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8 Nov 2006 : Column 1508W—continued
This complaint was originally considered by the local Advisory Committee in 2001, which found that there was insufficient evidence to pursue it further. The outcome was challenged by the hon. Member's constituent and has subsequently been reviewed by two other advisory committees, both of whom have identified a “lack of particularised evidence”.
The Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice clearly expect complaints to be resolved much more quickly than this, but they accept that, in some circumstances, the issues under consideration are complex or the evidence is so conflicting that it proves difficult for an advisory committee to resolve within normal time constraints.
Freedom of Information Act
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what (a) criteria and (b) methods were adopted in the selection of Frontier Economics to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; when the report of that work was published; and what assessment she has made of its (i) analysis and (ii) conclusions. [100141]
Vera Baird: Frontier Economics were selected from the HMRC Framework Agreement List for pre-approved consultancy services on the basis of their expertise in economic consultancy. They have a proven track record of producing high quality work for a number of Government Departments. Their report was published on 16 October 2006. At the same time the Government announced on the back of the report that they are minded to:
(i) include reading time, consideration time and consultation time in the calculation of the appropriate limit (£600) above which requests could be refused on cost grounds; and
(ii) aggregate requests made by a legal person, (or persons apparently acting in concert, to each public authority for the purpose of calculating the appropriate limit.
The Government will take stock of the responses to this position before bringing forward secondary legislation.
Public Sector Information Holders
Mr. Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what analysis she has commissioned of the comparative terms and conditions offered by public sector information holders to external licensees and public sector information holders applied to products and services and subsequently sold in equivalent markets; and what evidence she has provided to the Office of Fair Trading inquiry into this issue. [100402]
Vera Baird: The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is responsible for licensing the re-use of Crown copyright information and certain categories of public sector information. We do this via our online Click-Use Licence system—http://www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/index.htm.
Earlier this year, OPSI extended the Click-Use Licence beyond central Government to the wider public sector, including local government and the health service. This new PSI Click-Use Licence is a no
charge online licence and will enable re-users to re-use a wide range of public sector information under the one licence.
OPSI conduct reviews on the licence terms and conditions used by public sector information holders as a key part of the verification process under the Information Fair Trade Scheme. The reviews are conducted either annually or every two years depending on the level of information trading carried out by the organisation in question. OPSI has provided details of these initiatives to the Office of Fair Trading to inform the study on the commercial use of public information.
Given the above initiatives and the analysis undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading, commissioning further analysis is unnecessary.
Culture, Media and Sport
Athletics
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on the application of its rules as they affect British athletes; and what monitoring her Department undertakes of the appeals process adopted by the IAAF for cases of alleged drug taking. [99497]
Mr. Caborn: UK Sport, the Government’s agency for elite sport and its national anti-doping organisation, has recently discussed with the IAAF its decision to impose a standard one-year sanction for missed tests and to extend to five years the period over which the three missed tests are counted.
UK Sport is responsible for monitoring the anti-doping rules, which includes the appeals process, adopted by sports’ national governing bodies in the UK. However it is the World Anti-Doping Agency which is responsible, among other things, for monitoring the appeals process of the international federations, including the IAAF.
BBC
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what shares and assets the BBC holds in external companies. [99341]
Tessa Jowell: Note 13 to the financial statements of the BBC’s Annual Report and Accounts provides details of the BBC’s shares and assets in external companies. Copies of the report can be found in the Libraries of both houses.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value is of all BBC non core assets. [99343]
Tessa Jowell: I regret that it has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Consultants
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many consultants are employed in her Department. [100374]
Mr. Lammy: There are currently eight consultants employed and working in the Department and one person who is on secondment from a consultancy firm. This excludes contractors working in the Department, e.g. those providing facilities management and other support services; and it excludes those providing ad hoc consultancy who are not based in the Department.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department are employed in (a) the West Midlands region and (b) Coventry. [100375]
Mr. Lammy: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport there are no staff employed in (a) the West Midlands region and (b) Coventry. However there are two DCMS staff on secondment to the Gambling Commission, who are based in Birmingham.
Film Production (Wearside)
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to market Wearside as a base for film production. [100401]
Mr. Woodward: The UK Film Council (UKFC), promotes the UK as a filming destination by providing information to international filmmakers about the range and diversity of locations in the UK.
The UKFC has created nine regional screen agencies for England, each of which promotes their individual region as a film location both nationally and internationally.
Northern Film and Media (NFM) is the regional screen agency for the North East which covers Wearside. NFM encourages both inward investment and indigenous production and promotes the use of locations, crews and facilities in the North East.
Gambling
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the report on problem gambling commissioned by her Department has cost. [100276]
Mr. Caborn: The gambling prevalence study, being undertaken by the Gambling Commission, which will report back in September 2007, is estimated to cost £466,000 in 2006-07.
Licensing Act
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what factors the then Minister with responsibility for licensing took into account when she stated in July 2005 that the Licensing Act 2003 will be much better for live music. [100178]
Mr. Woodward: The Government have long considered that a number of measures contained in the Licensing Act 2003 will encourage more venues to obtain authorisations to stage live music. These include: the streamlined application process; the central setting of fees; the abolition of the renewals process; and the application of only necessary and proportionate licensing conditions.
The Government also believe live music provision will benefit from the abolition of the “two in a bar rule” which, when coupled with the very high rate of some public entertainment licensing fees, had previously acted as a disincentive to more diverse forms of music.
Olympic Games
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the potential cost of the London 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement. [99738]
Tessa Jowell: I regret that it has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she and her ministerial colleagues have had with the (a) Olympic Delivery Authority, (b) London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, (c) Olympic Board, (d) Greater London Assembly, (e) National Olympic Committee, (f) National Paralympic Committee, (g) Olympic Programme Support Unit and (h) International Olympic Committee. [99739]
Tessa Jowell: I regret that it has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment she has made of the impact on sponsors of the Olympic games of introducing restrictions on food and soft drink advertising and sponsorship; [99742]
(2) what discussions have taken place with the International Olympic Committee on the introduction of restrictions on the advertising of food and soft drinks; [99743]
(3) what discussions she has had with Ofcom about the impact of restrictions on advertising of food and soft drinks on International Olympic sponsorship deals. [99744]
Tessa Jowell: The International Olympic Committee (IOC), through discussions with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), is aware that Ofcom is consulting on proposals to tighten the rules on broadcast food promotion to children. This is, however, primarily a matter for LOCOG’s partners. The IOC respects each country’s legal infrastructure and advertising guidelines.
LOCOG has discussed this issue with the Olympic Partners sponsors already signed up for the London
2012 games. The outcome of Ofcom’s consultation is not yet known, but LOCOG is clear that all of their sponsors will work within the UK’s regulatory framework.
No specific assessment has been made of the impact of the proposed restrictions on the London 2012 games sponsors. LOCOG’s early discussions with sponsors and potential sponsors indicate that there is enormous commercial interest in being involved in the London 2012 games. Olympic sponsors provide long-term financial and logistical support to the Olympic movement, which has depended on partnership with the business community to stage the Olympic games since it was founded.
I have not discussed this matter with Ofcom.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answers to questions 97618 and 97621, whom the Minister of Sport met on legacy use of the Olympic Stadium; when each meeting took place; whether the potential value of the stadium was discussed; whether (a) the Olympic Board, (b) the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and (c) the Olympic Delivery Authority were informed of these discussions by her Department before they took place; whether the results were reported to these bodies; and what account was taken in discussions of the commitment to convert the stadium into an athletics facility. [99895]
Tessa Jowell: I regret that it has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Piers
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Heritage Lottery Fund can entertain applications for funding for privately owned piers. [100126]
Mr. Lammy: The Heritage Lottery Fund considers every application made to it. Trustees of the fund have decided that, because of high levels of competition for its funds and the need to secure maximum public benefit from lottery funds, applications from private owners will be a low priority.
Projects (West Midlands)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which projects in the West Midlands region are under consideration by her Department. [100373]
Mr. Lammy: A summary of the projects currently under consideration by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in the West Midlands region is as follows:
The Government Art Collection is planning a display of works of art in the new Regional Government Office in Birmingham;
Worcestershire county council has been provided with PFI credits of £33.4 million from DCMS for the Worcester Library and History Centre. The project is currently in the procurement stage with plans to appoint a preferred bidder in April 2008, and open in December 2010;
Wolverhampton city council has been provided with PFI credits of £10.9 million from DCMS for the North East Leisure Centre. The new facilities will replace two older smaller swimming pools in the area. The project is currently at the signed stage, and construction is in progress, with plans to open in December 2006;
The Memorials Grant Scheme returns to charities and faith groups the equivalent of the VAT incurred in building and maintaining public memorial structures. Departmental officials have met those responsible for the ongoing establishment of a National Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The eligibility of different elements of this project under the Memorials Grant Scheme has been agreed. A payment of £102,235.02 has already been made in respect of the VAT incurred on work already undertaken. Claims in respect of further eligible expenditure will, when received, be considered in line with the agreed eligibility; and
The Coventry 2007 UK School Games.
Quality Assurance
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution her Department plans to make to the research commissioned by her Department of the Ipsos-MORI quality assurance process. [99511]
Mr. Woodward: The Department has analysts who check the quality of the data analysis, the logic of the conclusions (insofar as they are based on that analysis) and the clarity of data presentation. We also have policy experts to review the accuracy and completeness of the surrounding narratives. This includes any interpretation which relies on an understanding of the Licensing Act, its regulations and guidance, licensing application processes, or live music licensing issues. Any comments or suggestions may be rejected either by our analysts or the contractor if they are not supported by the survey data and/or wider evidence from the field.
Quiz Channels
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what representations she has received from (a) consumer associations and (b) members of the public regarding the practices of television quiz channels which require premium-rate phone calls to enter; [98038]
(2) if she will commission an investigation into the practices of television quiz channels which require premium-rate phone calls to enter; [98039]
(3) if she will bring forward proposals to require television quiz channels which require premium-rate telephone calls to enter to broadcast the proportion of successful calls made. [98236]
Mr. Woodward: Members of the public have made a number of representations regarding the practices of television quiz channels.
Responsibility for the regulation of these services rests with the independent regulators, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS).
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