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8 Oct 2007 : Column 336W—continued


Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools have (a) closed and (b) opened in England since 1997; and how many of the pools that have opened since 1997 reopened after refurbishment or temporary closure rather than opened for the first time. [156445]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on pool closures across England was not collected centrally prior to 2004. However, the most recent information from Sport England indicates that a total of 37 pools (not sites) in local authority ownership were closed between 2004 and 2006.

The Active Places database of sports facilities across England (established in 2004) currently lists 211 pools (not sites) that have been newly built between 1997 and 2006, of which 56 were built between 2004 and 2006. In addition, the database lists a further 1,237 local authority owned pools built before 1997 but refurbished between 1997 and 2006.

Volunteers: Recruitment

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) young volunteers trained to work in schools and community clubs and (b) trained adult mentors were recruited (i) before and (ii) since April 2004. [156435]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The 2005-06 Annual School Sport Survey indicates that 13 per cent. of pupils in years 10-13 are actively engaged in sports volunteering and leadership. This equates to 285,631 pupils. This is an increase of 4 per cent. on the numbers surveyed for the first survey in 2003-04 and an increase of 2 per cent. from last year.

This number includes participants in the Step into Sport Programme, one of the eight strands of the National School Sport Strategy. Through Step into Sport, the Government are providing a simple framework of co-ordinated opportunities at a local level in schools and local communities for young people to begin an involvement in leadership and volunteering through sport.

The Youth Sport Trust deliver the programme and advise that from its launch in 2002 until 2004 4,000 young people aged 14 to 19 registered as Community Volunteers and a further 2,000 young people volunteered to take part in the planning, organisation and delivery of sporting festivals for local primary schools Between 2004 and 2007, 29,720 young people have registered as volunteers in sport at school or communities.


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As part of Step into Sport, there are now 973 Young Ambassadors aged 16 years in place, in 449 School Sport Partnerships (two in each Partnership), all helping to spread the Olympic and Paralympic message and ideals within School Sport Partnerships, as well as acting as advocates and role models to other young people. Of the two young people in each Partnership, one is also a gifted and talented athlete.

Between 2002-04 YST figures indicate that SiS developed 600 school based adult mentors and a further 1,068 from 2004-07.

Written Questions

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to answer question (a) 148539 on civil servants and (b) 148535 on advertising: gambling, tabled by the hon. Member for Bath on 4 July 2007. [156248]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Both questions were answered on 3 October.

Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service: Information Officers

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service. [154126]

Mr. McFadden: ACAS currently employs two permanent communications professionals to carry out its media and marketing activity. Both are Government Communication Network (GCN) professionals, with the media and marketing manager operating at Senior Information Officer level and their deputy at Information Officer level. Neither is a full-time press officer, but both combine press duties as part of their overall role. This includes operating an out-of-hours service for the media.

Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007 Directive

Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many responses he has received to the consultation on the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007 Directive; and if he will make a statement. [153779]

Mr. Thomas: The Department received 75 responses to its consultation on draft Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2007, which implement the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (2005/29/EC). These included consumer bodies, businesses and business organisations, trading standards departments, regulators, professional institutions and academics.

We are currently analysing the responses and the Government hope to publish their response in October, including what changes they proposes to make to the draft regulations.


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East of England Development Agency: Information Officers

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by the East of England Development Agency. [154171]

Mr. Timms: Three.

Export Credits Guarantee Department: Information Officers

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department. [154161]

Mr. McFadden: All ECGD's media relations are handled by the Department's head of communications.

South West Development Agency: Information Officers

Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by the South West Development Agency. [154420]

Mr. Timms: Three.

Accommodation Address Agencies

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what evaluation he has made of the abuse of accommodation address agencies by perpetrators of (a) consumer fraud and (b) other criminal activity relating to the responsibilities of his Department. [156592]

Mr. Thomas: There has been no such evaluation. We are discussing with a range of interested parties whether Government intervention is appropriate.

Advantage West Midlands: Information Officers

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by Advantage West Midlands. [154729]

Mr. Timms: Three

Bankruptcy: Cambridgeshire

Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people declared themselves bankrupt in Cambridgeshire in each of the last five years. [153768]

Mr. McFadden: The number of bankruptcies in Cambridgeshire classified according to postcodes provided by bankrupt individuals can be seen in the following table. The accuracy of these statistics is thus as reliable as the postcode information supplied, which is subject to elements of missing and inaccurate data.


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2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Cambridgeshire

216

294

391

526

661


Barbara Thomas Judge

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the availability of Barbara Thomas Judge to undertake her functions as Chair of the UK Atomic Energy Authority. [155375]

Mr. McFadden [holding answer 17 September 2007]: Lady Thomas Judge keeps BERR officials fully up to date with her non-executive, advisory and charity roles and provides a breakdown of the time involved. Ministers are briefed as appropriate and my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton) was most recently given advice in July soon after he became Secretary of State.

We continue to be fully satisfied that Lady Thomas Judge is performing the role of UKAEA chair highly effectively and with full dedication. As such the UK taxpayer is being well served and gets considerably more than the two days per week for which Lady Thomas Judge is contracted.

Bevin Boys

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many surviving Bevin Boys he estimates there to be. [156585]

Mr. Timms: Between the years 1943 and 1948 approximately 48,000 men served in the mines as ballotees, volunteers or optants under the Bevin Boys scheme. Based on the uptake for the Ministry of Defences' HM Armed Forces Veteran's Badge it is estimated that there might be in the region of 6,000 to 11,000 claims for the Bevin Boys Veteran's Badge.

British Nuclear Fuels: Information Officers

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by (a) the British Nuclear Group and (b) British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. [154124]

Malcolm Wicks: Following the strategy announced by the Secretary of State for the British Nuclear Group businesses in October 2006, all corporate activities previously undertaken by British Nuclear Group have been transferred to its parent company BNFL. BNFL has a small corporate centre to oversee its businesses and manage the ongoing restructuring, which includes one press officer. The subsidiary businesses of BNFL, namely Sellafield, Nexia Solutions and Project Services, employ 7.5 full-time equivalent press officers.

Broadband

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the likely costs of implementing a universal service obligation on communications providers to ensure all customer requests for broadband connections are met. [156451]

Mr. Timms: No such assessment has been made.


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The EU Commission is reviewing the scope and future of universal service in 2008 and we expect to consult widely with all stakeholders in preparing the UK's response.

Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with Ofcom and the communications industry about a universal service obligation which would include broadband as well as narrowband services. [156452]

Mr. Timms: No such discussions have taken place. Two UK telephone operators have a universal service obligation (USO); BT and Kingston Communications.

The EU Commission is reviewing the scope and future of universal service in 2008 and we plan to consult widely, including with Ofcom and the communications industry in preparing the UK's response.

Broadcasting

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the TG4 Group proposals for a pan-European sub band of spectrum for mobile use; and if he will make a statement. [154411]

Mr. Timms: The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the chief executive’s letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Certification Office for Trade Union and Employers' Associations: Information Officers

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by the Certification Office for Trade Union and Employers' Associations. [154731]

Mr. McFadden: The Certification Office for Trade Union and Employers' Associations employs no press officers.

Companies House: Information Officers

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by Companies House. [154732]

Mr. Timms: Companies House has two press officers, neither of whom work exclusively on press issues.

Companies: Radioactive Materials

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department has given advice to businesses on the storage of commercial radiological materials. [155405]


8 Oct 2007 : Column 341W

Mr. Timms [holding answer 17 September 2007]: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform does not give advice to businesses on the storage of radiological materials.

Regulatory guidance is provided on the respective websites of the Environment Agency (EA) (www.enviromnent-agency.gov.uk) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) (www.hse.gov.uk). Guidance can also be found on the environment agencies website for small businesses at www.netregs.gov.uk giving free environmental guidance to small businesses in the UK to help them comply with environmental legislation.

HSE has a statutory responsibility to provide advice and this would include advice on the storage of radiological materials. Businesses can therefore contact HSE for guidance and they can also contact the Environment Agency.

Competition Commission: Information Officers

Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many press officers are employed by the Competition Commission. [154633]

Mr. Thomas: There are two press officers in the Competition Commission.

Computers: Waste Disposal

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the guidance issued to Government Departments on the steps to be taken to dispose of redundant information technology equipment. [154030]

Malcolm Wicks: The guidance on the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations which was published in February 2007, contained advice for both business and domestic users on the disposal of redundant equipment. Further advice specifically for Government procurement officers is to issue shortly.


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