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23 Jun 2008 : Column 34W—continued
Leeds Children's Services;
Leicestershire county council;
Liverpool City Region1 Partnership (serving three Merseyside neighbourhoods);
North Somerset;
Telford and Wrekin council; and
Tower Hamlets.
The pilots will begin their work in September 2008.
Departmental Inquiries
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what independent inquiries have been commissioned by his Department in the last five years; what the (a) purpose and (b) cost was of each; and what steps were taken following each. [211121]
Mr. Sutcliffe: DCMS regularly invites external sectoral experts to contribute to policy evaluation and reviews, but there have been no formal retrospective independent inquiries into decisions, or courses of actions, commissioned by DCMS during the last five years.
Departmental Marketing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department and its agency spent on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08. [212028]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agency, The Royal Parks, spent a combined total of £39,922 on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08.
Departmental Translation Services
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by his Department on translation and interpretation services in 2007-08, broken down by language. [205186]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The cost of translation and interpretation services in 2007-08 broken down by language were as follows:
| Language | Cost (£) |
Football: Sports Grounds
Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations his Department has received on the campaign for safe standing areas in top-flight football grounds in England in the last 12 months; what plans he has to meet with football clubs and supporters groups to discuss this matter; and if he will make a statement. [212848]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 20 June 2008]: I have received a number of representations on the campaign for safe standing areas. I have discussed this matter with the Football Association, local authorities, the police and the Home Office. The consensus among all parties is that there is no wish to re-introduce any standing areas at grounds in the top two divisions.
No new evidence has been presented to suggest that there is a single more effective way of achieving safety as well as public order than all seater stadia. The Government therefore remain fully committed to the current policy.
Strip Clubs
Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Home Department on the regulation of lap dancing clubs. [212260]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
I have had a number of meetings and telephone conversations with my hon. Friend, the Minister for Crime Reduction, about concerns relating to the regulation of lap dancing and similar establishments. He has agreed to consider, along with relevant ministerial
colleagues, whether we need to do more to support local communities in controlling these establishments. As a first step, I have recently written to chief executives of local authorities to clarify the powers available under the Licensing Act and to seek their views on whether these, and other controls, are sufficient to respond to the concerns of local people. I am arranging for a copy of my letter to be deposited in the Library of the House.
Tourism
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of the global economic climate on tourism to the UK; what steps he plans to take to address those effects; and if he will make a statement. [210186]
Margaret Hodge: It is too early to say if the current economic climate is affecting tourism to the UK. But indications for both inbound and domestic tourism remain positive for 2008.
The latest inbound tourism figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the number of visitors to the UK for the three months to April 2008 was, at 8.4 million, broadly the same as in 2007, and 5 per cent. up on the previous three months.
Northern Ireland
Crimes of Violence: Sexual Offences
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of serious sexual assault in each of the last three years. [211337]
Paul Goggins: The following table outlines the number of prosecutions and convictions for serious sexual assaults by type of offence for the calendar years 2002 to 2006 (the latest available years).
Data are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
Domestic Rates
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what records his Department holds on the size of the average domestic rate bill in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997. [205438]
Paul Goggins: This matter is now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.
Domestic Violence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of domestic violence were reported to the police in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) police command unit and (b) council area. [211349]
Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following answer:
The following table details how many cases of domestic violence have been reported to the police in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years. The figures are broken down by police command unit, which map onto district council areas, with the exception of Belfast. The four command units for Belfast when combined reflect the council area. Protection of the public from violent and sexual offenders remains a top priority for government. The launch of the new five-year regional strategy to tackle sexual violence and abuse in Northern Ireland is aimed at reducing the unacceptably high level of these kinds of offences.
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