| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Nov 2008 : Column 815W—continued
Departmental Liability
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of
the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies. [232738]
Andy Burnham: In each of the past five years, the Department informed the House of contingent liabilities relating to the Department in the notes to its resource accounts which were laid on 17 July 2008, 16 July 2007, 24 July 2006, 19 October 2005 and 15 September 2004. This information includes liabilities not required to be reported directly to Parliament.
Under the National Heritage Act 1980, section 16A, the Department has also reported to Parliament by departmental minute on the total contingent liability of the Government Indemnity Scheme on 11 June 2003, 4 December 2003, 10 June 2004, 30 November 2004, 26 January 2006, 18 October 2005, 8 June 2006, 6 December 2006, 23 May 2007, 27 November 2007, and 4 June 2008.
The Department does not report the contingent liabilities of non-departmental public bodies. The non-departmental public bodies report their contingent liabilities to Parliament in their own accounts.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what personal training courses at public expense he has undertaken since his appointment. [230959]
Andy Burnham: Since my appointment, the department has provided media training.
Departmental Visits Abroad
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many official visits abroad he has made in the last 12 months; and what the costs were of such visits. [233884]
Andy Burnham: All travel by DCMS Ministers when travelling on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year, this information includes accommodation costs. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Design: Teachers
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking in conjunction with the Design Alliance to encourage continuing professional development among design teachers in schools and colleges. [234032]
Barbara Follett: The Government indicated their support for the Design Skills Alliance in Creative Britain, published in February 2008. A bid for funds has been put to DCMS's Creative Economy Programme Board and is currently being considered by Ministers.
Government Art Collection
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pieces from the Government Art Collection have gone missing in the last 12 months. [233963]
Barbara Follett: 8 Government Art Collection works of art are currently registered as missing for the period 1 November 2007 to 31 October 2008.
Greater Manchester
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding (a) his Department and (b) the Big Lottery Fund has given to (i) the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations, (ii) Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support and (iii) the Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium in the last 24 months. [233270]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 4 November 2008]: My Department has not directly funded the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations, Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support or the Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium in the last 24 months.
The Big Lottery Fund have advised that it has made four awards worth £768,536 to the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations in the last 24 months but has not funded Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Support or the Greater Manchester Voluntary Sector Learning Consortium in this period.
Horse Racing: Finance
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was received by the horse racing industry from the statutory levy payment by bookmakers in the last 12 months; how much is expected to be received in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [234058]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Payments received from bookmakers (inclusive of the Tote) in respect of the 46(th) Levy Scheme (April 2007 to March 2008) totalled £115.5 million. The Horserace Betting Levy Board's best estimate for receipts in respect of the 47th Levy Scheme (April 2008 to March 2009) is £99.2 million. A figure for total receipts in the 12 months to November 2008 is not available, nor is it possible to estimate receipts in the 12 months from November 2008 as neither the Levy Board nor my Department holds such data.
We welcome the news that the 48th Horserace Betting Levy Scheme has been agreed without the need for Government determination. This is a tribute both to the independent members of the board for their perseverance in brokering an acceptable agreement, and to the racing and bookmaking industries for their flexibility in reaching constructive solutions to some very difficult issues.
Liverpool
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times he has visited Liverpool during its period as European Capital of Culture. [233842]
Andy Burnham: Since 25 January 2008, I have visited Liverpool 18 times in an official capacity.
National Lottery: Cycling
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the Big Lottery Fund has given to (a) the Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign and (b) Action for Sustainable Living in the last 24 months. [233245]
Barbara Follett: The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have advised that it has not funded either the Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign or Action for Sustainable Living in the last 24 months.
However, BIG have advised that the Awards for All programme has made one award worth £5,200 to Action For Sustainable Living in the last 24 months.
Public Libraries: Greater London
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on public libraries in each London borough in each of the last 10 years. [233886]
Barbara Follett: The amount of money spent on libraries—net expenditure (actual amount excluding capital charges)—in each London borough is published in the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Public Library Statistics, copies of which are available in the House Library.
Stonehenge
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much income English Heritage has received from running Stonehenge in each year since it took responsibility for the site; and if he will make a statement; [233552]
(2) what costs have been incurred by English Heritage in running Stonehenge in each year since it took over responsibility for the site; and if he will make a statement. [233553]
Barbara Follett: Information provided by English Heritage on income received, and costs incurred, is set out in the following table. English Heritage has managed Stonehenge since 1984, but income and expenditure information prior to 1996-97 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| Financial year | Earned income, excluding rents receivable (£) | Expenditure, excluding leased maintenance costs (£) |
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees relating to improvement schemes for the Stonehenge site in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [233554]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent any money on consultancy fees relating to improvement schemes for the Stonehenge site in the last five years. English Heritage has managed the site on behalf of the state since 1984 and the amount it has spent on consultancy fees in each of the last five years are set out in the following table.
| Spend on consultancy fees (£) | |
Swimming Pools: Elderly
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether free swimming for over 60 year olds under his proposed scheme may only take place in pools owned by local authorities. [233141]
Andy Burnham: Free swimming offered through the Government’s Free Swimming Programme may only take place in pools owned by local authorities.
Television
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library the guidance given to broadcasters on determining the public interest in preparing and broadcasting a programme based on undercover filming; and if he will make a statement. [233046]
Andy Burnham: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), as independent regulator for the communications sector. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive’s letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Tourism: Finance
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money from his Department is being provided to Visit Wales in 2008-09. [232213]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 3 November 2008]: Funding for Visit Wales is provided by the Welsh Assembly Government. The core budget for Visit Wales from the Welsh Assembly Government in the financial year 2007-08 was £12.656 million. This was boosted to £16.156 million by EU funding of £3.5 million.
Figures for 2008-2009 are not yet available.
Tourism: Greater London
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he has taken to promote London as a tourist destination over the last 12 months. [233839]
Barbara Follett: My Department has provided £1.9 million in the last year to the Greater London authority, in support of its tourism duties.
London features widely in VisitBritain’s marketing campaigns to promote Britain overseas and England to the British, including print literature and web content on both visitbritain.com and enjoyengland.com. VisitBritain also co-funds, with Visit London, the Britain and London Visitor Centre (BLVC) in Regent street. A monthly London Planner, produced in partnership with VisitBritain and Visit London, is available free at the BLVC and other tourist information centres.
The British Tourism Framework Review, which is due to report shortly, is expected to offer further comment on the future promotion of London domestically and internationally.
Visit England: Finance
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding is being provided to Visit England in 2008-09. [231637]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 30 October 2008]: DCMS does not provide direct funding to Visit England. For 2008-09, the amount of funding provided by VisitBritain for the direct marketing of England both domestically and internationally (excluding services shared with VisitBritain) is £8.462 million.
Youth Organisations
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the average level of funding provided to local youth councils by (a) his Department and (b) the Big Lottery Fund in the latest period for which figures are available. [233285]
Barbara Follett: My Department has not directly provided funding to local youth councils for the period in which latest figures are available.
The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have advised that in the financial year 2007-08 three awards with a total value of £76,814 were made to local youth councils through BIG programmes and the Awards For All programme.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |