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19 Dec 2006 : Column 1805W—continued
Romania
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Romanian counterpart on the likely number of Romanian citizens wishing to come to the UK following accession to the EU. [110143]
Mr. Hoon: Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I met the Romanian Foreign Minister in October when we discussed the UK’s decision to restrict labour market access to citizens of Romania on accession on 1 January 2007. Our discussions have not covered the likely numbers of Romanians that might come to the UK, but have covered the reasons for our decision and that it will be reviewed after 12 months.
Russia
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to her Russian counterpart on the ability of British citizens to travel to Russia without visas. [110146]
Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no representations to her Russian counterpart on the ability of British citizens to travel to Russia without visas.
Somalia
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support the United Nations resolution to send troops to Somalia to support the Somali government. [109090]
Dr. Howells: In line with our G8 commitments the UK is supporting African countries to prepare for and to participate effectively in peace support operations in Africa. UK capacity-building and training assistance is delivered through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool, run jointly by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Department of International Development. In working directly with a range of potential African troop contributors we are increasing the pool of effective peacekeepers, which supports the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. UN Security Council Resolution 1725 authorises action only by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and member states of the AU in support of the Transitional Federal institutions in Somalia. We have offered technical assistance to the AU for further mission planning for Somalia.
Uganda
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the status of peace talks with the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. [110133]
Dr. Howells: The peace talks remain fragile. We are encouraged that following a lengthy recess, the delegations have now returned to Juba to resume the dialogue process.
We continue to call on all parties to implement the agreements reached to date and remain focused on securing a peaceful resolution to this long-running conflict.
Culture, Media and Sport
Digital Broadcasting
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her estimate is of the number of households that will qualify for assistance in switching over to digital television in each parliamentary constituency in Devon and Cornwall. [108647]
Mr. Woodward: The information is as follows.
| Constituency | Households (defined as eligible benefit units) |
| Notes: 1. Rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. Eligibility for help from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme will be by benefit unit rather than the whole household definition used by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Office to forecast future household growth. 3. The definition of a benefit unit is a couple and any dependent children. It excludes adults deemed to be non-dependents who, if eligible, will be able to claim assistance from the Help Scheme in their own right. | |
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2006, Official Report, column 113W, on digital television, if she will break down by category of eligibility the estimated 7 million UK households entitled to targeted assistance. [106815]
Mr. Woodward: The information is as follows.
Licensing
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of premises licences which are not (a) exclusively and (b) primarily for the carrying on the premises of the supply of alcohol for consumption on premises in England and Wales which fall into (i) Band D and (ii) Band E as determined by the Licensing Act 2003 (Fees) Regulations 2005; and if she will make a statement. [110419]
Mr. Woodward: We do not hold detailed information broken down by premises in bands D and E.
The 2005 regulations Regulatory Impact Assessment estimated that between 2,000 and 4,000 of the premises in bands D and E were likely to be primarily or exclusively engaged in the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises. Based on this estimate and the Government’s most recent projections, there are likely to be between 14,000 and 16,000 premises in Bands D and E which do not meet that definition.
Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel in its work on the setting of fees for alcohol licences. [112760]
Mr. Woodward: I am very grateful to the Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel for their commitment and all the hard work they have undertaken in reviewing the fees regime. DCMS received the Panel’s final report on 12 December 2006. I am currently assessing their conclusions and recommendations and will place copies of the report in Libraries of both Houses of Parliament shortly.
London Olympics
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of civil servants who worked on the 2012 Olympics bid from across Government Departments; and at what cost they were employed in this area. [109457]
Mr. Caborn: The Olympic Games Unit (OGU) was established in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to co-ordinate Government support for London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The average number of staff in the OGU during the period July 2003 to July 2005 and pay costs are shown in the table.
| Average number of staff | Pay costs (to nearest £000) | |
A number of staff in other Government Departments provided support to the Olympic bid where necessary during this period but the Department does not hold a record of these details.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected operational life is of the Olympic Stadium. [109579]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Stadium will have a permanent legacy form and will function as a “Living Stadium”. The intention is for it to have sufficient flexibility to host a range of sporting, cultural, and community events that ensures its long-term viability.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what opportunities there are for businesses in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands region to exploit the commercial opportunities of the 2012 Olympic Games. [109691]
Mr. Caborn: The Government are committed to the potential benefits of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games being maximised across the whole of the UK.
Companies, large and small, in construction, manufacturing, catering, merchandise, business services, media and creative industries and many more will be needed to deliver the Games, creating valuable procurement opportunities for UK companies.
Companies in the region have already been successful in winning business at Olympic Games in Athens and Turin, and regional stakeholders are working hard to build on the success of the region and make the most of the opportunities.
A Business Task Group has been set up, led by West Midlands Business Council and Advantage West Midlands, chaired by Coventry Chamber of Commerce, and they have been working closely with DTI and London 2012 in the development of a Business Opportunities Network to allow business across the UK to engage with potential partners and compete successfully for procurement contracts.
Advantage West Midlands has been running a series of Workshops throughout the region, to brief businesses on the range of opportunities available from London 2012. The very first was held in Coventry and a follow on workshop will be held in Coventry before the end of March.
Coventry and Warwickshire have also set up their own 2012 Management Group, to pursue 2012 opportunities for the County. This Group has recently set up a “2012 Games helpline” (0845 900 2012) and e-mail address for businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire, providing general information on local and regional business opportunities associated around the London 2012 Games.
Businesses interested in tendering opportunities from 2012, should now register themselves directly at
www.london2012.com/business
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with trade unions about job creation and skills training for the 2012 Olympics. [109692]
Mr. Caborn: The Government have worked closely with trade unions in developing plans to maximise the employment and skills benefits for the UK from Games related business.
The Secretary of State met Paul Kenny, General Secretary of the GMB, at the 2005 Labour Party Conference and wrote to him twice in the summer of 2006 about maximising job creation and training through the ODA Procurement Policy. In November 2005, I met representatives of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians to discuss skills opportunities in building the Olympic Park.
In addition, the TUC have provided extensive comments on government plans, led by DfES and DWP, on maximising employment and skills benefits arising from the Games. Their contribution will assist us in delivering our commitment to a sustainable employment and skills legacy for the UK.
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the construction area of the Olympic Stadium has been investigated for contamination; what was discovered in each area which has been examined; and what techniques for remediation will be applied by the London Development Agency. [109722]
Tessa Jowell: Remediation work on the Olympic Park site is ongoing and an expert team has now investigated the majority of the land that is currently available. The expert team has indicated that the levels of contamination assessed to date are in line with expectations. Site investigations will continue across the remainder of the Olympic Park site before the full remediation work starts in 2007. Remediation techniques will be assessed in line with the site investigations.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the revised budget for the London 2012 Olympics will be published. [109799]
Tessa Jowell: The budget for the Games will be agreed next year. Work is under way at the moment on a number of issues, including security and contingency. In addition the Government are currently considering tax costs as part of its wider consideration of the overall budget.
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