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31 Mar 2008 : Column 538W—continued
Departmental Alcoholic Drinks
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at how many events held by his Department (a) wine and (b) Fairtrade wine were served in the last three years; and what assessment his Department has made of the merits of serving Fairtrade wine at future events. [196935]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department does not hold any management information regarding the use of wine at events. In particular the Department has no policy regarding the use of Fairtrade wine at departmental events.
Departmental Publications
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance is issued to members of his Department on the authorship and publication on the internet of material relating to their official duties; and if he will make a statement. [196740]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department has issued guidelines for staff on the use of social media and personal websites which states
“If you want to start blogging, and your blog/website will say that you work for the DCMS you should tell your manager.
If your blog makes it clear that you work for the DCMS, it should include a simple and visible disclaimer such as “these are my personal views and not those of the DCMS”.
Unless there are specific concerns about the nature of your job, you are free to talk about DCMS policies/projects and content on your blog. Consult your manager if in any doubt.
Don't reveal confidential information. This might include aspects of DCMS policy or details of internal DCMS discussions. Again, consult your manager if you are unclear about what might be confidential.
You should not use your blogs to attack or abuse colleagues.”
All staff in my Department are also required to sign an Acceptable Use of the Internet policy before they are given access to the internet. Any activity that would bring the Department into disrepute is prohibited.
I am arranging to place a copy of my Department's guidelines on personal websites and blogs in the House of Commons Library.
Departmental Training
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in his Department and its agencies have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling Skills for the Workplace, (d) Managing your Confidence, (e) Balancing Work/Life Realities and (f) Working Assertively training course run by the National School of Government in the last 12 months for which information is available; and at what cost. [197059]
Mr. Sutcliffe: No staff (0) from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have attended the (a) Influencing with Integrity, (b) Emotional Intelligence, (c) Counselling Skills for the Workplace, (d) Managing your Confidence, (e) Balancing Work/Life Realities and (f) Working Assertively training courses run by the National School for Government in the last 12 months. As a result nil costs have accrued.
Gambling
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps the Government have taken to tackle gambling addiction. [196888]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 26 March 2008]: I refer my hon. Friend, the member for Coventry South, to the answer I gave him on 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1305W.
The principal step that the Government have taken recently to address gambling addiction has been to implement the Gambling Act 2005, which from 1 September 2007 has introduced a range of licence conditions and codes of practice designed to protect children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Gambling Commission and licensing authorities have been given wide-ranging powers to enforce these conditions, and all gambling operators must comply with the new rules or risk losing their licence.
Licensing
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) on-licences, (b) off-licences and (c) public entertainment licences have been issued in each local authority area in each of the last five years. [187136]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The number of Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates issued under the Licensing Act 2003 (the 2003 Act) and broken down by licensable activity as at 31 March 2007 for each Licensing Authority area is available from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website:
Source:
Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Statistical Bulletin 2006/07.
Prior to the implementation of the 2003 Act, data on the number of alcohol licences and certificates granted and renewed in England and Wales under the Licensing Act 1964 were collected by petty sessional divisions (magistrates court areas) on a triennial basis, in accordance with the three yearly cycle of licence renewals. On and off-licensed premises and other liquor licensing data, by petty sessional division as at 30 June 2004 can be found on Table 9 at this website address:
Source:
Liquor Licensing Statistical Bulletin 2003/04.
No data were collected centrally on the number of public entertainment licences issued by local authorities prior to the implementation of the 2003 Act.
Motorsport Development UK
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments his Department made to Motorsport Development UK in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [197636]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department, through Sport England awarded £25,000 to the East Midlands Development Agency in 2006 to support 50 per cent. of the costs of producing the Motorsport Widening Participation Plan 2007 to 2013.
The actual amount paid was £19,858 and the award was made to EMDA in its role as ‘host’ agency for Motorsport Development UK.
National Lottery: Buildings
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been provided from National Lottery funding to date for new and refurbished buildings in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in (i) grants and (ii) matching funding. [196867]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is not held in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Some grants by almost all the lottery distributing bodies will have involved the construction of new buildings or the repair, maintenance or improvement of existing buildings. This will have included (but is not limited to) historic buildings and monuments, arts and sports venues and facilities, health facilities (for example, healthy living centres) and community buildings (such as village halls).
Olympic Games
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role his Department has in managing the procession of the Olympic Torch through London on 6 April. [197368]
Andy Burnham: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has had no role in managing the procession of the Olympic torch through London on 6 April.
The invitation for a city to host a section of an Olympic or Paralympic torch relay goes directly to that city and the National Olympic Committee. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has therefore been managing the operational details of the torch relay leg on 6 April. GLA has kept us updated as its plans have progressed.
Press
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of the press offices of (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies were in each year since 1996-97; what the cost was in each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement. [189756]
Margaret Hodge: The Department has one agency, the Royal Parks Agency. The total annual costs of the press offices of the department and the Royal Parks Agency for each year from 1996-97 to 2006-07 are shown in the following table.
| DCMS (£) | Royal Parks Agency (£) | |
Costs provided for the Royal Parks Agency are an estimate based on current staffing levels.
Costs for the department for 1996-97 and 2000-01 have previously been provided in a written answer to the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 319W.
Information for 2007-08 cannot be included as the current year’s expenditure has not yet been audited.
Information regarding the cost of the department’s press office from 1997-98 to 1999-2000, and the total annual cost of the press offices for the department’s non-departmental public bodies from 1996-97 to 2006-07, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Regeneration: Coastal Areas
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the funding earmarked for regeneration of seaside towns is to be divided between locations; and when these funds will be distributed. [197973]
Margaret Hodge: My Department's £45 million fund will allocate £15 million a year over three years to help catalyze the regeneration of seaside resorts through heritage and cultural projects.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make an announcement on the funding proposals for year one of the programme shortly.
Work and Pensions
Personal Capability Test
12. Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether unemployed registered blind people and others with serious disabilities are required to take the personal capability test; and if he will make a statement. [197201]
Mrs. McGuire: In the present personal capability assessment, blind people and those with certain other severely disabling conditions can be exempt from taking the medical test.
The new work capability assessment for employment and support allowance moves the emphasis from what people cannot do to what they can do, and how they can be helped to do even more.
Our aim is to support, encourage and enable people to move into work, and so to become and remain independent. We will require all those who claim ESA, except the most severely disabled, to take the new medical test.
New Deal
13. Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on plans to reform the new deal; and if he will make a statement. [197202]
Mr. Timms: The new deal has led a major transformation in employment support by helping more than 1.85 million people into work.
We want to build on that success, and as announced in our recently published commissioning strategy, we will harness the expertise and innovation of the private, public and third sectors to help those who are still finding it difficult to find or sustain work.
Incapacity Benefit
14. Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had been on incapacity benefit for more than five years at the latest date for which a figure is available. [197203]
20. Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had been on incapacity benefit for more than five years at the latest date for which a figure is available. [197209]
23. Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people had been on incapacity benefit for more than five years at the latest date for which a figure is available. [197213]
Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for Bexley Heath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett).
Carers
15. Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to carers; and if he will make a statement. [197204]
Mrs. McGuire: The Government are committed to improving the help available to carers.
The review of the national carers strategy is looking in depth at issues around carers' incomes in consultation with carers and organisations that represent them.
The review will be published in late spring.
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