have issued nine entry clearances issued to UK companies in respect of imports under Commodity Code 9301 9000 (other military weapons, other than revolvers, pistols and arms in heading 9307). Entry clearance is issued on the basis that import licenses had been granted prior to importation.
Death Statistics
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to ensure that the data on deaths that would be released under clause 11 of the Police and Justice Bill cannot directly or indirectly be misused by commercial organisations; how the activities of commercial organisations will be monitored in relation to the use of such data; and what penalties would be available if the data were misused. [80536]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, 28 June 2006:
As Registrar
General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your
recent Parliamentary Question asking what steps are to be taken to
ensure that data on deaths that would be released under clause 11 of
the Police and Justice Bill
cannot directly or indirectly be misused by commercial organisations;
how the activities of commercial organisations will be monitored in
relation to the use of such data; and what penalties would be available
if the data were misused.
(80536)
It is the case now that death registration data is in the public domain as soon as any death is registered. The data is, however, difficult to access in bulk in England and Wales and is not accessible using modern technology. The intention of the provision is to reduce the scope for criminal activity arising from the fraudulent use of a dead person’s identity, and to do so by making data available more quickly and in a more accessible format than is permitted at present.
It is recognised that provision of the data quickly and in bulk does create a need for additional controls. Any commercial organisation seeking to utilise data on deaths would need to demonstrate clearly that it would be used in such a way as to fulfil the intent of the clause by enabling the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of offences, and no data will be released unless that is the case. A regime is being designed, based on those criteria, to enable rigorous assessment of applications for receipt of the data.
The data will be released subject to strict conditions, and subsequent misuse of it will, lead as a minimum to withdrawal of the supply of data to the organisation concerned; further penalties would depend on the nature of the improper use.
Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent death rate from heart disease was in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England. [80604]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 28 June 2006:
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the most recent death rate from heart disease was in (a) Stoke-on-Trent (b) the West Midlands and (c) England. I am replying in her absence. (80604)
The latest year for which figures are available is 2004 and these are given in the following table.
| Death rates( 1) from coronary heart disease( 2) for Stoke-on-Trent local authority, West Midlands Government Office Region and England( 3) , by sex, 2004( 4) | |||
| Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | England | |
| (1
)Rates per 100,000 population standardised to the European
Standard Population. (2 )The cause of death was
defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth
Revision (ICD-10). The codes used are listed below: Coronary
heart disease—ICD-10120-125 Deaths were selected using
the original underlying cause. (3 )Usual residents of
these areas. (4 )Deaths registered in
2004. | |||
Invoice Payments
Dr. Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of bills presented by private organisations to (a) HM Treasury and (b) HM Revenue and Customs were paid within (i) 10 days,(ii) 20 days, (iii) 30 days, (iv) 60 days and (v) 90 days in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [80642]
John
Healey: The Treasury aims to pay all invoices within
contractual conditions or 30 days from the
receipt of goods or service, whichever is the later. We monitor
performance against the 30 day target. Further analysis could be
undertaken only at disproportionate
cost.
For the 12 month period ending 31 March 2006,94.7 per cent. of undisputed Treasury and Debt Management Office invoices and 99.5 per cent. of undisputed Office of Government Commerce invoices were paid within 30 days. HMRC settled 98.8 per cent. of invoices within 30 days of receipt of goods or service.
Improving payment performance continues to be a priority and is reported in the relevant resource accounts.
Long-term Unemployment
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Hartlepool constituency, (b) the Tees Valley sub-region and (c) the North East Region were long-term unemployed in each year since 1989. [80539]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 28 June 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about unemployment. (80539)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation definitions.
Table 1 shows the number of long-term unemployed for the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region for each 12 months ending February 1999 to February 2004, from the annual LFS, and for the 12 months to December 2004 from the APS. Data are not available for earlier years.
These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (ISA). Table 2 shows the annual average number of people claiming ISA for more than 12 months resident in the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region for the calendar years 1989-2005. Data are not available for the Hartlepool constituency prior to 1996.
| Table 1: Number of long-term unemployed( 1) in the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region | |||
| £000 | |||
| 12 months ending: | Hartlepool | Tees Valley sub-region | North East |
| (1)
12 months and over. Notes: 1. Estimates are
subject to sampling variability. 2. Changes in the estimates
from year to year should be treated with particular
caution. Source: Annual local area Labour
Force Survey; Annual Population
Survey. | |||
| Table 2: Number of people claiming jobseeker’s allowance for more than 12 months( 1 ) in the Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, the Tees Valley sub-region and the North East region; annual averages; 1989-2005 | |||
| Hartlepool | Tees Valley sub-region | North East | |
| n/a
= Not available. (1) Computerised claims only. Data
rounded to nearest five for disclosure
control. Source: Jobcentre plus administrative
system. | |||
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