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10 Nov 2008 : Column 780W—continued
Branding: Local Events
6. Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with local authorities on the branding of local events in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympic Games. [233985]
Tessa Jowell: The Inspire Mark is a first for any games, and offers core games branding to high-quality projects and programmes delivered by local authorities and other non-commercial bodies, which have been inspired by the London games.
I have worked with the Nations and Regions Group to ensure that this Inspire Mark is available to local events.
36 local Cultural Olympiad projects are already licensed to use the mark, and next year community projects in other themes (e.g. sport) will be able to apply to use the Inspire Mark.
Ambassadors
7. Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what plans she has to use past British Olympic medal winners as ambassadors in the run-up to the 2012 Olympic games. [233986]
Tessa Jowell: I intend to work with sports organisations to use current and retired Olympians and Paralympians, not just medal winners, as ambassadors in the run up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
These men and women are an inspiration to the nation and are ideal role models for the young people of today.
Wales and the Olympics
Alun Michael: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what assessment she has made of the benefits which the 2012 Olympic games will bring to (a) Cardiff and (b) Wales. [233987]
Tessa Jowell: Wales stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the London 2012 games.
We are already seeing good progress—I understand that over 90 schools and colleges in Wales took part in Paralympic Handover events; that over 850 businesses have registered on CompeteFor; and that 32 facilities from the region are included in the official Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.
With the Millennium Stadium hosting group stages of the football competition in 2012, Cardiff will be especially well placed to benefit.
Mass Media
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics which organisations provided media monitoring services to her Office since its inception; and what the total cost was of each contract over that period. [231327]
Tessa Jowell: I do not have my own contract for media monitoring services. Both the Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, who have their own media monitoring contracts with Energy Data Services Ltd., and the Central Office of Information's Media Monitoring Unit supply me with material.
Olympic Games 2012: Consultants
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she plans to publish the KPMG review of venues for the London 2012 Olympics. [233684]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 6 November 2008]: The KPMG report with its recommendations is yet to be finalised and presented to the Olympic Board. Plans for publication are therefore still to be determined.
Olympic Games 2012: Finance
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what estimate she has made of costs of staging London 2012 shooting events at (a) Woolwich and (b) Bisley. [233683]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 6 November 2008]: The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich was selected as the shooting venue for the London 2012 games following feedback from the IOC's review of the Bid Committee's Applicant File (which originally proposed Bisley). Integrating shooting into the main hub of 2012 venues helped form a more 'compact' games in the bid.
KPMG has been commissioned to test and challenge the plans for a number of temporary venues, including Woolwich, to ensure that they represent the best value for money. The KPMG report with its recommendations is yet to be finalised and presented to the Olympic Board.
Olympic Games 2012: Gun Sports
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what reports she has received on discussions between Sport England and the National Rifle Association on hosting shooting events during the London 2012 Olympics at Bisley. [233742]
Tessa Jowell: I have not received any reports on discussions between Sport England and the National Rifle Association on hosting shooting events at Bisley during the period of the London 2012 Olympic games.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what estimate she has made of the (a) costs and (b) safety issues arising from hosting (i) shotgun, (ii) pistol and (iii) rifle events at Woolwich Army Base during the London 2012 Olympics. [233744]
Tessa Jowell: Since winning the right to host the games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have been developing their operational plans for the venue. In August, KPMG was commissioned to test and challenge the plans for a number of temporary venues, including Woolwich, to ensure that they represent the best value for money.
The KPMG report with its recommendations is yet to be finalised and presented to the Olympic Board. Due to commercial sensitivities, particularly with regards to ensuring that the organising committee is in a position to ensure value for money from suppliers and contractors, details of LOCOG's budget will not be published at this stage.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she has had discussions with the (a) National Rifle Association and (b) other shooting bodies on the issue of the location of shooting events during the London 2012 Olympics in the last two months. [233746]
Tessa Jowell: I have not had any discussions with the National Rifle Association or other shooting organisations on the location of the London 2012 shooting events in the last two months. I did, however, meet informally with Olegario Vazquez Rana, President of the International Shooting Sport Federation, during my visit in August to the Beijing 2008 games.
Olympic Games 2012: Northern Ireland
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with Northern Ireland Executive members on the input of Northern Ireland to the 2012 Olympic Games; and what the outcome of those discussions was. [233491]
Tessa Jowell: I hope to visit Northern Ireland in the new year to engage in these discussions.
By way of background, the Olympic family, through the Nations and Regions Group (NRG), has ongoing discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive at various levels regarding their engagement and involvement in 2012. The work and discussions of the NRG highlight the exciting opportunities and potential benefits to create a lasting legacy in Northern Ireland which has so far included:
26 Olympic and eight Paralympic training facilities in Belfast and other locations, included in the London 2012 Pre-Games Training Camp Guide;
over 500 businesses in Northern Ireland registered on CompeteFor;
£1.31 million from the Legacy Trust to Northern Ireland for a programme which will, in the process of delivery, tackle aspects of personal communication and physical development with elements of dance, gymnastics, music and poetry, theatre and visual arts.
Public Accounts Commission
Government Departments: Economic and Monetary Union
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission whether the National Audit Office has provided guidance to Government departments on their euro changeover preparations and planning. [233542]
Mr. Alan Williams: The National Audit Office has not provided guidance to Government Departments on euro changeover preparations and planning since June 2003. Before that date the NAO had some engagement with a limited number of projects associated with euro changeover preparations.
Home Department
Armed Forces: USA
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 1997 visiting US personnel were (a) prosecuted under UK law and (b) dealt with under US law for offences committed in the UK; and what information her Department holds on the results of such cases dealt with by the US military authorities. [214526]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Visiting Forces Act 1952 together with the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1999 make provision for dealing with offences committed by members of visiting naval, military and air forces from certain listed countries by their own service authorities and service courts rather than by United Kingdom authorities and courts. The Act does not affect the specific legislation under which defendants are prosecuted in the United Kingdom, although it may determine which country's legislation will be applied when an offence is committed.
Information on whether court cases take place under the jurisdiction of the Act is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the information on criminal proceedings contains only the specific statute for the offences under which defendants are prosecuted, not any other statutes governing the court case itself. For example, where a
defendant is prosecuted for robbery, an offence under section 8 of the Theft Act 1968, the record held by the Ministry of Justice will list the prosecution as under this Act only. It would not be possible to tell whether the above offence was committed by a member of the visiting US personnel, as circumstances surrounding the case are not reported to the Ministry of Justice. Therefore the Ministry of Justice are unable to provide data on those visiting US personnel who were prosecuted under UK law, those dealt with under US law for offences committed in the UK and the results of these cases.
Asylum
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers on Section 4 support were being provided with luncheon vouchers (a) in 2007 and (b) on the most recent date for which such data is available. [230826]
Mr. Woolas: Vouchers are issued to those eligible for Section 4 support by Accommodation Providers. They can be in the form of supermarket payment cards, supermarket vouchers or in some cases Luncheon Vouchers. UKBA do not hold central records detailing the provision of Luncheon Vouchers to those in receipt of Section 4 support.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which supermarkets are contracted to accept vouchers used by asylum seekers on Section 4 support in each region of the UK. [230827]
Mr. Woolas: The provision of vouchers has been contracted to Accommodation Providers and this information is not held by the UKBA. The Agency advises Accommodation Providers to purchase vouchers from the nearest local supermarket and other outlets, located within a three-mile radius of the accommodation, where a full range of items can be purchased. It is understood that the Accommodation Providers have arrangements in place with the major supermarket chains.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the face value of vouchers exchanged by an asylum seeker on Section 4 support is paid to supermarkets. [230828]
Mr. Woolas: This information is not available to the UK Border Agency.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of (a) the annual cost of administering vouchers for asylum seekers on Section 4 support and (b) the annual administrative cost of providing support to asylum seekers on Section 4 support in cash using the post office network. [230823]
Mr. Woolas: Failed asylum seekers who are eligible for support to avoid destitution under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are provided with accommodation and vouchers for food and other basic essential items. The Act prohibits the provision of cash subsistence.
Vouchers are issued to those eligible for section 4 support by Accommodation Providers. They can be in the form of supermarket payment cards, supermarket vouchers or in some cases Luncheon Vouchers.
The costs of administering the provision of vouchers has been contracted to Accommodation Providers and these costs are included within the unit cost negotiated with each individual Accommodation Provider.
British Nationality
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted UK citizenship in (a) each year since 1987 and (b) each quarter of the last four years for which figures are available. [232782]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 3 November 2008]: The available data to quarter 2 2008 are shown in the following table.
Data for quarter 3 2008 will be published on 19 November 2008 in table 15 of “Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary UK Q3 2008”.
Data are published both quarterly and annually as National Statistics and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
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