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29 Jan 2008 : Column 185W—continued
Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days of rest and recuperation leave personnel deployed to (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan lost on average as a result of delays in the airbridge in each of the last 12 months. [182326]
Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 14 November 2007, Official Report, column 257, to the hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton).
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units have been deployed to (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan over the last 12 months with full-strength bearing; and how many troops were deployed. [R] [182606]
Des Browne [holding answer 28 January 2008]: All units deploy at the required strength for the tasks they are asked to fulfil during their operational tour.
Information on the number of troops from each unit which deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 12 months is being collated. I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the role of Ministry of Defence Guarding Agency officers is in supporting the British armed forces. [182317]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) is the uniformed, unarmed element forming part of the larger Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency. The MGS provide an unarmed guarding service to Defence personnel and property.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which locations Ministry of Defence Guarding Agency officers have replaced Ministry of Defence Police officers since 2003. [182318]
Derek Twigg: There is one recorded instance since 2003 where the Ministry of Defence Guard Service have directly replaced the Ministry of Defence Police at a Defence establishment. This was at DSDA Longtown, Cumbria, in 2004.
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency: Recruitment
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the recruiting goals for Ministry of Defence Guarding Agency were in each year since 1997. [182316]
Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS) has no set annual targets for recruitment. Instead it keeps recruiting requirements under constant review and recruits sufficient MGS officers to meet the numbers required to provide an unarmed guarding function across the defence estate.
Culture, Media and Sport
Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many premises of each type in each region have (a) an extended and (b) a 24-hour alcohol licence; [181683]
(2) how many and what percentage of applications for extended alcohol licences have been rejected since the coming into force of the Licensing Act 2003. [181684]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Under the Licensing Act 2003 there are no nationally set prescribed hours. Premises licence holders may apply to vary their hours; however, each application has to be considered locally on its merit and may be rejected. This information is not held centrally
Data collected for the latest DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment, were published on 8 November 2007 and show that, between April 2006 and March 2007, of the 162,053 total premises licences 5,126 were for 24 hours. It should be noted that, of these, 2,493 are hotels which only serve private guests and friends of guests. These premises were able to serve guests for 24 hours under the old licensing regime.
A breakdown by region is as follows:
| Region | 24 hour licences |
| Note: Information was not provided by every licensing authority. | |
Arts
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his Department’s press release of 22 January 2008, what his Department’s estimate is of the proportion of the total population that participated in artistic activities in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [182701]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 28 January 2008]: According to the Taking Part survey, 77 per cent. of all adults in England have taken part in the arts in the last 12 months. 66 per cent. of people attended arts events, 52 per cent. of people participated in an arts activity, and 43 per cent. did both.
Arts: Grants
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which recurrently funded organisations are to receive (a) a reduced grant and (b) no grant following the conclusions of the Arts Council England’s review, broken down by Government office region. [182425]
Margaret Hodge: The Arts Council operates at arm’s length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them.
The arm’s length principle ensures that the arts are not ‘run’ by the Government and are not subject to
political interference Individual funding decisions are taken independently by people with expert knowledge of the sector.
The Arts Council have said the following in response to requests to see the names of the organisations listed in their proposals:
“Our proposals for non-renewal of funding cannot be made available until our National and Regional Councils make final decisions. This information is considered confidential and commercially sensitive during the response period. This is especially so in the case of a recommendation that might be overturned by the National Council or a Regional Council. Regularly funded organisations who have a right to respond to our recommendation, should be able to do so freely without fear that our intention to reduce or stop their funding is potentially unnecessarily, and without their consent, released into the public domain. A full announcement will be made at the beginning of February.”
Arts: TBR
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has paid the consultants TBR to conduct the arts survey announced on 22 January. [182801]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 28 January 2008]: The research project conducted by TBR will cost £75,000. DCMS is paying £45,000 and Arts Council England is contributing £30,000.
map the voluntary arts sector in England
assess opportunities for growth in the sector and
consider the impact of adult and community learning on participation in the arts and crafts.
The report will be published in the summer.
Cultural Heritage
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role he expects the heritage sector to play in the delivery of his Department’s public service agreement targets. [181923]
Margaret Hodge: The heritage sector plays a crucial role in ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy and participate in the cultural life of the nation. The Taking Part Survey estimates that 70 per cent. of people visited a historic site at least once during the past 12 months.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to reduce his Department’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2008-09. [181845]
Margaret Hodge: The Department has devised a plan which has identified potential savings of 562 tonnes of CO2 by March 2009.
In particular, the Department plans to replace its gas boilers with ones which are more efficient. This will significantly reduce our carbon emissions. We are seeking advice from the Carbon Trust on this.
Departmental ICT
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) start date, (b) original planned completion date, (c) current expected completion date, (d) planned cost and (e) current
estimated cost is for each information technology project being undertaken by his Department and its agencies; and if he will make a statement. [180565]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department is undertaking the following information technology projects:
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what products featuring departmental or Government branding were procured by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years. [179794]
Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:
(a) The following items were procured by the Department in the last five years bearing the Departments branding:
250 pens in 2003;
200 mugs in 2003;
13 T-shirts in 2007.
(b) The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
English Heritage
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) his Department’s and (b) English Heritage’s policies on the conservation of stone in English cathedrals; and if he will make a statement. [182190]
Margaret Hodge: Works to listed cathedral buildings are exempted from the need to obtain listed building consent, on account of the structures and procedures put in place by the Church of England to agree such works. Decisions as to how works are undertaken are made by Church bodies.
The Department’s listed places of worship grant scheme supports repairs to English cathedrals by making grants equivalent to the VAT incurred. English Heritage also makes grants towards cathedral repairs.
My Department looks to English Heritage to provide specialist advice on matters of conservation.
Football
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial commitments were made to the Government by the premier league as part of the recent broadcasting agreement. [181783]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 24 January 2008]: Both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have had a number of discussions with the premier league about the funding contribution to good causes following their broadcasting agreement.
These discussions are nearing completion and we intend formally to announce the detail of the funding in the near future.
Heritage Lottery Fund
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been distributed by the Heritage Lottery Fund in each year since 1995, expressed in 2007-08 prices. [181990]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 25 January 2008]: The information requested is as follows:
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