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24 July 2006 : Column 953W—continued
Gaming Machines
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when she expects to be able to announce her decision regarding the stake and prize levels of category C gaming machines; [87225]
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to raise the permitted level of stakes and prizes for category C gaming machines; [88225]
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether stakes and prize levels for category C gaming machines are being re-considered. [88009]
Mr. Caborn: I have had very constructive discussions with the relevant industry organisations and others interested in stake and prize levels for gaming machines and will be making an announcement shortly.
Horse Racing
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account was taken of the Jockey Club’s financial position in proposals to transfer functions to the new Horserace Regulatory Authority. [88829]
Mr. Caborn: This is a matter for the Jockey Club, which I understand has made an assessment of its financial position in relation to the transfer of its functions to the new Horserace Regulatory Authority.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the horserace betting levy with EU legislation. [88830]
Mr. Caborn: The arrangements relating to the horserace betting levy were established before the UK joined the European Community. The European Commission keeps systems of aid under review in all member states but aids that pre-date a state's accession benefit from special rules. The Government are satisfied that the existing arrangements for the horserace betting levy are compatible with our obligations under the treaty establishing the European Community.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of the Horserace Betting Levy on the sale of media rights by racecourses; [88831]
(2) whether she has reviewed the conclusions of the regulatory impact assessment of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004. [88833]
Mr. Caborn: The regulatory impact assessment published in December 2003 to accompany the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 contains consideration of the impact of the Horserace Betting Levy on the sale of pre-race data and television pictures by racing.
My Department will remain mindful of the conclusions of this regulatory impact assessment in any further consideration of the future of the Levy.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when she will announce her decision on the future of the Horserace Betting Levy after 2009; and if she will make a statement; [88832]
(2) whether she plans to bring forward measures to vary the provisions of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004 as it relates to the Horserace Betting Levy. [88834]
Mr. Caborn: No decision has been taken to extend the Horserace Betting Levy beyond 2009 nor to vary the provisions of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act, although the matter is under consideration by my Department following the publication of the phase two report of the Future Funding of Racing Review Group, Chaired by Lord Donoughue of Ashton.
IT Contracts
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value was of each IT contract awarded by her Department in each of the last five years; and who the contractor was in each case. [89000]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has awarded IT contracts to NCC Group and BT in the last five years. It is not possible to provide individual costs save at disproportionate costs but the aggregated cost of all such contracts over the past five years would be less then £500,000.
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which IT contracts awarded by her Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the value was in each case. [89038]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has not abandoned any IT contracts in the past five years.
Libraries
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what percentage of public libraries were classed as of (a) good and (b) excellent standard in each year since 1997; [87016]
(2) what criteria are used to determine the quality of public libraries. [87017]
Mr. Lammy: Different aspects of the performance of the 149 public library authorities in England have been assessed, on a different basis, for DCMS since 1998. There was no formal assessment by the Department before then.
Though the terms “excellent” and “good” have been part of the assessments of public library authority performance carried out for DCMS, there is no direct comparison between these different types of assessments.
Annual Library Plans were introduced in 1998 to improve the planning processes of library authorities. The scoring methodology was refined over time until they were discontinued in 2002-03 by which time 64 per cent. of authorities were producing plans that were assessed as good or excellent.
Library position statements were introduced in 2003-04 to assess the extent to which authorities were engaging with key messages that emerged from the Framework for the Future national public library strategy document. Authorities that were assessed as “excellent” in overall Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) terms; or “excellent” in CPA “Leisure and Libraries” terms and “good” overall were exempted from having to provide position statements. Additionally, authorities assessed as having provided an excellent position statement in 2003-04 were exempted from having to produce one in 2004-05. Therefore, there is no straight read across for the two years. However, of those authorities making submissions by the end of 2004-05, 87 per cent. were assessed as having presented good or excellent position statements.
The Public Library Standards originated in 2001-02 to introduce performance measurement for library authorities in England. They now form part of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment Culture Block. The basis of assessment for authorities’ performance against the standards has evolved across the period so it is not possible to make straight comparisons. In 2004-05, authorities were assessed on the number of standards they had passed. Details of each of the 149 authorities’ performance appear in the Public Library Statistics 2005-06 Estimates and 2004-05 Actuals published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Copies are held in the House Library.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many (a) books, (b) audio books, (c) videos, (d) computer games and (e) DVDs were stocked in public libraries in each London borough in each year since 1997; [87252]
(2) how many (a) books, (b) audio books, (c) videos, (d) DVDs and (e) computer games have been lent by libraries in each London borough since 1997. [87255]
Mr. Lammy: This information is not held centrally. However, the Public Library Statistics, published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, contain similar data to those being sought. The House of Commons Library holds copies for the period in question.
Licensing Act
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licences for public houses in (a) rural and (b) urban areas were not renewed in each year from 1997. [86712]
Mr. Woodward: Information on the renewal of licences held by public houses in the years prior to the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) is not held centrally. There is no renewal process for licences issued under the 2003 Act.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of a change in the fee structure for premises licences under the Licensing Act 2003 on businesses which have already paid their renewal fees for their premises licence; and if she will make a statement. [87119]
Mr. Woodward: The Independent Fees Review Panel, chaired by Sir Les Elton, is considering the fee levels and structure and their impact on fee payers and local authorities. We will consider carefully any recommendations that the Panel makes when it reports to Ministers in the autumn.
We have no existing plans to change the fee structure, although we have agreed in principle that there should be a single date for the annual fee. However, before we can set a single date, we will need to consider and consult on transitional arrangements and the options for which date to adopt. Licence holders will be given notice before new arrangements are brought in and should, in the meantime, continue to pay their annual fee on the anniversary of the grant of the licence.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the number of premises licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 which have paid their renewal fees for their premises licence since February; and if she will make a statement. [87120]
Mr. Woodward: There is no renewal process for licences issued under the Licensing Act 2003, although an annual fee is paid on the anniversary of the grant of the licence. We have not made any estimate about the number of licence holders who have paid annual fees. However, as most applications to convert licences to the new regime were made near the end of the period for converting licences in July and August last year, it is likely that the majority of annual fees will not be due until the autumn.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism last met representatives of (a) the licensed trade, (b) local authorities, (c) residents’ groups, (d) magistrates, (e) police officers, (f) village hall associations, (g) sports clubs, (h) performing arts, (i) the tourism industry, (j) fire services and (k) the retail sector to discuss the Licensing Act 2003 and related legislation; and if she will make a statement. [87121]
Mr. Woodward: Since May 2006, I have held several internal meetings on the Licensing Act and have met with the Chair of the Independent Fees review panel. I have met, along with Home Office colleagues, representatives of the licensed trade on 15 May and representatives from local authorities and the police on 24 May.
I am planning to hold a series of stakeholder meetings in the autumn.
London Olympics
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the monthly peak construction costs for the building of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games sites. [87814]
Mr. Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authority is currently procuring the delivery partner that will help it to deliver the Olympic and legacy construction. One element of the delivery partner’s role will be to examine the construction costs of the Olympic infrastructure. We expect this assessment to be completed within six to nine months of the appointment.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment of contamination in the Olympic Park and surrounding Lea Valley area has been undertaken; what the findings were; and what remedial action is being taken. [87815]
Mr. Caborn: Initial site investigation and desk-top research work, undertaken in support of the Olympic and Legacy Planning Applications, identified some contamination within the footprint of the Olympic Park area. Much of the contaminated land is former Brownfield or derelict land that has been used for a variety of industrial activities.
Site investigations are currently being carried out to characterise the nature of the ground conditions and the level of contamination. These investigations will be carried out in accordance with current industry best practice to identify the exact type and concentrations. The investigations are following the principles set out in the Intrusive Investigation Method Statement approved by the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, the Environment Agency and British Waterways. Copies of the Statement have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
The boroughs have been consulted throughout the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment, during the site investigation phase and will continue to be consulted throughout the development of the remediation and validation works.
In addition, generic site specific soil target values have been generated and are detailed in a Global Remediation Strategy which has been reviewed and approved by the same regulators noted above. Once the site investigation is complete, detailed remediation strategies, including generation of site specific clean up targets, will be prepared and agreed with the regulators as appropriate prior to implementation and validation. All of the sites to be remediated will be subject to detailed planning applications.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the cost of (a) security during construction of the Olympic Park in each year to 2012 and (b) security during the Olympic Games. [87816]
Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave him on 24 May 2006, Official Report, column 1788W. Work continues on the evaluation of the security requirements for the various phases of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games and their cost.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has set up a specialist unit within the Department to oversee the Olympic Games. [87824]
Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) has been set up within DCMS under a Chief Executive, who has also been appointed as an additional Accounting Officer, to co-ordinate Government input into the 2012 Games. The Executive acts as a link between Government Departments on the one hand and LOCOG (the London Organising Committee) and the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority) on the other. GOE works closely with all Departments to ensure a joined up approach to delivering the benefits and legacy of the 2012 Games.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) arrangements have been made and (b) mode of transportation will be used to deliver raw materials to the Olympic Park. [87828]
Mr. Caborn: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) are reviewing all modes of transport for raw materials, including river and rail usage, and will work with their Delivery Partner—to be appointed later this summer—to develop proposals for an effective, affordable and sustainable approach.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with other Government Departments on co-ordinating other large construction projects during the construction of the Olympic Park; and if she will make a statement. [87829]
Mr. Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been a key participant in an initiative being led by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to improve the public sector’s demand management in construction procurement and to enhance the UK construction industry’s long term capacity planning so as to meet public sector demand and provide a healthy level of competition.
DCMS has been working with OGC and the Public Sector Construction Clients Forum (PSCCF) in taking forward a number of strands in this initiative including a study, The 2005-15 Construction Demand/Capacity Study, to examine the industry’s capacity to deliver public sector construction programmes including those for the Olympics to time, budget and the required quality, and their likely effect on other capital development programmes throughout the country.
The study is due to be published shortly.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are for the use of (a) the Olympic Stadium and (b) other Olympic facilities after the Olympic Games have finished; and when she expects formal agreements on this to be finalised. [87830]
Tessa Jowell: Plans for the Olympic venues were set out in Theme 8 of the London 2012 Candidature File, which can be accessed on the website of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, www.london2012.com at:
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