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17 July 2006 : Column 97W—continued
Engagements
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, columns 1761-62W, on engagements, if she will list the engagements entered in the ministerial diary of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Media and Tourism since his appointment to that post. [85964]
Mr. Woodward: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 July 2006.
Gambling
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a sports levy on the gambling industry is being considered to help finance the integrity in sport sought by her Department's 10 point plan on Betting. [85577]
Mr. Caborn: The Government have no plans to introduce a statutory levy to finance the integrity of sports.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timetable is for local authorities to implement provisions of the Gambling Act 2005. [85735]
Mr. Caborn:
The Gambling Act 2005 will be fully implemented by September 2007. Under current plans
local authorities will begin to consider the first applications for premises licences from 31 January 2007. My officials are discussing with the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services—LACORS—the timetable and resources needed to achieve this date.
Illegal Sports Betting
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what steps her Department is taking with (a) EU and (b) other countries to combat illegal betting in sport; [84986]
(2) what discussions her Department has held with (a) EU and (b) other countries sports ministers on tackling illegal betting from overseas on UK sporting events. [84987]
Mr. Caborn: I outlined the Government's internal arrangements to protect the integrity of sporting events on which betting takes place with Jean-Francois Lamour, French Minister for Youth, the Sports and Community Life at a recent meeting in Paris. I have subsequently written to Monsieur Lamour explaining these arrangements in more detail.
The Gambling Commission works closely with gambling regulators in other jurisdictions on a range of issues, including mechanisms for exchanging information on gambling operators and procedures to address illegal practices in gambling.
Kate Hoey: 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 from overseas on sporting events that are run in the UK. [84988]
Mr. Caborn: The Gambling Commission may, once the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 are implemented in September 2007, require any betting operator it licenses to provide information on bets that are placed with that operator. The Commission may share that information with the sports governing bodies listed under Schedule 6 of the Gambling Act. 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 eleven sports bodies have signed up to the voluntary plan and an increasing number have Memoranda of Understanding with betting operators allowing for the sharing of information about suspicious betting patterns or individuals betting with those operators here or abroad.
Judicial Review
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 1097W, on judicial review, where information is held indicating on what occasions individuals and organisations have applied
for a judicial review of decisions of her Department; and how (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the public may have access to that information. [85389]
Mr. Lammy: I informed the hon. Member in my reply to him of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 1097W, that the information requested is not held centrally. The request includes all judicial review claims brought against the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, not just those in which judgment was given by the court but also all those withdrawn or settled by the parties and those where the court did not grant permission to proceed. The information will be held on files of Her Majesty’s Court Service, of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and of the Treasury Solicitors Department. It is open to hon. Members and members of the public to make a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act Some information is also available on Her Majesty’s Courts Service website www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk and other legal research databases, although these may be selective and are likely to be confined to cases that proceeded to judgment.
Liquor Licences
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the Department's policy is on whether a liquor licence renewed using grandfather rights before the date on which local authorities became responsible for such licensing should run for 12 months from (a) the date of application, (b) the date when renewal took place, (c) the date on which the licence was issued, (d) November 2003 and (e) another date. [85837]
Mr. Woodward: Licensing authorities became responsible for licences granted under the Licensing Act 2003 on 7 February 2005. All licences granted under the previous alcohol licensing regime became invalid when the Licensing Act 2003 came fully into operation on 24 November 2005, regardless of whether they had been due to expire after that date. Under the new licensing regime there is no renewal date for premises licences and club premises certificates. Licensees currently pay an annual fee on the anniversary of the date when the licence application was granted.
London Olympics
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Candidate File, if she will provide an update on progress on the procurement of no-emission vehicles for the Olympic fleet; and if she will make a statement. [84901]
Mr. Caborn: The Olympic delivery bodies are currently preparing the Olympic Transport Plan, a requirement of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006. They will be consulting on the draft plan later this year.
Low or zero emission vehicles will be used throughout the fleet of cars, buses and service vehicles for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The delivery bodies are currently in discussion with a number of potential marketing partners within the automotive sector and expect to appoint a single automotive partner in due course. The successful partner will be contractually bound to provide a fleet of some 3,500 low emission cars, MPVs and vans. During initial discussions all the potential partners have shown a clear understanding of and commitment to the bid promise of a low carbon Games. They will also enter into discussions with transport operators to provide a fleet of 1,500 low emission buses and coaches, and will also appoint a partner to provide low carbon fuels for all vehicles.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Candidate File, when the exchange programmes and educational scholarships for developing international companies will begin; and if she will make a statement. [84902]
Mr. Caborn: The promotion of sustainability will be a fundamental strand of the London 2012 Education Programme. LOCOG is in the process of working with partners to develop its plans for this programme with the aim of engaging and enhancing the learning of young people across the UK and internationally.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what percentage of the waste generated during the course of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games will be diverted from landfill and sent for reprocessing; and if she will make a statement; [84903]
(2) what plans the Government have to implement delivery of a zero waste games; by what criteria the level of waste will be assessed; and if she will make a statement. [85026]
Mr. Caborn: We have committed to zero waste to landfill for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012. The Olympic Board has identified waste as one of five key sustainability themes the Olympic programme will be focusing on. The Government, GLA, ODA and LOCOG are currently developing their delivery plans in this area, and are looking at appropriate targets for waste as part of the overall Olympic programme. As part of this, the ODA is currently investigating the opportunities to divert waste from landfill during the demolition and construction of the Olympic Park as part of its sustainable development strategy.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department plans to publish the appraisals of the contractors in relation to the 2012 construction commitments. [84962]
Mr. Caborn: The construction commitments signed very recently by DCMS, DTI, ODA, the Mayor for London and the Strategic Forum for Construction are a major step forward in enabling us to showcase collaborative behaviours and best practice. The ODA and the Strategic Forum are now developing various measures in each of the areas of the commitments, and these will be made publicly available.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of winning the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games on sports participation among children. [85025]
Tessa Jowell: Winning the bid to host the Olympic games in 2012 creates the best possible opportunity to transform sport for young people.
Through our national school sport strategy we are well on the way to ensuring that 75 per cent. of children do two hours of high quality physical education and sport per week by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. In addition, by 2010 all children will be offered a further two to three hours of sport every week. We are also putting in place competition managers so that all pupils can compete individually or in teams. 20 managers have been in post since September 2005 and the next wave will be in place by September 2006. By 2010 all school sport partnerships will be supported by a competition manager.
We have set up the UK school games which will showcase our talented young athletes in an annual inter nation and regions competition to be held from 2006- 2011. We have already appointed 600 young ambassadors across the school sport partnerships and we aim to have 822 in place by September 2006. Their objective is to help to spread the Olympic message and ideals within their school sport partnership, and act as advocates and role models to other young people.
The National Sports Foundation is now in place and is responsible for levering and promoting new and additional money for grass roots sports. One of its schemes 2012 Kids builds on the success of the Olympics to encourage children and young people to take up sport.
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what basis the venues for the Olympics road show were selected. [85042]
Mr. Caborn: The venues for the 2012 road show were selected to ensure that there is a wide and diverse coverage of events and locations from within each region in England and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As well as all four capital cities and other major towns, the road show is visiting 2012 competition venues, sporting events, venues with special significance for the Olympic or Paralympic movement, cultural venues and tourist attractions. All road show venues and locations were agreed in conjunction with the Nations and Regions Group.
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to sponsor a future Olympics road show. [85043]
Mr. Caborn: The Olympic stakeholders hope to stage events of this sort in the years from 2007 onwards although plans for future years are yet to be decided.
Museums and Galleries
Mr. Andrew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been
towards increasing the number of people accessing museum and gallery collections by 2 per cent. by 2008. [85458]
Mr. Lammy: The Department’s public service agreement target 3 is, by 2008, to increase the number of people from priority groups visiting museums and galleries during the past 12 months by two percentage points on the final baseline estimate, which will be known in late 2006. The provisional baseline estimates published on 24 March 2006 are set out as follows. These data are from the Taking Part survey.
| Attendance at museums and galleries by priority group during the past 12 months | ||
| Percentage | ||
| At least one visit | Range( 1) | |
| (1) Using 95 per cent. confidence interval. Note: 1. Figures have been rounded to 1 decimal place. | ||
Taking Part is new survey commissioned by the Department and the following NDPBs: Arts Council England; English Heritage; Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and Sport England. The survey was launched in July 2005 and is a continuous national survey of adults and children living in private households in England. The survey asks about engagement and non-engagement in and across activities within the Department’s remit. The survey is the principal measurement tool for reporting performance on the Department’s PSA target 3.
NESTA
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts scheme in each year since 1997; how many grants were made under the scheme in each year; how many applications were rejected; and if she will make a statement. [85555]
Mr. Woodward: The information is as follows.
| Total expenditure NESTA (£000) | Total number of awards | Total number of applicants rejected | |
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