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Official Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions she has visited each region in an official capacity in the last 12 months. [83910]
Tessa Jowell: I have made 34 regional visits in the last 12 months. Details are given in the following table.
| Regions | Times visited |
Post Office
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with (a) other Government departments, (b) the BBC and (c) Post Office Limited on the effect on the sub-post office network of the loss of television licence renewal income. [82865]
Mr. Woodward [holding answer 6 July 2006]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no such discussions. The award of the contract for over the counter sales of television licences is a commercial decision for the BBC (as television licensing authority). Prior to the announcement of the corporation's decision, DCMS officials had been briefed by the BBC, and liaised with officials at the Department for Trade and Industry.
Television Licences
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received regarding the withdrawal of television licence savings stamps. [81927]
Mr. Woodward: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport had received 13 representations primarily about the withdrawal of TV licence savings stamps at the end of June 2006. A small number of representations about other aspects of the licensing system also referred to savings stamps but are not recorded separately. The Department has also answered two other recent parliamentary questions about the withdrawal of savings stamps.
Televisions, Leicester
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Leicester have television receiving equipment; and what proportion receive a signal from (a) Waltham Television Transmitter (BBC), (b) Sutton Coldfield Television Transmitter (BBC) and (c) other BBC transmitters. [83986]
Mr. Woodward: Nationally, an estimated 97.6 per cent. of households have television reception equipment. We do not have local figures for Leicester.
Most viewers in Leicester can get signals either from the Waltham transmitter or from a small transmitter in the city which relays Waltham’s signals. The Sutton Coldfield transmitter does overlap Waltham across most of the city and there are a few parts (notably the Wigston area of the city and a section to the south-west of the city centre) where only Sutton Coldfield provides adequate signals.
Northern Ireland
Allegations against Teachers
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidences there have been of pupils making serious allegations against teachers in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and in how many of these cases the allegations were proved to be false or unfounded. [82701]
Maria Eagle: The Department does not collect the information on the basis requested.
The Department has undertaken an audit recently with all employing authorities to collect information about staff, both teaching and non-teaching, who have been suspended from duty following allegations of child abuse. This information has been collected to inform the work of a review group established to look at the use of precautionary suspension when allegations of child abuse are made against members of staff. I expect to receive a report of the findings, including an analysis of this data, and proposals for new guidance from the review group in the autumn and I intend to publish both the report and the proposals later this year.
Census 2011
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when preparatory work began in Northern Ireland for the 2011 Census; and what it will involve. [81859]
Mr. Hanson: Preparatory work for the 2011 Census began in Northern Ireland during 2003. in line with developments across the rest of the UK. The work involved includes (i) reviewing and evaluating key aspects of the 2001 Census operation, (ii) developing, testing and evaluating new topics/questions, enumeration procedures and statistical methodologies, (iii) procuring systems and services to assist with the data collection, processing and output phases of the Census and (iv) consultation with users. Proposals for the 2011 Census will be brought forward in a White Paper in 2008.
Child Services
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the action plan for implementation of the Children’s and Young People’s Strategy will be subject to consultation. [83685]
Maria Eagle: I do not intend to consult publicly on the action plan for implementation of the 10-year Strategy for Children and Young People. My priority, as I indicated at the launch, is to publish the action plan as quickly as possible and then get on withthe actions to achieve the six outcomes set out in the strategy. A draft action plan will be considered by the Strategy Planning and Review Group, established to oversee implementation. I will chair the group and membership will include key children’s stakeholders. I will also seek the views of members of the All-Party Group, whom I meet with on a regular basis, prior to publication.
Departmental Staff
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled staff Northern Ireland Government Departments have employed in each of the last 10 years. [80941]
Mr. Hanson: The information requested is as shown in the following table:
| Staff employed by Northern Ireland Government Departments who have declared a disability at 1 January each year | |||
| NICS staff | NIO HCS staff | Total | |
| n/a
= Not
applicable Notes: 1. Table shows staff employed by NI Government Departments and departmental agencies and includes industrial staff, casual staff and Home Civil Service (HSC) staff employed in NIO. (Figures for NIO HCS staff prior to 2001 could not be made available within the timescale for this question. 2. Figures for 1997 and 1998 show those staff who were registered as disabled. Figures for 1999 to 2006 show those staff who declared a disability as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It is impossible to say with authority whether all staff with disabilities have declared it; anecdotal evidence is that an unknown number has not. 3. In August 2000, the Northern Ireland civil service conducted a survey of staff and encouraged those staff who had a disability to declare it at that time. Since then all new staff have been required to declare whether or not they have a disability. | |||
Derry Airport
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from (a) Strabane district council area and (b) Limavady district council area have applied for jobs as (i) airport hands and (ii) fire fighters at city of Derry airport in the last six years; and how many from each council area were successful. [83028]
David Cairns: Employment policies and practices in relation to the airport are a matter for its owner, Derry city council.
I have asked the chief executive of Derry city council to write to the hon. Member with the information.
Domestic Rates
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average effective tax rate that will be levied from April 2007 under the new system of domestic rates; and if he will make a statement. [83011]
Mr. Hanson: It is estimated that the effective tax rate to be levied on households in Northern Ireland under the new discrete capital values system in April 2007 will be £6.33 for every £1,000 of capital value. This estimate is based on a 6 per cent. increase for the Regional rate, which has already been announced in the draft Priorities and Budget 2006-08 and an assumption of a 6 per cent. increase in the average district council rate. District councils are wholly responsible for setting the district rate in each of the 26 council areas and this broad assumption is made against a background of a 5.8 per cent. average increase in District rates over the last three years.
In order to smooth the transition to the new system assistance will be provided through relief schemes, firstly for those facing significant increases and secondly for those on low incomes beyond the 20 per cent. of households that are already entitled to a full rebate under housing benefit.
FIFA World Cup
Mr.
Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for
Northern Ireland which matches (a) he and (b) other
Ministers in his Department attended at the FIFA
World Cup 2006 in Germany in their ministerial capacity; at what cost to
public funds; and with what contributions from third party
organisations.
[83628]
Mr. Hain: Neither I nor any member of my ministerial team attended any matches at the recent FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Financial Assistance (Political Parties)
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been paid per year to each political party in Northern Ireland under the financial assistance to political parties scheme; and whether this funding will end if there is no agreement for a power-sharing Executive by 24 November. [81486]
Mr. Hanson: The amount paid per year to each political party under the Financial Assistance to Political Parties Scheme as operated by the Northern Ireland Assembly is set out as follows.
In terms of future funding, I would refer my hon. Friend to the work plan published with the joint statement made by the Prime Minster and Taoiseach on 29 June 2006, which stated that salaries and allowances for MLAs and financial assistance to parties would stop from 24 November if restoration does not occur by that date.
| £ | |||||||
| 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | |
| (1)
These parties did not continue operating following the 2003 NI Assembly
election. | |||||||
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