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20 Nov 2007 : Column 661W—continued
Television: Licensing
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many extra licence fee payers there are expected to be as a result of household growth in each year between 2007 and 2016; and how much the BBC expects to receive from such licence fee payers over this period. [164338]
James Purnell: The current licence fee settlement, which runs to 2012-13, assumes a continued household growth rate of 0.8 per cent. per year, generating additional revenue of around £600 million over the settlement period. The growth assumption to be made for later years will be a matter for the next funding settlement.
Video Games: Violence
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has provided for the Byron Review since its establishment; and how much it is expected to provide over the lifetime of the review. [165941]
Margaret Hodge: The Department has contributed two members of staff and their associated expenses to the review team for the lifetime of the review. We have not yet finalised the level of our financial contribution.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel returning to the UK from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan in each of the last three years listed their principal private residence listed as being in Peterborough constituency. [165919]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 19 November 2007]: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Armed Forces: Homosexuality
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether mechanisms exist in his Department for recording the number of homosexual recruits joining HM armed forces. [166408]
Derek Twigg: The armed forces do not record the sexual orientation of recruits joining the services as an individual's sexuality is considered to be a private life matter.
Army: Complaints
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints considered under Army redress procedures have been made by (a) officers, (b) non-commissioned officers, (c) private soldiers and (d) untrained private soldiers since 1997; and how many of these were (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful. [165794]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence does not hold complete records dating back to 1997. However, during the period 1 January 1999 to 16 November 2007, our records indicate that 525 officers, 1,172 non-commissioned officers and 252 private soldiers (trained and untrained) applied for redress of complaint.
The results of redress of complaints are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedural time limits apply to the issue of a decision by the Army Board on a complaint under Army redress procedures relating to (a) sexual harassment, (b) racial harassment, (c) parental leave directive, (d) pay and (e) religion. [165796]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: There are no absolute time limits on the processing of application of complaints by the Army Board because each complaint is different and must be treated on its own merits. Guidance contained within the Army General Administrative Instruction Chapter 70 suggests 60 working days from receipt by the board for it to make a determination. However, from 1 January 2008, new procedures will come into effect as a result of the Armed Forces Act 2006. From that point most complaints will be referred to service complaint panels rather than service boards. The suggested timings for the panels to make their decisions will be the same as for the Army Board at present.
In addition, the new Service Complaints Commissioner will provide an alternative way for service personnel to make certain types of complaints. The Commissioner will set her own reporting timelines for monitoring progress when she passes complaints to the services for action.
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who made complaints under Army redress procedures since 1997 subsequently committed suicide. [165797]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Our records indicate that since 1997 one soldier whose death was recorded by a coroner as suicide is known to have submitted a redress of complaint. There is no evidence to suggest that the redress, which was withdrawn, and the soldier's death were linked.
Army: Disciplinary Proceedings
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers, (b) non-commissioned officers and (c) private soldiers have been disciplined following the outcome of (i) an Army Board decision, (ii) a divisional level decision and (iii) a unit level decision since 1997. [165795]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Expenditure
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2007, Official Report, column 125W, on departmental expenditure, what his Department spent on office refurbishment and repairs in each financial year since 2002-03. [166111]
Derek Twigg: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Participation
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what public consultations his Department has conducted since May 2005. [165879]
Derek Twigg: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Research: Renewable Energy
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the budget for research and development for each type of renewable energy technology was in each of the last 10 years. [162174]
Ian Pearson: Government Department and Research Councils expenditure on R and D on renewable energy technologies from 1997 is set out as follows.
| Research councils expenditure | ||||||||||
| £000 | ||||||||||
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
In addition the Research Councils have supported further research relating to energy in the work of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, which has some £15.6 million funding from Research Councils over 2000-09, and in the work of the UK Energy Research Centre which commenced operation in 2004, with a budget of £13.9 million for 2004-09.
Wales
Departmental Expenditure
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his written statement of 15 November 2007, Official Report, columns 111-12WS, on Departmental
Expenditure (Wales Office), what the reasons are for the transfers of (a) £226,000 from the Parliamentary Counsel Office to the Wales Office, (b) £220,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government to the Wales Office and (c) £30,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government to the Wales Office. [166668]
Mr. Hain: The reasons for the transfers are:
(a) £226,000 from the Parliamentary Counsel Office (PCO) to the Wales Office to contribute to the total cost of services the PCO provided in drafting legislation on behalf of the Wales Office;
(b) £220,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government to the Wales Office to cover the full year cost of services provided by the Department for Constitutional Affairs, now the Ministry of Justice, following the Machinery of Government Changes in 2003; and
(c) £30,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government to the Wales Office to cover increased forecast costs for Lord Lieutenants in Wales.
Departmental Manpower
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what change there has been in the number of officials in his Department since the publication of the 2007 Annual Departmental Report; what the grades and responsibilities are of staff recruited since that time; and how many and what vacancies his Department has. [166280]
Mr. Hain: Since the 2007 Annual Departmental Report, there has been little change in overall numbers. The Wales Office has reorganized to meet new challenges better. This has involved re-assigning some people, and recruitment to replace leavers. Two staff have been recruited specifically to strengthen the Legislation and Strategic Policy teams, and another to strengthen office support.
We expect to replace a few staff who will leave in the next couple of months, and to advertise for a new senior civil servant to lead on legislation. We will continue to be within the maximum of 62 posts indicated in the 2007 Departmental Report.
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