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24 Jan 2007 : Column 1770W—continued
Scotland
Correspondence
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters to his Department sent from hon. Members during Session 2005-06 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) over six months old. [114617]
David Cairns: No letters sent to the Scotland Office from hon. Members during the 2005-06 Session remain unanswered.
The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members’ Peers’ correspondence. The report for 2005 was published on 30 March 2006, Official Report, columns 75-78WS. Information relating to 2006 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it is ready.
Devolution
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent devolution matters the Advocate-General has considered. [117228]
David Cairns: Since 12 December 2006, 74 devolution issues have been intimated to the Advocate-General. Of these 74 devolution issues, 54 related to civil proceedings and 20 related to criminal proceedings.
Freedom of Information
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria he uses to determine which responses to freedom of information requests are made available on his Department’s website. [114281]
David Cairns: All information that is released under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is published on the Scotland Office’s website, unless it is available elsewhere in the public domain. I acknowledge there was an unintentional delay in our doing so for my recent reply to the hon. Member about travelling costs of Scotland Office staff.
Culture, Media and Sport
Digital Television
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the percentage of homes in Morecambe and Lunesdale which have digital television. [110468]
Mr. Woodward: Presently, the vast majority of households in the constituency should be able to receive digital TV services via either digital satellite or digital terrestrial (Freeview).
Ofcom estimate that from switchover (which will take place during 2009 in the Granada region), coverage of digital terrestrial television will be increased to substantially match that currently achieved by analogue services (this is taken to equate to 98.5 per cent. of UK households).
Historic Churches
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received from the Historic Churches Preservation Trust on funding to protect historic churches; when she last met the trust; and if she will make a statement. [110892]
Mr. Lammy: The chair of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust attended an ecclesiastical heritage event hosted by the Department in December 2005.
In March 2006 I received a copy of the trust's 2005 review of the year.
The chief executive of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust was a signatory to a letter jointly signed by representatives of nine organisations, in support of English Heritage's Inspired campaign on funding for historic churches, received in June 2006.
As Minister for Culture, I attended a meeting hosted by the chair of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust in July 2006, at which representatives of many church heritage bodies were present.
The Government recognise the important role played by the Historic Churches Preservation Trust in raising and making available funding for the repair and conservation of historic church buildings.
National Lottery
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been distributed to the heritage sector from the National Lottery in each year since 1997; and through which bodies it has been distributed. [115486]
Tessa Jowell: The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is the sole, UK-wide Lottery distributing body for the heritage good cause. Total Lottery expenditure by the HLF in each of the last nine financial years is given in the following table. This includes money drawn down from the National Lottery Distribution Fund to meet the bodies’ administrative expenses. Details of individual grants, supplied by each Lottery distributor, can be found on the Department’s Lottery Grants Database, searchable at
www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
| Expenditure in £ million, rounded to nearest £1 million | |
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been distributed to the arts from the National Lottery in each year since 1997; and through which bodies it has been distributed. [115488]
Tessa Jowell: Lottery funds are distributed to the arts good cause by six bodies. These are Arts Council England, the Scottish Arts Council, the Arts Council of Wales, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the UK Film Council and Scottish Screen. However, other Lottery distributors may sometimes make awards which are arts-related, for example the Heritage Lottery Fund for the acquisition or retention of a work of arts in a UK museum or gallery.
Total Lottery expenditure by the six arts Lottery distributors in each of the last nine financial years is given in the following table. This includes money drawn down from the National Lottery Distribution Fund to meet the bodies’ administrative expenses. Details of individual grants, supplied by each Lottery distributor, can be found on the Department’s Lottery grants database, searchable at
www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
| Expenditure in £ million, rounded to nearest £1 million | |
Pigeon Racing
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on granting pigeon racing official recognition as a sport; and if she will make a statement. [110604]
Mr. Caborn: Decisions on whether particular activities and pastimes should be recognised as sports are made by unanimous agreement between the home country sports councils. As such it would be inappropriate for Government to intervene. Any decisions to fund recognised sports are made by the individual home country sports councils.
I can confirm that Sport England has not received any representations to recognise pigeon racing as a sport. In the first instance, I would recommend a submission to the relevant Sports Council, outlining the case for recognising pigeon racing. Sport England will be able to provide information on the criteria for recognition of an activity as a sport.
Recruitment Agencies
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was paid by her Department to recruitment agencies for the hire of temporary staff in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [117499]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has paid recruitment agencies the amounts in the following table in each year since 1997:
| £ | |
| (1 )To 19 January 2007. | |
These sums are inclusive of the full salary costs of the temporary staff.
Television Licences
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that TV Licensing behaves in a proportionate manner when dealing with households which do not have a TV licence. [110991]
Mr. Woodward: The BBC's Royal Charter contains a specific duty for the BBC Trust to ensure that the arrangements for the collection of the licence fee are efficient, appropriate and proportionate.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Government provide TV Licensing with data to aid in the detection and prosecution of licence evaders. [117285]
Mr. Woodward: The Government provide no personal data to TV Licensing to aid in the detection and prosecution of licence evaders.
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will discuss with the BBC free television licences for citizens aged over 70. [117396]
Mr. Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to do so. For the reasons set out in the BBC Charter Review White Paper published in March 2006, the Government have no plans to extend the availability of free TV licences.
Mr. Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners in Livingston constituency have received a free television licence in the last 12 months. [117502]
Mr. Woodward: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Livingston constituency in 2005-06 was 3,480, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether TV Licensing keeps up-to-date records of the legal occupiers of a property as well as whether a valid licence is held for that property; [116954]
(2) which part of the UK the most TV licence evaders were caught in the last 12 months; and what percentage that figure represents of all households in that area; [116955]
(3) whether TV Licensing has access to data held by other Government departments to aid them in tracking licence evaders; [116956]
(4) whether TV Licensing has (a) identified and (b) applied more resources to the (i) areas and (ii) households that most consistently evade the television licensing authorities. [117284]
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 contract to the Corporation. I have asked the BBC’s Head of Revenue Management to consider the questions raised by the hon. Member and to write to him direct. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Defence
Afghanistan
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make ex-gratia payments to the families of those Afghan civilians shot in Kandahar in early December 2003. [113352]
Des Browne [holding answer 8 January 2007]: We have no plans to make ex-gratia payments in connection with the incident on 3 December 2006 in Kandahar, when an International Security Assistance Force convoy came under attack from a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. We have conducted a full investigation into the incident which concluded that the British forces involved acted properly and within their rules of engagement.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan also produced a report on the incident, which includes a number of recommendations relating to future incidents of this kind. We have measures in place to address some of these recommendations. Members of the UK Task Force have also met with members of the Government of Afghanistan to review how current practices can be improved.
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