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27 Feb 2007 : Column 1141W—continued
Culture, Media and Sport
Departments: Assets
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2007, Official Report, column 2057W, on departmental fixed assets, what the methodology was for valuing the three properties in Windsor; and what the floor area of each used building is. [123405]
Mr. Lammy: The methodology used by the Department for valuing the three properties in Windsor was that professional property consultants were instructed to carry out surveys before arriving at the appropriate market valuations.
Floor areas for each building are as follows:
| Sq ft | ||
| Including tenants’ alterations | Excluding tenants’ alterations | |
Gaming Clubs: Planning Permission
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had on the statement of the Casino Advisory Panel that problem gambling is a town planning consideration. [122661]
Mr. Caborn: The Casino Advisory Panel established by the Secretary of State, to recommend the local authority areas for the 17 new casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005, is independent from Government. The panel made its recommendations to the Secretary of State in their final report on 30 January 2007. In paragraph 88, “Ambient and Impulse Gambling”, of their final report the Casino Advisory Panel stated:
“Throughout our consideration of the submitted evidence we noted concern that the location of a casino in or near an area of social deprivation could locally worsen problem gambling and debt. For example, people in financial trouble might see the prospect of an unlimited jackpot as a “quick fix” to their problems. Such concern is supported, for example, in Sir Alan Budd's report by a reference in the British Prevalence Survey associating the highest percentages of problem gambling with table games in a casino, betting and fruit machines, and we note also evidence as to correlation between proximity and problem gambling related to casinos. Our remit, however, is to look at areas rather than sites and we have very much focussed on that. Moreover, town planning policy throughout Britain regards casinos as a town centre use. So our view is that problem gambling is more a town planning consideration rather than one for us, though we have noted in our appraisals where it is proposed to locate a casino near to an area of deprivation. In the event, this consideration has in no case been determinative.”
The Secretary of State is now giving the report careful consideration.
Institute for Public Policy Research
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding the Arts Council of England has provided to the IPPR or IPPR Trading Ltd. in each year since May 1997; and what the purpose was of such funding. [123894]
Mr. Lammy: Since January 2003 to date, Arts Council England has provided £91,223.19 to the IPPR.
Of this figure, £60,306.25 was a contribution to support the “Identity Culture and the Challenge of Diversity” research project. This project explored the contribution that heritage, the arts and culture can make to develop a common sense of belonging. It was co-funded with the Heritage Lottery Fund and The National Museum Directors' Conference.
The remainder covered conference fees, seminar fees and fees for a secondment.
Leisure
Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the most recent estimate is of the contribution of (a) sporting and (b) broader leisure activities to the UK economy. [123078]
Mr. Caborn: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The latest estimate of the gross value added (GVA) of Sport within the UK was £13.5 million in 2003 (source: Sport Industry Research Centre, 2007. Sport England is due to publish a report entitled “Economic Importance of Sport in England 1985 to 2003” which is part of Sport England's on-going commitment to build the evidence of the economic value of sport. The research has been carried out by The Sport Industry Research Centre.)
(b) We have no estimate of the contribution of "broader leisure activities" to the UK economy. The latest available estimate of the gross value added (GVA) of tourism within the UK was £32.8 billion in 2003—equating to 3.4 per cent. of the economy as a whole (estimates based on the UK Tourism Satellite Account First Steps project).
National Lottery: East Riding
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful bids for (i) National Lottery and (ii) Big Lottery Fund awards have been made from organisations located in Haltemprice and Howden constituency over the last three years; and what value of award was made to each successful bid. [123570]
Mr. Caborn: The total number and value of awards in the last three calendar years by all lottery distributing bodies appears in the table.
| Number of awards | Award amount (£) | |
The number and value of awards by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies, the community fund and the new opportunities fund are given in the following table.
| Number of awards | Award amount (£) | |
To describe the purpose of each of these grants individually could be done only at a disproportionate cost.
Decisions on whether or not to support individual applications are entirely matters for the independent lottery distributing bodies.
DCMS Ministers have no involvement in any such decisions by the distributors.
The information is derived from the Department’s lottery grant database. This is searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk, and uses information supplied by the lottery distributors.
Seminars
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2007, Official Report, column 1182W, on seminars, if she will place in the Library a copy of (a) a list of the presentations made at and (b) the report of (i) the April 2006 Strategic Risk Seminar, (ii) the Comprehensive Spending Review and Efficiency Programme Seminar of April 2006, (iii) the November 2006 Equality and Diversity Seminar and (iv) the Conundrums of Reform Seminar of November 2006. [118867]
Mr. Lammy: The information is as follows:
(i) Strategic Risk Seminar (April 2006)
The Department did not make any presentations itself and copies of the presentations made by others are not held within the Department.
(ii) Comprehensive Spending Review and Efficiency Programme Seminar (April 2006)
I am arranging for copies of the presentation to be placed in the Library of the House.
(iii) Equality and Diversity Seminar of NDPBS (November 2006)
I am arranging for copies of the presentation to be placed in the Library of the House.
A spoken presentation was made. There are no written copies available. There is no report from the seminar.
Sport: Ethnic Groups
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what programmes (a) her Department and (b) other bodies for which she is responsible are undertaking to promote the take-up of sport amongst the Chinese community. [123242]
Mr. Caborn:
Under our public service agreement target, we remain committed to increasing sports participation by 3 per cent. by 2008 from priority groups
that include black and ethnic minorities. Our non-departmental public body, Sport England, are responsible for delivering this target in conjunction with other partners. This involves using a range of measures, including capacity building to create more coaches and volunteers.
Every application to Sport England for lottery funding must demonstrate how better access to sport for the priority groups will be achieved. Sport England also fund a number of specific programmes to encourage participation from black and ethnic minorities, which may include take-up from the Chinese community.
World Cup: Football
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost was of producing the Feasibility Study into Hosting the World Cup; and how much was accounted for by (a) report costs, (b) printing and design, (c) staff time and (d) research. [123104]
Mr. Caborn: The cost of printing the study was £969.94. The cost of the public opinion survey, including the Central Office of Information's work on commissioning and evaluating the survey, was £15,510 (including VAT). No other research was commissioned. An accurate assessment of staff time spent on the review cannot be made as it was part of officials' normal duties.
Defence
Armed Forces: Absent Voting
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to enable troops serving abroad to cast their votes in (a) local and (b) national elections. [123072]
Derek Twigg: Arrangements are in place for all service personnel, including those serving abroad, to be able to vote by post or proxy at all elections. However, we advise military personnel serving overseas to cast their vote by proxy, as there is often insufficient time to return a postal ballot by polling day.
In order to improve accessibility to voting, combined information and registration leaflets, “Register to Vote”, are sent each year at the time of the autumn household canvass to every military unit in the UK and abroad, for distribution to its service personnel. These leaflets include forms to register to vote by post or by proxy, which may be used for local or national elections.
Armed Forces: British Nationality
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether time spent on overseas operational service counts towards residency for foreign and commonwealth servicemen serving in the British armed forces. [122275]
Derek Twigg:
Following a change in rules, announced by the Home Office on 22 November 2006, Commonwealth Service personnel are now able to count time spent serving abroad, including operational
tours, towards the residency requirement for an application for British citizenship while in service. This change does not apply to serving members of the Brigade of Gurkhas, who will not be able to count their military service towards the residential requirement until they leave the Brigade (although it will all be counted retrospectively once they have left). They are and will remain citizens of Nepal throughout their Service in the Brigade of Gurkhas.
Armed Forces: Children
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance is available to children of servicemen killed or seriously injured while on operations. [119798]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence places a very high priority on the welfare of its service personnel and their families. The needs will differ from family to family and therefore each case is considered on an individual basis to ensure that specific requirements are addressed. Families are assigned a visiting officer who acts as the link between the family and the services. The visiting officers will also help and direct the family to the most appropriate internal and external welfare agencies for specific areas of support.
Armed Forces: Electoral Register
Mr. Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his Department's policy to distribute annual individual electoral roll registration forms to service personnel. [121878]
Derek Twigg: In conjunction with the Electoral Commission, the Ministry of Defence runs an annual information campaign, to coincide with the autumn household canvass, designed to inform and encourage service personnel and their families to register to vote. As part of this campaign, every military post in the UK and throughout the world is sent the combined information and registration leaflet, ‘Register to Vote’, for distribution to all service personnel. These leaflets include a service declaration form which enables the service person, and his spouse or civil partner, to register as a service voter.
Armed Forces: Holiday Leave
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce changes to (a) mid-deployment leave entitlements and (b) post operational leave entitlements for armed forces personnel. [122195]
Derek Twigg: Personnel undertaking operational deployments are entitled to Rest and Recuperation. This is not leave and is to be taken at a time, location and for a duration specified by the operational commander. A review of Rest and Recuperation is under way and an announcement will be made in due course.
Post operational leave is not included in the review of Rest and Recuperation.
Armed Forces: Horses
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many horses are stabled at the expense of the Royal Air Force but not owned by them; and at what annual cost; [121902]
(2) how many horses the Royal Air Force owns; and what the total annual cost of keeping them was in 2005-06. [121903]
Derek Twigg: No privately owned horses are stabled at the expense of the Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force does not own any horses.
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