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3 July 2008 : Column 1048W—continued
Departmental Expert Groups
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what expert groups his Department set up in each year since 1999. [213195]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Details of formal, standing bodies set up by Government to provide independent, expert advice to Departments and Ministers are published annually by the Cabinet Office. These bodies, known as advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), are listed in the annual “Public Bodies” publication. “Public Bodies” also contains some details on short-term advisory groups and task forces. Copies of “Public Bodies” dating back to 1999 can be viewed and downloaded from the following websites:
1999-2006: <http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies .asp>
2007: <http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications /3599.aspx>
2008: <http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications /5125.aspx>
Copies are also available up to 2007 in the Library for the reference of hon. Members.
Departmental ICT
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the value of his Department’s computer systems (a) was at the time of purchase and (b) is now. [214670]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The accumulated cost of the Department’s computer systems (including hardware, network devices, integrated data and telephony cabling, software development and database development) to 30 June 2008 is £11.375 million. The net book value of these assets as at 30 June 2008 is £4.356 million.
The recording of information technology assets in the Department’s accounts is consistent with the Financial Reporting Manual (FreM).
Departmental Pay
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will review salary negotiations for public sector employees in organisations within his Department’s responsibility to reflect the rise in the consumer price index to a point above three per cent. [214546]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government’s pay policy is guided by the following principles. Public sector pay settlements should be consistent with maintaining the necessary levels of recruitment, retention and staff engagement needed to support service delivery; ensuring that total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within Departments’ overall expenditure plans; and consistent with the achievement of the inflation target. Timing of pay decisions for a particular workforce depends on pay setting arrangements for that workforce.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on (a) new furnishings, (b) art and (c) new vehicles in each of the last three years. [213685]
Margaret Hodge: Spending is set out in the following table.
| £000 | |||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
Spending on artwork is predominantly purchases and commissions for the Government Art Collection. These artworks are displayed in British Government buildings both in the United Kingdom and around the world, playing a significant role in promoting British art and culture across diverse and international environments.
DCMS actively seeks to buy all wood and wood products (including furniture) from legal and sustainable sources. From April 2009, Departments will be required to procure legal and sustainable timber or timber licensed under the EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) initiative. The Government also
fund a Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) which provides free advice and guidance to help all public sector buyers and their suppliers meet the policy.
Departmental Vetting
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of successful applicants for jobs in his Department are subjected to a criminal records check; how many (a) successful applicants and (b) criminal records checks there were in each of the last 10 years; how many successful applicants were found to have a criminal record after a criminal records check took place in each of the last 10 years; whether the selection of successful candidates to be subjected to a criminal records check is random or targeted; and if he will make a statement. [213145]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport follows the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard which includes a verification of unspent criminal records. In the last three years the Department for Culture, Media and Sport had 49 successful applicants. All of these were subject to a criminal record check and none were found to have a criminal record. The Defence Vetting Agency currently arranges for a random 20 per cent. check of the successful applicants on our behalf. This will increase to 100 per cent. from 1 October 2008.
Information for the previous seven years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Departmental Waste
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department has taken to reduce the volume of waste produced by it and sent to landfill in each of the last two years. [215915]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department introduced a new waste management system into its Cockspur street offices in January 2007. Our main aim was to decrease the amount of waste we sent to landfill and to help our environmental management system gain certification to ISO 14001. Our recycling rate has increased from virtually zero to 60 per cent.
Departmental Written Questions
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how long on average his Department took to answer (a) ordinary written and (b) named day questions in each of the last three years. [215470]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on the average number of days taken to answer parliamentary questions is not readily available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Digital Switchover Help Scheme
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library the minutes of each of the meetings of the Emerging Technologies Group since 10 April 2008. [215264]
Andy Burnham: There have been no meetings of the Emerging Technologies Group since 10 April 2008, although the minutes of all the previous three meetings have been placed in the Library.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what usability and access standards are required of equipment suppliers to the digital switchover help scheme; and whether one-touch access to audio description is a specific requirement. [215900]
Andy Burnham: Usability and access standards for help scheme equipment are set out in the Core Receiver Requirements (CRR). I am arranging for copies of the CRR to be placed in the House Libraries. Audio description is a requirement of the CRR, however one-touch access is not.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements he requires the digital switchover help scheme contractor to have in place regarding disability equality impact assessments of decisions on the selection of help scheme equipment providers. [215901]
Andy Burnham: The choice of equipment is a matter for DSHS Ltd., the subsidiary set up by the BBC to administer the digital switchover help scheme.
Under the digital switchover help scheme agreement between the DCMS and the BBC, any equipment offered under the scheme must in general be suitable for a disabled person to use. Where the default option offered to eligible households is a digital terrestrial set top box, the equipment must meet the core receiver requirements of the scheme. If the default option is not a digital terrestrial set top box, the equipment must meet the core receiver requirements of the scheme as far as possible.
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether digital television equipment providing talking menus and a talking programme guide will be available to disabled persons in Wales via the digital switchover help scheme from 2009 onwards. [215902]
Andy Burnham: The equipment provided by the digital switchover help scheme so far has not included a talking Electronic Programme Guide (EPG).
Recent trials of a talking Electronic Programme Guide developed by the Royal National Institute of the Blind appear promising, and will be kept under consideration by my department in relation to the scheme.
English Sports Council: Expenditure
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many projects targeting rural areas have received funding from Sport England’s Community Projects Revenue Fund since 1999. [213794]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that it does not distinguish between urban and rural areas in awarding and recording grants.
Office of Communications: Marketing
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how regularly Ofcom conducts public awareness campaigns regarding its regulatory role and powers; and what Ofcom’s budget is for the next three years. [210491]
Andy Burnham: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the chief executive’s letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Olympic Games: China
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the UK is sending a pistol team to the Beijing Olympics; and if he will make a statement. [215072]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Six shooters have been selected by the British Olympic Association to represent Team GB at the Beijing Olympics, one of whom will be competing in the 10 m air pistol event.
Piers: Bournemouth
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what process funds are made available to assist Bournemouth in offering free entry to its pier. [213142]
Margaret Hodge: My Department has made available a funding package of £45 million over three years to help catalyse the regeneration of seaside resorts in England through cultural and heritage projects.
This is a capital funding programme. Bournemouth could, therefore, apply for funding from the Sea Change Programme to renovate the pier, but any revenue proposals, including offering free entry to the pier, would be a matter for the council.
Sport: Community Development
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by Sport England through the Community Projects Revenue Fund in each year since 1999. [213791]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that the Community Projects Revenue Fund is a generic term for a series of funding streams including Sports Action Zones and Priority Area Initiatives, and not a single funding stream for which such information is centrally held. It is not therefore possible to provide figures for how much was spent through the Community Projects Revenue Fund in each year since 1999. As such, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sports: Finance
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of Sport England's Community Projects Revenue Fund has been spent in areas of deprivation since 1999. [212982]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that the “Community Projects Revenue Fund” is a generic term for a series of funding streams including Sports Action Zones and Priority Area Initiatives, and not a single funding stream for which such information is centrally held. Since 1997 Sport England have funded a number of community initiatives designed to help combat low levels of participation in sport in communities that experience the effects of poverty and deprivation. However, Sport England does not record the award or amount of grants according to whether or not projects fall within areas of deprivation, as defined by Government Indices of Deprivation.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on sports action zones through Sport England's (a) Community Projects Capital Fund, (b) Community Investment Fund and (c) community sports networks in each year since 1999. [212984]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Funding for the Sport Action Zone (SAZ) programme came through a wide range of sporting and non-sporting funding streams. Figures have been provided for total Sport England funding for SAZs in each year since 1999, but this information is not centrally held according to the categories of Community Projects Capital Fund, Community Investment Fund and Community Sports Networks.
| Financial year | Total Sport England funding for SAZs (£) |
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much and what proportion of Sport England's Community Projects Fund was spent on administration in each year since 1999. [212988]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England have advised that the Community Projects Fund is a generic term for a series of funding streams including Sports Action Zones and Priority Area Initiatives, and not a single funding stream for which such information is centrally held. It is not therefore possible to provide figures for the proportion of Community Projects Fund that was spent on administration in each year since 1999.
However, detailed information on the yearly operating costs of Sport England can be found in their annual reports, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. Annual reports from 2000-01 onwards are also available at the following address:
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