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7 Jan 2008 : Column 180W—continued
Youth Justice Body
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many performance indicators the Youth Justice Body has instructed local authorities to monitor as part of their local area agreements. [176669]
Mr. Hanson: There are six youth justice indicators in the national indicator set for Local Government. The six indicators are:
The rate of proven re-offending by young offenders;
Percentage of young people within the Youth Justice System receiving a conviction in court who are sentenced to custody;
Ethnic composition of offenders on Youth Justice System disposals;
Young offenders’ engagement in suitable education, employment or training;
Young offenders’ access to suitable accommodation;
The number of first time entrants to the Youth Justice System aged 10 to 17.
National indicators will be reported on by local authorities in England regardless of whether they are in a specific local area agreement (LAA). LAA's are agreed between local authorities and central Government.
Culture, Media and Sport
Aviation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many air miles were travelled by Ministers in his Department in each year since 2000; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result; [172229]
(2) how many miles he and other Ministers in his Department travelled on short haul flights in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced as a result of these flights. [172564]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
All central Government ministerial and official air travel has been offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
In addition, offsetting the flights of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, and the Prime Minister has been backdated to 1 April 2005.
A list of Government Carbon Offsetting Fund members, their emission figures and what activities they have offset through the fund is available online at:
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent by his Department on international flights in each year since 1997. [174350]
Margaret Hodge: The Department's accounting system does not record travel information in the format and at the level of detail requested. The information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Regarding Ministers' visits overseas, since 1999 the Government have published a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the last financial year was published on 25 July 2007. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. From next year, the list will include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.
Carbon Emissions
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has adopted the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme. [176925]
Margaret Hodge: The Department has adopted the Carbon Trust’s Carbon Management Programme to assist in establishing a baseline measurement of the carbon footprint of the departmental estate and that of our major non-departmental public bodies.
Christmas
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007. [176905]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The total numbers of DCMS Christmas cards that each Minister intends to send this year are as follows:
| Cards | |
|
James Purnell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | |
|
Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism | |
This year the Department is producing a total of 3,400 Christmas cards (of which 1,100 are allocated to Ministers), costing a total of £2,284.
We cannot supply an accurate figure for postage costs as many of the cards will be distributed via internal contacts. However, standard procedure for DCMS is that they will be sent via second class post.
Club and Coaching Development Scheme
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the administrative costs to each of the national governing bodies of implementing the Club and Coaching Development Scheme sponsored by his Department. [176814]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Our non-departmental public body, Sport England has not made any estimate of the cost to governing bodies of implementing the Club and Coach programme. Costs will vary depending on the size and scope of each national governing body’s programme and the extent of their existing staffing infrastructures. Sport England has invested £8.35 million of additional funding into a number of national governing bodies to provide them with extra capacity to help manage this new programme.
Computer Software
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many copies of Adobe Photoshop software were purchased by his Department in the last period for which figures are available. [176716]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department has six copies of Adobe Photoshop software.
Cultural Heritage: Textiles
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the maintenance and preservation of collections of historic textiles in public ownership; and if he will make a statement. [175110]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 17 December 2007]: The Victoria and Albert Museum houses the national collection of textiles and there are significant collections at other museums sponsored by the Department. The Government delegate responsibility for specific textile conservation policies to these and other public bodies with duties for the care and protection of cultural heritage.
The Institute of Conservation continues to support efforts to find a new home for the Textile Conservation Centre.
Departmental Databases
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times databases containing personal information on members of the general public were transferred by his Department to other bodies or organisations (a) physically and (b) electronically in each year since 1997. [176816]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is as follows.
(a) None
(b) None
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many branded plastic bags his Department has purchased in the last 24 months for which figures are available; and at what cost. [176714]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has not purchased any branded plastic bags in the last 24 months.
Departmental Recycling
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (1) (a) volume and (b) percentage of its waste his Department recycled in each of the last five years; [172508]
(2) how much and what proportion of its waste his Department recycled in each of the last five years. [174436]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department does not hold records on recycling for the last five years.
DCMS introduced a new waste management system in January 2007 at its Cockspur street offices. The average monthly recycling rate is 59 per cent.
Departmental Sustainable Development
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department is working towards an accredited certified environmental management system such as ISO 14001 or EMAS (a) for its whole estate and (b) in some of its buildings. [176927]
Margaret Hodge: The Department’s environmental management system was accredited to ISO 14001 in June 2007. The EMS covers the Department’s offices at Cockspur Street and Tottenham Court Road.
The Department’s executive agency the Royal Parks, has an environmental management system accredited to ISO 14001 for all its estate.
Digital Broadcasting: Television
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when the Switchover Programme Group decided to change the digital switchover programme alert from Red to Amber; and if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meeting when the decision was taken; [173931]
(2) when he was informed that on 9 August 2007 Digital UK issued a red status alert for the overall digital switchover programme; whether the information relating to the alert was made public; and if he will notify Parliament if any such further alert is issued; [173933]
(3) what the criteria are for a red status alert to be issued for the digital switchover scheme; what the current alert status is; and if he will make a statement. [173934]
James Purnell: Red, amber, green status reporting is a valuable internal management tool for focusing efforts on key operational or strategic issues to ensure effective delivery of switchover. In this case red status reflected a concern about tight timescales for the delivery of the Digital Switchover Help Scheme in Whitehaven.
Digital UK informed me that the switchover programme was likely to move to red status at a meeting on 8 August 2007 and at the same time set out the steps that the programme was taking to resolve the issue. Given that this was essentially an operational issue and that plans to address it were being put in place, it was not at that stage an issue for widespread concern which necessitated informing Parliament.
At the next meeting of the Switchover Programme Group sufficient action had been taken and the group agreed to revert to amber status. The relevant extract from the minutes of this meeting is given as follows:
The Digital UK Programme Office issues a status alert if a move to ‘red’ needs to be brought to the attention of the Switchover Programme Group before their next scheduled monthly meeting. Quarterly progress reports on the switchover programme, including its red/amber/green status, are published on:
All such changes in status and the implications of them, including whether to inform Parliament, will be considered on an individual basis depending upon the severity of the issue.
The current status of the switchover programme is amber. The criteria used by the Digital Switchover Programme for awarding red, amber and green status are:
Green: Good progress towards all milestones and objectives: no cause for concern.
Amber: Some cause for concern: one or two milestones missed and indications are that this will recur. Issues may exist, but corrective action identified and being taken.
Red: Major cause for concern: several milestones missed or about to be missed endangering programme objectives. Further milestones will be missed unless proactive steps taken and sustained action supported by the programme or programme-critical issues exist with no clear course of corrective action identified.
Switchover Programme Group: Extract from minutes of meeting held on 19 September 2007
Alex Pumfrey returned to the reasons why the Copeland Help Scheme was originally placed on red status on 13 August: (i) the need for reassurance that there was sufficient delivery and installer capacity to meet demand, which Peter White had confirmed there was; (ii) the need for a forward plan of activity, which has been shared; and (iii) assurance from DSHS that people have been given sufficient time to respond. Peter White noted that among the groups eligible for free help, 43 per cent. had responded, which indicated that people had had sufficient time to respond if they wished, and that low response was more likely to be attributable to the deterrent effect of the £40 charge or take-up of satellite. On this basis the group agreed to move the Copeland Help Scheme from red to amber status.
Gambling
Sandra Osborne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library copies of the letters he has received since 1 September
2007 on (a) gaming machine stake and prize levels and (b) the number of gaming machines in use. [174516]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Since 1 September the Department has received more than 140 letters from hon. Members, writing on behalf of constituents, concerning gaming machine stakes and prizes and gaming machine numbers.
I am arranging for a copy of an anonymised example of a typical constituent's letter, and the Department's reply, to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to review the (a) size and (b) remit of the Gambling Commission. [175597]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There are no immediate plans to review the size or focus of the Gambling Commission. The Gambling Commission is the new regulator for the gambling industry and became fully operational from 1 September 2007. The Commission is still in its first operational cycle and has developed strategic objectives for the first three years to deliver its statutory objectives as set out in the Gambling Act 2005. The Commission's initial Corporate Plan will be reviewed after 18 months in light of its first year's experience as the regulator. In particular the review will consider the developing methods for assessing the level of risk within the gambling industry and the resource effectiveness of the Gambling Commission's approach (including an annual review of licence fees).
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from (a) the Gambling Commission, (b) the Responsibility in Gambling Trust, (c) Gamcare and (d) trade associations on the likely effects on problem gambling of the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005 on 1 September 2007. [175598]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 which came into force on 1 September 2007 has been the subject of extensive consultation with key stakeholders from industry and those with an interest in problem gambling.
Ministers and officials also continue to hold meetings with stakeholders including those listed in the question and which have included representations on a range of issues, including problem gambling.
The Gambling Commission has also recently launched a first consultation paper on the Review of Research, Education and Treatment for problem gambling and has invited views from a broad range of stakeholders.
Mr. Anthony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the Gambling Act 2005 on seaside arcades. [175599]
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