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18 Jan 2007 : Column 1277W—continued

Rushmere House

Dr. Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed developing of Rushmere House, Cadogan Park, on the preservation of the Malone Conservation Area. [115848]

David Cairns: The effect of the proposed extension to Rushmere House is assessed against a number of relevant planning policies including policy BH12 of Planning Policy Statement 6—Archaeology and the Built Heritage. BH12 provides the policy context for assessing whether new development is acceptable or not within a conservation area such as the Malone Conservation area. This assessment, which is well advanced, is being carried out with the assistance of a consultant conservation area architect.

Translink

Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost to the public purse was of the salary, pension, redundancy terms and other associated payments to the former chief executive of Translink during 2006. [116461]

David Cairns: This information will be published in the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company’s annual report for the year ending 31 March 2007. It is intended that this will be laid before Parliament prior to the summer recess.

Culture, Media and Sport

European Year of Equal Opportunities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what activities her Department has organised to celebrate the European Year of Equal Opportunities. [115755]

Mr. Lammy: The DCMS Equalities Scheme, which will be updated in April 2007, sets out the specific action the Department is taking on equality. We have not formulated any specific proposals to celebrate the European Year of Equal Opportunities, but will participate in relevant events in collaboration with other Government Departments and our sponsored NDPBs.


18 Jan 2007 : Column 1278W

Food Advertising: Children's Television

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the banning of cheese advertisements during children’s television programmes; what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the basis of the ban; and if she will make a statement. [115337]

Mr. Woodward: None.

Ibsley Control Tower

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reasons the listing application for Ibsley Control Tower has been referred to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy), for decision; and if she will make a statement. [116518]

Mr. Lammy: All listing recommendations are forwarded by English Heritage to the Department for a decision. While English Heritage receives applications, assesses buildings and makes recommendations, responsibility for decisions on whether or not to list a building remains, under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, with the Secretary of State.

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when a decision will be made on the listing application for Ibsley Control Tower; and if she will make a statement. [116519]

Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received advice from English Heritage and will be making a decision shortly.

Television Licensing

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many letters Television Licensing has issued in each of the last five years threatening legal proceedings; in how many of these cases prosecutions have followed; and how many prosecutions were successful in (a) Orkney and Shetland, (b) the Highlands and Islands, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [115759]

Mr. Woodward: The BBC has statutory responsibility for the administration of the television licensing system and TV Licensing carries out the day to day administration under the contract to the Corporation. I have therefore asked the BBC’s Head of Revenue Management to consider the question raised by the hon. Gentleman about the number of letters issued by TV licensing which threaten legal proceedings and to write to him direct. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

However, the free-standing figures for the number of people proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to television licence evasion in the last five years are in the following tables.


18 Jan 2007 : Column 1279W
Proceeded against
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Orkney and Shetland

4

0

0

2

4

The Highlands and Islands

123

53

86

89

124

Scotland

2,185

1,181

1,747

2,606

2,856

England and Wales

96,470

110,158

93,896

115,623

139,194


Found guilty
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Orkney and Shetland

4

0

0

2

4

The Highlands and Islands

122

53

83

89

122

Scotland

2,131

1,137

1,725

2,594

2,806

England and Wales

83,738

96,587

79,855

97,752

119,341


The figures for Northern Ireland are not available.

Theatres

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the level of revenue funding for theatre has been in each financial year since 1996-97 in England. [116680]

Mr. Lammy: Government funding for the arts is distributed, within broad guidelines, through Arts Council England. The following figures provide a breakdown of the information requested.

Arts Council England grant in aid funding, theatre
£000

1996-97

47,899

2001-02

58,612

2002-03

71,669

2003-04

85,501

2004-05

90,692

2005-06

94,937


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. Overall expenditure by art form was not collated. However, Arts Council England has retrospectively collated this data for 1996-97, 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Translation Services

Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what documents her Department and its agencies translate for people in the UK who do not speak English; into which languages such documents are translated; and what the cost was of producing such translations in each of the last five years, broken down by language of translation. [113880]


18 Jan 2007 : Column 1280W

Mr. Lammy: Details and costs of documents published by DCMS in ethnic language versions since January 2002 are as follows. We do not have this information for DCMS’s agencies and, in respect of those, the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

November 2002

August 2005

Minister for Women

Job Share Registers

24. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions the Government have had with employers on providing job share registers to employees. [116358]

Meg Munn: Alongside the exemplar employer initiative, which, for example, encourages employers to operate schemes to get more women into non-traditional occupations and management and leadership positions, we will shortly launch a quality part-time work initiative, supported by a £500,000 fund. These will help spread best practice, including job share registers.

Women Entrepreneurs

25. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what plans the Government have for encouraging women entrepreneurs. [116359]

Meg Munn: There are encouraging signs that more women are considering starting businesses and recent figures show that 34 per cent. of the newly self-employed are women, compared to 27 per cent. of those currently self-employed. A Task Force on Women’s Enterprise has been established to further accelerate the rates of women’s business ownership in the UK. The Task Force is co-ordinating activity across Government and the Regional Development Agencies to ensure more women can set up in business.

Flexible Working

26. Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what plans the Government have to extend flexible working requests to parents of children up to the age of 18 years. [116360]


18 Jan 2007 : Column 1281W

Meg Munn: In April 2003, we introduced the right to request flexible working to parents of children under six years (18 years for disabled children). From April 2007, we will extend it to carers of adults.

We are continuing to consider the case for extending the right to request flexible working to parents of older children.

Boardroom Appointments

27. Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will make an assessment of the progress of women in securing boardroom appointments in the last five years. [116361]

Meg Munn: According to the Female FTSE report 2006 there are now 117 (10.3 per cent.) female-held directorships, compared to 75 (6.4 per cent.) in 2001. 77 companies in the FTSE have women on their boards compared to 57 in 2001. Currently, 33 FTSE 100 chairs are taking an active role in the progression of women to board level. Schemes such as the “FTSE 100 Cross Company Programme”, a business-to-business solution, provides mentoring and support to encourage women’s progression.

Gypsy and Traveller Communities

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with the Home Office on policing Gypsy and Traveller communities. [116526]

Meg Munn: I have not had any recent discussions with the Home Office on policing Gypsy and Traveller communities. However, my officials participate in a Home Office working group to follow up the policing aspects of the “Common Ground” report published by the CRE in 2006, and of a Home Office publication, “Moving Forward: How the Gypsy and Traveller Communities can be more engaged to improve policing performance”.

Human Trafficking

Mr. Bone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what representations she has made to the Home Office on the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Trafficking in respect of women trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. [116490]

Meg Munn: I sit on the Home Office-led Inter-Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking and fully support the multiple aims of the Convention. I have been active in discussions on this issue, in particular feeding in evidence from participating in European Union and Council of Europe discussions on this issue.

Home Department

ASBOs

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued to people (a) aged under 19 and (b) 19 years or over in each local authority in the eastern region in each of the last five years. [114845]


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