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2 Jun 2008 : Column 613W—continued
These figures are derived from the Department's Lottery Grants Database, which uses information supplied by the lottery distributors and is searchable at
National Lottery: Wirral
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column 852W, on the National Lottery: North West, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in Lottery funding to projects in Wirral South constituency between 2006-07 and 2007-08. [207799]
Mr. Sutcliffe: No such assessment has been made. The individual lottery distributing bodies are responsible for making grant decisions independently of Government. Grants are made in response to applications and it is natural for the amounts awarded to particular areas to vary from year to year.
Olympic Games: China
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of his Department's officials will attend the Beijing Olympic Games in an official capacity; what the purpose of each individual's attendance is; and what estimate he has made of the costs associated with such attendance. [206961]
Mr. Sutcliffe: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library. All travel by DCMS officials is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Both the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I will attend part of the Olympic games, each accompanied by a private secretary.
The Permanent Secretary of the DCMS will also attend the Olympic games.
There will also be three DCMS press officers attending the Olympic games, to support us and the Minister for the Olympics. Three members of staff of the Government Olympic Executive will attend the Olympic games on the official Observer Programme to learn lessons for staging the 2012 games. This will be our only opportunity to learn from a summer games before 2012.
I will also attend part of the Paralympic games, and will be accompanied by a private secretary. A press officer will support the Minister for the Olympics and me, and two members of staff of the Government Olympic Executive will attend the official Observer Programme.
Few of those listed will be attending the whole period of the games—most attendance is planned so there will be cover throughout the games but without duplication.
Officials will be in Beijing to perform a number of roles. These include:
Supporting Ministers in their work—including supporting Team GB athletes in competition;
Learning lessons that will be essential in the planning and delivery of London 2012;
Attending official team and diplomatic functions;
Press officers facilitating media interviews and providing a service for national and international media.
At this time we do not have the total costs of sending DCMS employees to the games. These are still being calculated, however we are working to ensure the best possible price.
Regional Cultural Consortiums: Standards
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 17th May 2008, Official Report, column 944W, on regional cultural consortia: standards, how much has been allocated for his Department's review of regional infrastructure; and what the (a) timetable and (b) remit of the review is. [206679]
Margaret Hodge: The Department's regional infrastructure review has been conducted as part of the day to day work of the Department and its public bodies, and no additional resources have been allocated to it.
The remit of the review was to look at how the Department can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its regional bodies. The Regional Infrastructure Review Working Group has put forward recommendations for future collaboration in the regions which are being considered carefully.
Royal Opera House
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps (a) he and (b) Arts Council England is taking to increase accessibility to performances at the Royal Opera House to those on low incomes; and if he will make a statement. [201816]
Margaret Hodge: The issues raised are a matter for the Royal Opera House and Arts Council England.
All Arts Council England regularly funded organisations take steps to ensure that the arts are as accessible to as many people as possible. Arts Council England has supplied the following information on the Royal Opera House.
In 2008-09, 40 per cent. of seats (260,000 seats) will cost £30 or below, 43,000
more seats than in the 2007-08 season. In addition, the Royal Opera House has a number of initiatives designed to widen access, including:
The Paul Hamlyn Club continues to provide 20 tickets at subsidised prices for each main stage performance throughout the year. Prices are £20 for opera and £12 for ballet. Since its inception three years ago, almost 6,000 people have benefited from the scheme.
The Student Standby scheme continues to flourish with more than 19,000 students now registered to receive email or text alerts for the £10 student standby tickets sold for performances at the last minute.
More than 44,000 tickets are available for performances in other spaces within the Opera House ranging from £6 to £28.50 including chamber operas by The Royal Opera in the Linbury Studio Theatre. There is a flat £5 ticket price for the annual programme of Firsts—an innovative programme of short contemporary works supported by the Helen Hamlyn Foundation.
In addition, there are more than 11,000 free tickets for daytime performances.
The noble Lord and Lady Laidlaw of Rothiemay are supporting the new family performances initiative, where families who have never previously attended a performance in the main auditorium are invited to come and enjoy either opera or ballet. The performance is surrounded by a programme of activities including creative workshops. Prices range between £5 and £20.
The BP Summer Big Screen programme reaches audiences in 17 different locations around the country from Aberdeen to Belfast to Leeds, London and Plymouth. Three different productions are relayed live from the Royal Opera House and are completely free.
This year sees the beginning of Royal Opera House cinema screenings of both opera and ballet into the UK and North America. To begin with these will be existing recordings, with live broadcasts being scheduled in due course. It is anticipated that tickets to the cinema screenings will be approximately £12.50 with concessions also available.
Science
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish the report on science and heritage prepared for his Department by Mike Dixon. [202025]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 28 April 2008]: Dr. Mike Dixon's report to DCMS was not a report on science and heritage, but on whether and in what way DCMS should engage with or have a chief scientific adviser. The report was entitled ‘DCMS Scientific Adviser’ and we intend to publish it, alongside our response to Dr. Dixon's recommendations, later in June.
Sport: Expenditure
Mr. Hunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Exchequer funding was spent by (a) Sport England and (b) UK Sport on
organisations other than national governing bodies in each of the last three years. [207383]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England and UK Sport have provided the following details on Exchequer funding spent on organisations other than national governing bodies.
| Sport England (£) | UK Sport (£ million) | |
Sportsgrounds: Disabled
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Premiership football clubs' stadia meet the needs of disabled spectators and other users in accordance with the accessible stadia guide. [207666]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government do not hold or collate this information.
Tourism: Israel
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the amount of expenditure by Israeli tourists visiting the United Kingdom in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) in 2008 to date; how many such visitors there were in each year; and if he will make a statement. [206159]
Margaret Hodge: The table shows the number of visits to the UK and expenditure from Israeli residents for the latest years for which information is available. This information is taken from the International Passenger Survey (ONS).
| Visits to the UK from Israeli residents | ||
| (thousand) | Spend (£ million) | |
| (1) Provisional . Source: International Passenger Survey (ONS) | ||
Duchy of Lancaster
Apprentices
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) apprenticeships and (b) advanced apprenticeships there were in (i) his Department and (ii) the agencies for which he is responsible in the most recent year for which figures are available. [206806]
Edward Miliband: In 2007-08, there were no apprenticeships within the Cabinet Office or the Central Office of Information. However, the Cabinet Office is currently in discussions to participate in the civil service wide pathfinder project to offer modern apprenticeship opportunities.
Civil Servants: Retirement
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many officials of Permanent Secretary rank retired from (a) the Civil Service and (b) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the last 10 years; how many were (i) knighted and (ii) raised to the peerage; and if he will make a statement. [207708]
Edward Miliband: Between 1 April 2002 and 30 September 2007, 18 officials of Permanent Secretary rank retired from the civil service. Of these, 16 were knighted during their period in office, two were also raised to the peerage on retirement. Information prior to 1 April 2002 is not held centrally.
Between 1 April 2004 and 30 April 2008, 11 officials of Permanent Secretary rank retired from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. All 11 were knighted either during or after their period in office, and two were raised to the peerage. These figures include those retiring from the diplomatic service. Information prior to 1 April 2004 is not held.
Departmental Computers
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he has issued guidance to staff in (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) the Prime Minister’s Office to switch off personal computers when not in use; and if he will make a statement. [208166]
Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 April 2007, Official Report, column 1329W, to the right hon. Member for Warley (Mr. Spellar).
Departmental Disclosure of Information
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether it is his policy to release the home addresses of (a) senior and (b) middle-ranking officials in the Cabinet Office, if requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and what assessment he has made of the implications for personal security resulting from the release of such data. [207437]
Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice.
Departmental Orders and Regulations
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many statutory instruments have been (a) made and (b) revoked by Cabinet Office Ministers since 1997. [204777]
Edward Miliband: No information is held for statutory instruments made by Cabinet Office Ministers in 1997 and only partial details are held for 1998. Since 1999, 32 general statutory instruments have been made in the name of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
The number of statutory instruments revoked could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Languages
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which languages are spoken in the United Kingdom; and what estimate he has made of the number of speakers of each. [202744]
Mr. Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking which languages are spoken in the United Kingdom; and what estimate he has made of the number of speakers of each. (202744)
According to the Labour Force Survey, in 2006, languages other than English were the first language spoken at home for six per cent of the UK population aged 16 and older. The available information on the languages spoken is as follows:
| First language spoken at home other than English, UK population aged 16 and older, 2006 | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Labour Force Survey. | |
UK censuses have also collected complete information on whether people understand, speak, read or write Welsh, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic (in the Welsh, Northern Irish and Scottish censuses respectively). The latest information is available in 2001 Census outputs. However, apart from English and these UK languages, the UK statistical offices do not currently collect information on which languages are spoken in the UK.
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