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10 Mar 2008 : Column 135W—continued
Video Games and Films: Classification
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to strengthen the regime for classification of violent video games and films. [192301]
Margaret Hodge: The Prime Minister has asked Dr. Tanya Byron to carry out a review to assess the effectiveness and adequacy of the existing measures that help prevent children from being exposed to harmful or inappropriate material in video games and on the internet. We expect her final report later this month which may include recommendations for improvements or additional action. Once we have received the report, we will consider whether further action is necessary.
Art Works: Theft
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many spoliation compensation payments his Department made in each of the last 10 years and what the (a) cause of compensation and (b) value of each such payment was. [191365]
Margaret Hodge: Since the establishment of the Spoliation Advisory Panel in 2000, the Government have, on the recommendation of the panel, made two ex gratia payments to the families of those who lost works of art to the Nazis. In 2001, a payment of £125,000 was made to a claimant whose family had been forced to sell View of Hampton Court Palace by Jan Griffier the elder, during their flight from the Nazis in Belgium in 1940. The painting is in the collection of the Tate. In 2006, a payment of £175,000 was made in respect of four old master drawings, in the collection of the British Museum, which had been seized by the Gestapo in Czechoslovakia in 1939. All the panel's reports have been deposited in the Library of the House.
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to bring forward legislation for the restitution of Nazi-era looted cultural property, following his Department's consultation on the issue. [192484]
Margaret Hodge
[holding answer 7 March 2008]: Having carefully considered the responses to the public
consultation, my Department is now working to identify a suitable legislative vehicle with which to take this forward.
Arts Council of England: Expenditure
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by Arts Council England in the London Borough of Bexley in each of the last 10 years. [191001]
Margaret Hodge: The Arts Council has not regularly funded any organisation in Bexley in the last 10 years. They have however provided £1,109,487 in lottery funding, individual grants are as follows:
| Recipient | £ | |
The Arts Council have also provided grant in aid funds directly to support the following strategic initiatives.
| Initiative | £ | |
|
Development of a Thames Gateway Arts Strategy (includes Bexley) | ||
Bingo
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he last met bingo operators to discuss the state of the industry. [192437]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I met representatives of the Bingo Association, the main trade body for the sector, on 18 October 2007.
Officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have regular meetings with the association.
Conferences
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was to his Department of hiring the Emirates Stadium for the first seminar of the Convergence Think Tank on 7 February. [193133]
Andy Burnham: The total cost of the first Convergence Think Tank seminar at the Emirates Stadium on 7 February 2008 was £13,13633. The cost was met by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which has joint responsibility for the Convergence Think Tank.
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to post on his Department's website the papers submitted for the second seminar of the Convergence Think Tank held on 29 February. [193134]
Andy Burnham: The second seminar of the Convergence Think Tank will be held on 18 March. All papers submitted will be posted on the Think Tank website as soon as practicable after they are received.
Departmental Cost Effectiveness
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress his Department has made in its zero-based budget review under the comprehensive spending review. [191492]
Margaret Hodge: I refer the hon. Member to the Annex pertaining to my Department in “Meeting the aspirations of the British people: the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review” (Cm 7227).
Further details can be found in my Department's “Value for Money Delivery Agreement” available on our website, www.culture.gov.uk. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the House Libraries.
Departmental Older Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people over the age of 55 have been recruited by his Department in each of the last three years. [191524]
Margaret Hodge: The information relating to how many people over the age of 55 have been recruited in each of the last three years by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is contained in the following table.
| New entrants over 55 | |
Departmental Pay
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average percentage pay increase awarded to Civil Service staff at grade 6 equivalent and above in his Department was in each year from 2002 to 2007. [190621]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is in the table.
| Percentage | |
The increase relates to the increase in base pay.
Departmental Plants
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on pot plants in each of the last five years. [192055]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has spent the following on pot plants since October 2005. Information prior to this date is not available.
| Amount (£) | |
Departmental Property
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many residential properties his Department owns; how many of these are vacant; and how many of these have been vacant for longer than (a) three, (b) six and (c) 12 months. [192990]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department owns six residential properties. None of these are vacant.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the policy of British jobs for British workers will affect his Department's recruitment policy. [179881]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Recruitment to the civil service on the grounds of nationality is statutorily based. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East (Mr. Watson) on 3 March 2008, Official Report, columns 2206-207W.
Departmental Translation Services
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on translation services by his Department, associated agencies and non-departmental public bodies in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07; and how much has been spent in 2007-08. [187987]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has spent the following on translation services:
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