Nick Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of households which cannot receive (a) television transmission, (b) the internet and (c) a mobile phone signal. [202155]
Malcolm Wicks:
I have been asked to reply.
(a) Ofcom estimate that less than 1.5 per cent. of UK homes are unable to receive the main four television services (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1 and Channel 4) in analogue form. Channel 5’s analogue service is available to approximately 80 per cent. of the UK population. While classed as ‘unserved’ according to the broadcasters’ technical criteria for television coverage planning, many viewers in this 1.5 per cent. of homes can actually receive some of the analogue television services with a good level of quality, or can receive all services with a poorer level of quality. The same services are available in digital form today to over 50 per cent. of homes by means of cable networks, to approximately 98 per cent. of homes by means of satellite transmission, and to over 80 per cent. of homes by means of digital terrestrial television. When digital switchover is complete, these public service television services will be available to 98.5 per cent. of homes via digital terrestrial transmission.
(b) The availability of fixed line telephony services to all of the UK under BT and Kingston Communications’ universal service obligation means that all UK households are able to receive narrowband internet services. Ofcom data show that almost all UK households (over 99.9 per cent.) are connected to a DSL broadband-enabled local exchange, however a small proportion of lines in these areas will not be suitable for the delivery of broadband services, or will only be able to do so only at very low speeds, due to local technicalities such as line length or poor network quality. According to BT, 99.6 per cent. of its network is able to support broadband speeds of 512 kbit/s or above, although it is not possible to translate this into a proportion of households.
16 July 2008 : Column 435W
(c) Ofcom estimates that around 0.2 per cent. of the UK population live in an area where they are unable to receive second generation (2G) phone services. 99.8 per cent. of the UK population live within postal districts that have one or more operators with a network footprint that covers at least 95 per cent. of the postcode area. The remaining 0.2 per cent. of the population are generally located in deep rural locations with very small populations and topography that often presents physical barriers to radio waves.
Casinos
Robert Neill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the timetable for the review of the effect of the new casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005 is. [219062]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
An assessment of the social and economic impact of the eight large and eight small casinos permitted under the Gambling Act will be conducted when the first of the new casinos has been trading for at least three years. The new casinos are not likely to be trading before 2010 or 2011 at the earliest. We do not expect the assessment to be completed before 2014.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Hunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's accommodation costs were in each year since 1997. [218389]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The Department's accommodations costs were as follows:
£
1997-98
5,287,565.22
1998-99
4,653,525.96
1999-2000
4,691,917.98
2000-01
5,504,705.10
2001-02
6,779,078.85
2002-03
7,039,742.89
2003-04
7,487,127.69
2004-05
7,320,765.68
2005-06
8,117,154.80
2006-07
9,225,464.97
2007-08
8,858,113.28
Accommodation costs include rent, business rates, service charges, utilities, maintenance and accommodation management charges.
European Union: Citizenship
Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Europe for Citizens programmes are operating in the UK. [217986]
Margaret Hodge:
Projects receiving funding under the Europe for Citizens programme in the UK include town-twinning co-operation projects, structural support for public research, civil society organisations and projects promoting European remembrance of the victims of Nazism and Stalinism.
16 July 2008 : Column 436W
Holocaust Memorial Day: Finance
Andrew Rosindell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on events to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day in each of the last five years. [218530]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The Heritage Memorial Day Trust is responsible for the annual, national commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. This is not a Government initiative and, therefore, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no budget for its promotion.
The trust raises awareness, informs and educates about the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance, especially to issues of racism, prejudice and discrimination. It prompts action in the UK in favour of diversity, equality and harmony between communities. We believe that it is important to learn the lessons of the past to build a better future.
Home Information Packs
Robert Neill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many home information packs have been commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies to market a residential property; for which properties; at what cost; and whether a voluntary home condition report was purchased as part of the packs. [219010]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
None.
Licensing laws
Robert Neill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 22 January 2008, Official Report, columns 1810-12W, on licensing, if he will publish an updated list of local authorities with a designated cumulative impact area as of 2008. [219181]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The Department is currently collecting data on the number of cumulative impact areas on 31 March 2008 for the next statistical bulletin which we anticipate will be made publicly available in autumn 2008.
Orchestras: Finance
Jeff Ennis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the (a) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, (b) Hallé Orchestra and (c) City of Birmingham Orchestra has received from Arts Council England in each of the last five years. [218854]
Margaret Hodge:
These orchestras are three of Arts Council England's regularly funded organisations. According to the Arts Council, they have received funding as set out in the following table. All of this funding has been from the Arts Council's grant in aid.
16 July 2008 : Column 437W
£
Organisation
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
412,319
662,317
888,186
912,611
937,708
Hallé Concerts Society
1,718,090
1,841,681
1,955,496
2,009,300
2,064,600
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
1,735,962
1,840,120
1,955,496
2,009,272
2,064,527
Public Houses: Closures
Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of closures of establishments in the public house sector in (a) 2000, (b) 2003 and (c) 2007. [218583]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
The Department has not at any time made an estimate of the number of closures of establishments in the public house sector.
St. David’s Day
Andrew Rosindell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department took to celebrate St. David’s Day in 2008. [218532]
Margaret Hodge:
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport took no steps to celebrate St. David’s Day in 2008.
Andrew Rosindell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on promoting St. David’s Day in each of the last five years. [218533]
Margaret Hodge:
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport did not spend anything on promoting St. David’s Day in each of the last five years.
Theatres
Dr. Iddon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) seating capacity, (b) occupancy rate, (c) salary of the Chief Executive and (d) amount of support provided from the public purse for each theatre supported by funds from the public purse was in the latest year for which figures are available. [214429]
Margaret Hodge:
The information requested is not recorded centrally, apart from the amount of support provided from the public purse for each theatre supported by funds from the public purse. This information, provided by Arts Council England, is set out in the following table.
Arts Council England support for theatres
£
Organisation
Region
2007-08
2008-09
Colchester Mercury Theatre Limited
East
770,262
791,059
Eastern Angles Theatre Company
East
218,244
115,000
Hoipolloi Theatre Company
East
112,977
116,028
New International Encounters
East
—
150,000
16 July 2008 : Column 438W
New Wolsey Theatre
East
603,927
723,927
Theatre Is
East
170,494
175,097
Theatre Resource
East
56,039
57,552
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds
East
127,155
130,588
Trestle Theatre Company
East
262,183
262,183
Watford Palace Theatre
East
717,651
737,028
Derby City Council - Produced work
EM
—
742,810
First Movement
EM
117,775
140,955
High Peak Theatre Trust
EM
44,370
45,570
Leicester Theatre Trust
EM
1,705,505
1,751,555
Louth Playgoers
EM
44,370
45,570
Metro-Boulot-Dodo
EM
—
60,000
New Perspectives Theatre Co
EM
261,720
268,785
Northampton Theatres Trust
EM
697,134
715,960
Nottingham Theatre Trust
EM
1,342,165
1,378,405
Reckless Sleepers
EM
49,440
90,000
Theatre Writing Partnership
EM
49,910
84,850
Actors Touring Company (ATC)
L
205,872
211,431
Albert & Friends Instant Circus
L
25,000
90,000
Almeida Theatre Company Ltd
L
976,575
1,002,943
Alternative Theatre Company (The Bush)
L
490,748
503,998
Arcola Theatre Production Company
L
97,500
150,000
Artichoke
L
—
500,000
Battersea Arts Centre (BAC)
L
506,763
635,000
Bill Gee
L
—
25,000
Box Clever Theatre Company
L
62,185
63,864
Broadway Theatre, Barking
L
40,000
40,000
Cardboard Citizens
L
158,891
163,181
Cheek by Jowl
L
—
250,000
Circus Space
L
298,880
323,880
Clean Break Theatre Company
L
196,988
220,000
Collective Artistes
L
—
110,000
Company FZ
L
25,000
90,000
Company of Angels
L
120,000
140,000
Deafinitely Theatre
L
68,624
120,000
Donmar Warehouse Projects Ltd
L
500,000
513,500
Duckie
L
68,624
145,000
Emergency Exit Arts
L
68,624
120,000
English Stage Company (Royal Court Theatre)
L
2,132,062
2,189,628
English Touring Theatre (ETT)
L
755,921
691,758
Extant
L
—
85,000
Fevered Sleep
L
—
85,000
Frantic Theatre Company Ltd
L
147,806
170,000
Fuel
L
—
60,000
Gate Theatre
L
282,582
290,212
Graeae Theatre Company
L
549,267
564,097
Hackney Empire Ltd
L
274,114
375,000
Half Moon Young Peoples Theatre
L
200,594
206,010
Hampstead Theatre
L
665,126
890,000
Headlong Theatre Ltd
L
673,572
691,758
Improbable
L
147,806
200,000
Independent Street Arts Network
L
30,000
90,000
Julie McNamara
L
—
60,000
Kali Theatre Company
L
150,000
200,000
Kazzum Arts Project
L
68,624
90,000
London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT)
L
659,848
350,000
London International Mime Festival (LIMF)
L
165,791
170,267
Lyric Theatre Hammersmith
L
938,210
963,542
16 July 2008 : Column 439W
Marisa Carnesky
L
—
85,000
Millfield Arts Centre
L
30,000
40,000
Mimbre
L
25,000
90,000
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain
L
211,151
311,151
New Peckham Varieties
L
84,988
110,000
Nitro
L
253,382
260,223
Nutkhut
L
100,000
102,700
Ockham's Razor
L
—
60,000
Oily Cart Company
L
232,934
239,223
Orange Tree Theatre
L
361,828
371,597
Out of Joint
L
521,544
535,626
Oval House Theatre
L
336,429
376,429
Pacitti Company
L
68,624
145,000
Paines Plough
L
248,103
270,000
Peoples Palace Project
L
—
60,000
Polka Theatre for Children
L
565,000
580,255
Project Phakarma
L
—
60,000
Punchdrunk
L
—
85,000
Queens Theatre
L
274,497
281,908
Quicksilver Theatre
L
250,126
120,000
Red Room
L
68,624
70,477
Redbridge Drama Centre
L
40,000
40,000
Ridiculusmus Theatre Company
L
68,624
70,477
Royal National Theatre
L
18,223,400
18,715,432
Shared Experience Theatre
L
366,037
375,920
Shunt
L
68,624
145,000
Soho Theatre Company
L
645,536
662,965
Spare Tyre Theatre Company
L
84,460
120,000
Stratford Circus
L
40,000
40,000
Talawa Theatre Company
L
420,000
431,340
Tamasha Theatre Company Ltd
L
291,670
320,000
Tara Arts Group Ltd
L
341,266
170,000
Theatre Centre
L
388,222
398,704
Theatre de Complicite (Education) Ltd
L
360,294
370,022
Theatre Rites
L
184,757
189,745
Theatre Royal Stratford East
L
831,624
854,078
Tiata Fahodzi
L
147,527
151,510
Told by an Idiot
L
90,000
120,000
Tricycle Theatre Company
L
722,841
742,358
Unicorn Theatre for Children
L
994,694
1,021,551
Upswing Aerial
L
—
60,000
Vayu Naidu
L
143,345
65,000
Webplay
L
—
41,080
Yellow Earth Theatre
L
150,000
154,050
Young Vic Company
L
1,471,368
1,511,095
Eclipse Touring Grants
NAT
125,000
128,375
National Touring Contracts
NAT
690,000
708,630
Alnwick Playhouse Trust
NE
36,935
37,932
Arc
NE
238,000
244,426
Ctc Theatre
NE
150,000
154,050
Darlington Arts Centre
NE
121,120
124,390
Dodgy Clutch Staged Presentations
NE
144,195
148,088
Lawnmowers
NE
33,275
34,173
Live Theatre (Nett) Ltd
NE
540,250
554,837
Monster Productions
NE
66,550
68,347
National Association Of Youth Theatres
NE
137,250
140,956
Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust Ltd
NE
47,040
47,040
Northern Stage
NE
1,245,000
1,277,993
Ntc Touring Theatre Company Ltd
NE
312,300
320,732
16 July 2008 : Column 440W
Theatre Sans Frontieres
NE
210,700
216,389
Wansbeck DC
NE
30,531
30,531
Action Factory
NW
107,000
109,889
Action Transport Theatre Company
NW
142,600
146,450
Ashton Group Theatre, The
NW
33,300
34,199
Bolton Octagon Theatre
NW
571,300
586,725
Burnley Youth Theatre
NW
51,000
52,377
Chester Performs
NW
170,000
150,000
Collective Encounters
NW
—
45,000
Contact Theatre
NW
863,200
886,506
Dukes Playhouse
NW
521,400
260,700
Fittings Multimedia
NW
75,700
77,744
FUSE
NW
89,600
109,312
Horse And Bamboo Theatre Company
NW
122,500
125,808
Lip Service Theatre Company
NW
39,200
40,258
Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse
NW
1,530,000
1,571,310
M6 Theatre Company
NW
137,700
165,240
North West Playwrights
NW
55,300
56,793
Nuffield Theatre
NW
82,200
84,419
Oldham Coliseum Theatre
NW
472,700
485,463
Peshkar Productions
NW
75,100
77,128
Quarantine
NW
70,000
80,500
Quondam arts Trust
NW
44,400
45,599
Rasa Productions
NW
46,300
47,550
Rosehill Theatre
NW
41,100
49,320
Royal Exchange Theatre
NW
2,310,700
2,373,089
Spike Theatre
NW
34,400
35,329
Theatre by the Lake
NW
436,700
448,491
Tipp Centre
NW
27,200
27,934
Unity Theatre Company
NW
241,500
248,021
Walk The Plank
NW
56,700
58,231
Chichester Festival Theatre
SE
1,530,847
1,572,180
Forest Forge Theatre Company
SE
116,799
119,953
New Theatre Royal Trustees (Portsmouth) Ltd
SE
34,840
56,126
Nuffield Theatre
SE
575,566
591,106
Oxford Playhouse
SE
277,966
285,472
Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company
SE
188,010
193,086
Pegasus Theatre
SE
225,000
231,075
Rifco Arts
SE
123,345
126,676
Watermill Theatre Ltd
SE
310,621
319,008
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
SE
436,026
447,799
Bristol Old Vic
SW
1,156,001
578,000
Circomedia
SW
105,576
108,427
Forkbeard Fantasy
SW
232,266
238,537
Gloucestershire Everyman Theatre
SW
374,090
384,190
Kneehigh Theatre
SW
205,369
360,914
Miracle Theatre
SW
94,282
96,828
Natural Theatre Company
SW
144,196
148,089
Northcott Theatre
SW
547,236
547,236
Producing Theatre in Bristol
SW
—
672,000
Roses Theatre Trust Ltd
SW
52,788
54,213
Salisbury Playhouse
SW
836,561
859,148
Sixth Sense Theatre Company
SW
87,496
89,858
Theatre Alibi
SW
166,935
171,442
Theatre Royal Plymouth
SW
1,174,558
1,206,271
Travelling Light Theatre Company
SW
128,448
131,916
Belgrade Theatre Trust (Coventry) Ltd
WM
975,701
1,002,045
16 July 2008 : Column 441W
Big Brum Theatre in Education Company
WM
80,715
82,894
Birmingham Repertory Theatre Limited
WM
1,678,434
1,723,752
BME producer
WM
127,559
72,466
C & T
WM
70,730
72,640
Foursight Theatre Company
WM
161,583
165,946
Geese Theatre Company
WM
27,729
28,478
Lichfield Garrick
WM
33,276
34,000
Malvern Theatres Trust Ltd
WM
55,460
56,957
New Vic Theatre
WM
903,629
948,810
Open Theatre Company
WM
100,804
103,525
Pentabus Theatre
WM
185,617
190,628
Rideout (Creative Arts For Rehabilitation)
WM
27,729
28,478
Royal Shakespeare Company
WM
14,780,600
15,179,676
Script
WM
44,800
46,010
Stan's Cafe
WM
50,913
103,063
Talking Birds Theatre Company Ltd
WM
50,913
58,550
Theatre Absolute
WM
56,791
58,325
Blaize
Y
45,710
46,944
Chol Theatre
Y
48,830
50,148
Faceless
Y
20,000
20,540
Faulty Optic
Y
84,460
86,740
Forced Entertainment Ltd
Y
264,470
271,611
Freedom Studios (formerly Asian Theatre School)
Y
—
86,000
Freehand Theatre
Y
20,000
20,540
Full Body And The Voice
Y
20,590
40,000
Georgian Theatre Royal
Y
21,120
30,000
Greentop Community Circus Centre
Y
20,000
20,540
Harrogate Theatre
Y
408,890
150,000
Hull Truck Theatre Company
Y
470,000
532,690
Interplay Theatre Company
Y
100,580
103,296
IOU Theatre
Y
167,490
172,012
Mind The Gap
Y
143,850
147,734
National Student Drama Festival
Y
52,790
54,215
North Country Theatre
Y
38,850
39,899
Northern Broadsides
Y
264,360
271,498
Pilot Theatre Company
Y
265,370
272,535
Proper Job Theatre
Y
87,340
89,698
Red Ladder Theatre Company
Y
235,150
241,499
Sheffield Theatres
Y
1,266,910
1,301,117
Stephen Joseph Theatre
Y
660,380
678,210
The Old Meeting House Trust (Helmsley Arts Centre)
