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London Olympics
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in what ways she expects Northern Ireland to benefit from the 2012 Olympic Games. [85441]
Mr. Caborn: The Government are determined that the whole of the UK, including Northern Ireland, can contribute to and benefit from the games in 2012.
Anticipated benefits include: increased interest and participation in sport, employment and business opportunities generated by hosting pre-event training camps, volunteering opportunities, an increase in tourism throughout the whole of the UK and the cultural festivities relating to the Cultural Olympiad.
A Nations and Regions Group (NRG), has been established to provide leadership and strategic direction in ensuring that the whole of the UK is engaged with these benefits. Each nation and region, including Northern Ireland, is represented on the NRG and has been tasked with developing a delivery plan to ensure that the many opportunities are realised for their nation or region.
Northern Ireland has established its own task force to drive forward this agenda. The group chaired by the permanent secretary of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), includes representation from sport, culture, tourism, Invest NI, local government and other interested bodies who will be responsible for delivering the benefits for Northern Ireland.
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of tourists visiting the South West region during the 2012 Olympics. [86098]
Mr. Woodward: My Department has made no estimate of the number of tourists who will visit the South West region during the 2012 Olympics.
Public Appointments
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public appointments are within her patronage; what (a) salary and (b) other emoluments are attached to each; and what the comparable figures were in (i) 1976, (ii) 1986 and (iii) 1996. [83190]
Tessa Jowell: Details of public appointments to public bodies sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) can be found in Public Bodies, copies of which are in the Library. Public Bodies has been published annually since 1980 and the most recent edition provides figures for 2005. Public Bodies includes remuneration levels for all public appointments between 1980 and 2001, and remuneration levels for chairs for 2002-05.
Information for 1976 in respect of bodies now sponsored by DCMS, and additional information on remuneration and emoluments which is not contained in the most recently published version of Public Bodies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Small Businesses
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2006, Official Report, columns 719-20W, on advertising expenditure, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the information campaign targeted at small independent businesses. [84670]
Mr. Lammy: In early June 2005, my Department launched a licensing communications campaign including PR, advertising and direct mail which targeted small independent businesses. The awareness-raising campaign proved highly effective and, together with the efforts of local authorities, trade associations and other stakeholders, helped increase the overall rate of applications from less than 5 per cent. in May 2005 to an estimated 98 per cent. of expected applications having been made by the time the new regime came into effect on 24 November.
Swimming Pools
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many 50 metre swimming pools there are in England; and where each is located. [85991]
Mr. Caborn: There are currently 37 50 metre swimming pools in England. The table details where they are located:
| Location | |
A further three 50 metre indoor pools are under construction and another is at the planning stage.
Theatre Funding
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the grant-in-aid to Arts Council England was allocated to theatre in each year from 1997 to 2005. [85331]
Mr. Lammy: The following figures supplied by Arts Council England provide a breakdown of the information requested.
| Arts Council England grant in -aid funding—theatre | |
| £000 | |
Prior to the merger of the Arts Council of England and the regional Arts Boards, funding for theatre was distributed nationally by the Arts Council and regionally by the Arts Boards. For this reason it is not possible to provide an accurate figure for overall national funding for theatre before 2002-03. Figures for 1996-97 and 2001-02 are therefore indicative.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Arts Council England allocation to subsidised theatre in each year from 1997 to 2005 was paid to (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) writers. [85332]
Mr. Lammy: Arts Council England does not analyse expenditure by subsidised theatre organisations in the detail requested.
However, Arts Council England's 2004-05 annual survey of regularly funded organisations provides information about income and expenditure on artistic programme costs and staff.(1)
In 2004-05, £152.7 million was spent on artistic programme costs, including £67.5 million (44 per cent.) on artistic staff including actors, musicians and writers.
During this period, theatre organisations employed 805 permanent artistic staff and 7,825 freelance/contractual staff.
(1 )In 2004-05, valid survey returns were received from 216 theatre organisations, representing approximately 80 per cent. of Arts Council England's full theatre portfolio. Data from the 2004-05 survey is currently unpublished.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received from (a) theatre managers, (b) orchestras and (c) entertainment trade unions on the impact on theatre of the comprehensive spending review for 2008 and 2011. [85333]
Mr. Lammy: Arts Council England (ACE), in its role as lead body for the arts in England, has consulted the wider arts sector in formulating its contribution to the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) process to date. I have also met with representatives from the theatre and orchestral unions to discuss potential impacts of the CSR.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Mr.
Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006,
Official Report, column 1150W,
on Afghanistan, what the (a) name and (b) job description
is of each of the UK-funded advisers who are members of the Provisional
Reconstruction Team.
[85425]
Dr. Howells: The UK is funding the provision of advisers working in the fields of governance, police reform and justice/rule of law to the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province. All will work to promote the development of effective and transparent provincial governance in line with the Afghan Government’s administrative reform processes. This will include helping to build capacity to plan, co-ordinate and implement the provision of basic public services and to exercise the rule of law. It will focus on helping local governance institutions, including the governor’s office, provincial departments of line Ministries, the Provincial Council and Provincial Development Committee, to design and deliver the activities required to fulfil their mandates. The advisers will seek to facilitate the roll-out of current programmes from the national level to Helmand.
The governance adviser will aim to strengthen provincial public administration and representative and planning institutions. The police adviser will co-ordinate UK activities in southern Afghanistan in support of the Afghan police, building contacts with and the capacity of provincial and district police chiefs. The justice/rule of law adviser will aim to strengthen the criminal justice system, identifying ways to address linkages between informal and formal justice sector institutions, and to strengthen dispute-resolution mechanisms.
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) UN and (b) EU officials are based in the Provisional Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province; and what the purpose is of each. [85473]
Dr. Howells: There are no UN or EU officials currently based in the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 5 July 2006, O fficial Report, column 1150W.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote the equal application of law to women and men in Afghanistan; and what assessment she has made of women’s access to legal representation in Afghanistan. [86483]
Dr.
Howells: The Afghan constitution states that “the
citizens of Afghanistan have equal rights and duties before the
law”. The “Justice for All” Action Plan provides
the basis for the reform of the Afghan justice sector over the next 12
years. The Plan is divided into five areas of activity: law reform,
institution building, and access to justice programs, traditional
justice and co-ordination. The Global Conflict Prevention Pool (the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Ministry of Defence and the
Department for International Development funded) has provided US
$500,000 in support of this Action
Plan. In addition, the FCO, through the Global Opportunities Fund is
sponsoring a number of projects specifically designed to increase
women’s access to justice, improve their living standards,
promote women’s equal participation in governance, create a
professional network of women’s rights organisations and promote
access to information through the
radio.
The UK fully supports the equal application of law in Afghanistan to women and men.
BBC World Service
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the UK Government have made to the Chinese Government regarding transmission to China of the BBC World Service websites and broadcasts. [85036]
Dr. Howells: The Government are concerned about restrictions on media freedom in China. We regularly raise our concerns with the Chinese Government about China's jamming of BBC World Service broadcasts in Chinese and blocking of the BBC World Service website; most recently our Ambassador in Beijing raised this with the State Council Information Office on 11 July. The then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley, South (Ian Pearson), raised this issue with the Chinese Government on 7 April. The Government are in regular contact with the BBC over this issue and have expressed their wish to see this issue resolved prior to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
British Prisoners
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens imprisoned abroad are (a) awaiting trial and (b) serving a custodial sentence. [85953]
Dr. Howells: On 31 March 2006, British Consular officials were aware of 2,255 British Nationals detained in overseas prisons. This includes those awaiting trial as well as those serving custodial sentences. We do not maintain separate records of the numbers of British nationals awaiting trial or serving custodial sentences. As information on British nationals in prison overseas is held on case files, it would incur disproportionate cost to provide this information.
Burma
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with (a) Tanzania, (b) Ghana and (c) Republic of Congo in their capacity as members of the Security Council regarding United Nations resolutions on Burma. [85891]
Mr. McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 26 June 2006, Official Report, column 172W.
Mr.
Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of
State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what
representations she has made to the government of (a) France,
(b) Austria, (c) Germany, (d) Italy and (e)
Spain regarding investments in Burma.
[85892]
Mr. McCartney: We have made no such representations to the governments of these countries. The EU Common Position on Burma prohibits investment by EU member states in listed state-owned companies with links to the Burmese military. All EU member states are bound by the Common Position.
The latest EU Common Position, agreed on 27 April 2006, can be found on the EU website at:
http://europa.eu.int/eurlex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_116/1_11620060429en00770097.pdf
I shall arrange for a copy of the EU Common Position to be placed in the Library of the House and for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the government of Burma on (a) the Karen people in Eastern Burma and (b) other issues relating to Burma; and if she will make a statement. [86015]
Mr. McCartney [holding answer 17 July 2006]: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions with the Government of Burma.
On 15 June, I summoned the Burmese Ambassador to raise our concerns about the human rights abuses suffered by ethnic groups, including the Karen; forced labour; restrictions on religious freedom; the use of sexual violence and the exploitation of children. I also repeated our call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and that of all other political prisoners held in Burma.
On 5 July, I wrote to the Burmese Foreign Minister, reiterating the points I made to the Burmese Ambassador. I shall arrange for a copy of my letter to be placed in the Library of the House and for a copy of the letter to be sent to the hon. Member.
We shall continue to take every opportunity to express the Government's concern to the regime and its representatives.
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