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25 Oct 2006 : Column 1883W—continued
Wales
Departmental Dress Code
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his Department's policy is on the display of religious (a) artefacts, (b) symbols and (c) dress by its staff; how many staff have been subject to disciplinary proceedings regarding this policy in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [95642]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office does not have a formal dress code. Staff are expected to present a smart/professional appearance while at work or conducting official business. Where an employee's religion requires them observe a particular dress code, this is respected.
No Wales Office staff have been subject to disciplinary proceedings on the basis of dress.
Departmental Staff
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if his Department will (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its workforce, (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers, (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and (d) extend to over-fifties the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement. [96505]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office is a small organisation with a diverse workforce. Staff represent all working age bands, and the Wales Office is fully compliant with age discrimination legislation. Opportunities for training, flexible working, recruitment and retention are available to all staff, regardless of age. On this basis, it is not necessary for the Wales Office to undertake an age audit.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of vacancies in his Department in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in (a) English and (b) mathematics GCSE. [96742]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office is a small organisation, with fewer than 60 staff based in Cardiff and London. It draws its staff from other bodies, namely the National Assembly for Wales and Department of Constitutional Affairs. These staff have already had their qualifications assessed, and so we do not directly specify any requirement for these qualifications in our vacancies.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment. [96866]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office is a small organisation, with fewer than 60 staff based in Cardiff and London. It draws its staff from other bodies, namely the National Assembly for Wales and Department of Constitutional Affairs. These staff have already had their qualifications assessed, and so we do not need to carry out any further assessment of GCSEs or other qualifications.
Muslim Council of Britain
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much (a) financial support and (b) support in kind his Department and its agencies have given to the Muslim Council of Britain in each year since 1997. [96282]
Mr. Hain: The Wales Office was established in 1999 and has given neither financial support nor support in kind to the Muslim Council of Britain.
Social Exclusion
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with other appropriate Government departments on how best practice on social exclusion can be shared with the Welsh Assembly Government. [95232]
Mr. Hain: Devolution enables the Welsh Assembly Government to adopt tailor-made policies to tackle social exclusion in Wales. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Social Exclusion takes a close interest in the work of the Assembly Government in this area, and her Department maintains contact with the Assembly Minister for Social Justice and her officials in order to exchange best practice and to ensure that work is properly co-ordinated.
The different countries of the UK have recently worked together to produce the UK's National Action Plan on Social Inclusion for the EU, which sets out some of the most promising programmes and approaches developed across the countries of the UK.
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Travel
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on (a) chartering aircraft and (b) non-scheduled air travel in each of the last five years. [96224]
Mr. Lammy: The costs of chartering aircraft by the Department in each of the past five years are not separately identifiable within the Department’s accounts without incurring disproportionate costs.
In respect of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Where non-scheduled aircraft are used this is shown in the list. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006. Copies of the lists are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members. All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which is also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
Digital Dividend Review Consultation
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she expects to publish an interim report following the closure of the Digital Dividend Review Consultation. [96142]
Mr. Woodward [holding answer 23 October 2006]: On 17 November 2005 Ofcom announced the beginning of the Digital Dividend Review project. This is to examine the options arising from the release of spectrum afforded by the digital switchover programme.
It is for Ofcom to decide when to publish a report.
Funding (Theatres)
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding has been made available to theatre companies in the East Midlands in each year between 1998 and 2005. [96110]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not fund the arts directly, but through Arts Council England, who are responsible for distributing public money from Government.
The Arts Council of England merged with the regional arts boards in 2002-03. It is not possible to provide reliable funding figures for theatre in the East Midlands prior to this date.
| Arts Council England, East Midlands regular funding for theatre organisations | |
| £000 | |
In addition, since 2003-04 Arts Council England, East Midlands has allocated over £2.6 million to 169 organisations and individuals through their Grants for the arts funding scheme.
Government Art Collection
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Ministers have artwork from the Government Art Collection in their offices; what requests the collection has received for changes to the artwork hanging in ministerial offices in each of the last five years; and what the average cost of (a) exchanging and (b) hanging a new artwork from the collection has been over the same period. [96238]
Mr. Lammy: A list of which Ministers have works of art from the Government Art Collection in their offices and what requests the collection has received for changes to the works of art hanging in ministerial offices in each of the last five years is provided in a separate document. I am arranging for copies of this document to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The Government Art Collection (GAC) spends approximately £130,000 from its annual Programme Vote on transport and installation in major Government buildings in the UK and all around the world, as well as the transport of works of art to and from conservators and framers. The GAC employs freelance specialist fine art transporters and installers for these jobs.
It is not possible to provide a meaningful figure for the average cost of exchanging and installing an individual work of art in a Minister’s office. For reasons of economy, the installation of groups of works of art in ministerial and other offices and areas in departmental buildings—such
as entrance halls, waiting rooms, conference rooms, corridors, etc.—are almost always batched together in the same job. Additionally, time taken to remove and install works of art in offices may vary due to the size, weight, number and handling difficulties of individual works and physical considerations such as the type of wall involved, etc. Individual GAC staff costs would also have to be taken into consideration, to include recording all moves of works of art, assistance with initial selections of works of art, organising their transport and installation, and overseeing the installation itself.
Ministerial Visits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2006, Official Report, column 1369W, on ministerial visits, when she next plans to visit Northern Ireland. [97084]
Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State currently has no plans to visit Northern Ireland.
PFI Projects
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by her Department on Private Finance Initiative projects postponed pending further consideration or stopped in the last 12 months. [96799]
Mr. Lammy: DCMS does not keep detailed costs as projects are managed by local authorities. Within the last 12 months one project has been postponed for reconsideration. DCMS does not have details of the cost accrued by the local authority.
Shepway district council-Leisure PFI project. was delayed for re-consideration of the Outline Business Case.
Public Events (Risk Assessment)
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department has issued to licensing authorities on the requirement for requiring risk assessments for public events which included regulated entertainment. [95828]
Mr. Woodward: The guidance issued to licensing authorities under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 states that all applicants for a premises licence or club premises certificate should carry out a risk assessment against the four licensing objectives in order to identify any necessary steps to be recorded in the operating schedule.
The guidance does not state how the risk assessment should be carried out or recorded. However, it lists publications which give technical and professional advice about safety and risk assessment at events and may be relevant in the context of regulated entertainment.
Tourism (Press Releases)
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many press releases on tourism her Department has issued since April. [95647]
Mr. Woodward: The Department has issued one tourism-specific press release since April 2006. It has also issued a number of press releases relating to tourism as well as other areas; and on areas that are a key part of our tourism industry, such as licensing, heritage and culture.
VisitBritain, funded by grant in aid from the Department, has issued 81 press releases since April. These have covered the promotion of England and Britain as a tourism destination, VisitBritain’s responsibility to help the British tourism industry address the media more effectively, and activity to raise the value of the visitor economy.
UK Film Council
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by the UK Film Council in the East Midlands in the last six years. [96107]
Mr. Woodward: The UK Film Council has made lottery awards, both directly and through its delegates Skillset and First Light, to organisations and film makers based in the East Midlands over the last six years as follows:
| Lottery (£) | |
In addition to its direct funding of projects, the UK Film Council disperses a combination of Lottery and Grant in Aid (GIA) funding through the Regional Investment Fund for England (RIFE) to each of the English regions through nine Regional Screen Agencies. EM Media is the agency tasked with supporting film activity in the East Midlands. In each of the last six years the UK Film Council has invested RIFE monies in EM Media as follows:
| £ | |||
| GIA | Lottery | Total | |
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