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19 Nov 2008 : Column 607W—continued
(GAC15018)
Recorded as missing on 2 September 2008
Estimated value: £500
Print by Julian TREVELYAN
(GACL608)
Recorded as missing on 2 September 2008
Estimated value: £500
Print by John Brunsdon
(GACL908)
Recorded as missing on 2 September 2008
Estimated value: £100
The only money spent on the recovery of these items has been in terms of staff time. There are more than 13,500 works of art in the Government Art Collection's holdings. At any one time approximately 70 per cent. of these are on display in over 400 different buildings in the UK and around the world and their location recorded on the GAC database. In addition to this central record the GAC undertakes audits of its holdings remotely and in person and these occasionally show that works are not in their previously recorded locations. However, after extensive searches many of these subsequently turn up. The answer provided on 10 November 2008, that eight works of art are currently registered as missing for the period 1 November 2007 to 31 October 2008, therefore represents the situation as it is at this particular moment.
These eight works of art are not original works but multiples.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2008, Official Report, column 817W, on the Government Art Collection, for what reason his Department's website lists only two works of art as missing; and when the relevant page of the website was last updated. [235994]
Barbara Follett: The two works of art listed on the DCMS's website were original works of art and were known to have been stolen from a particular building in February 2008. The circumstances were advertised on the DCMS website and the police were informed. They have since been recovered by the police and the relevant page was updated 13 November.
Historic Buildings: Consultants
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on consultancy fees in respect of (a) Old Sarum Castle and (b) Wardour Castle by (i) his Department and (ii) English Heritage in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [235966]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent anything on consultancy fees in respect of Old Sarum Castle and Wardour Castle in each of the last five years.
English Heritage state that they have spent the following amounts on consultancy fees in respect of each of the properties in the same period:
| £ | ||
| Old Sarum Castle | Wardour Castle | |
Historic Buildings: Finance
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) income has been received and (b) expenditure has been incurred by English Heritage in respect of (i) Old Sarum Castle and (ii) Wardour Castle since 1996. [235967]
Barbara Follett: English Heritage state that they have received the following income and incurred the following costs from Old Sarum Castle and Wardour Castle since 1996-97.
| £ | ||
| Earned income | Expenditure | |
Licensing Laws
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to extend the grounds on which the police can object to the issue of a temporary events notice (TEN) to include (a) the prevention of public nuisance and (b) the protection of children from harm; and if he will establish a mechanism for public objections in the application process for TENs. [236940]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government have no plans to extend police powers of objection to temporary event notices (TENs), nor do they plan to extend the right of objection to local residents. The system for temporary permitted activities (TENs) is a light touch system involving minimum bureaucracy. Such a light touch system is possible because of the limitations directly imposed on the use of the system by the Licensing Act 2003.
Only the police can object to the giving of a TEN, on the grounds of crime and disorder. However, there are also powers for the police or environmental health officers to close events where there is excessive noise nuisance. The giving of a TEN does not overrule existing environmental health, planning and health and safety law, all of which must be complied with for a temporary event to occur legally.
Of course, if there were evidence that problems were frequently occurring at events authorised by a TEN then we could look at the legislation again. However, despite there being an estimated 119,000 TENs given in 2007-08, I am not aware of such evidence.
Lotteries: Housing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what advice the Gambling Commission has (a) given and (b) retracted on the legality of house sale competitions. [236616]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission has advised that it does not have regulatory responsibilities in respect of prize competitions and free draws but that they do monitor the boundary between them and Lotteries. The Gambling Commission has published a range of guidance documents on the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005, including Guidance on Prize Competitions and Free Draws, published in November 2007. A press release urging homeowners to be aware of the rules on ‘house competitions’ was published in October 2008. The press release advised that individuals considering or operating a scheme to sell their house using prize competitions should consider the guidance on the Gambling Commission website and take independent legal advice before proceeding.
The Commission advised that in September 2008 they corrected advice given in response to an e-mail inquiry from a member of the public relating to house competitions, but that no other advice or guidance which has been published on the website or given in any other form has been subsequently corrected or retracted.
Public Houses
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what net change in the number has been made of the net change in the number of public houses over the last year. [236615]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We have made no assessment of the net change in the number of public houses over the last year. The DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment does not identify the number of pubs in England and Wales; but rather the number of premises authorising the sale or supply of alcohol by means of a premises licence or a club premises certificate. These figures apply not only to public houses, but also to other licensed premises such as hotels, off licences and convenience stores.
Regeneration: Coastal Areas
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds have been made available for regeneration of seaside towns in the last three years; and how much has been given to each area. [236997]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 18 November 2008]: My Department’s contribution to the Government’s work in support of the regeneration of seaside towns is through the £45 million (£15 million pa over the next three years) Sea Change Programme. This has only been in place since 1 April 2008, but £14.6 million has been made available for regeneration of seaside towns through this initiative since then. The funding allocated to each area is set out in the following table:
| Seaside town/resort | Grant awarded (£) |
| (1) Development grant. (2) Feasibility grant. | |
Swimming: Elderly
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations his Department has received from local authorities on the financial effects of proposals for free swimming for over-60s. [236180]
Andy Burnham: We are collating final responses but have received to date approximately 30 representations from local authorities on the financial effects of proposals for free swimming for over-60s.
Tourism: Departmental Coordination
Mr. Ellwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he last chaired a meeting with the Ministers from the Department for Communities and Local Government, Department for Business
Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Home Office to discuss UK tourism-related issues. [236234]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 17 November 2008]: The Secretary of State and I regularly raise tourism-related issues in the course of discussions with colleagues across Government.
My predecessor, the right hon. Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge) met with the right hon. Member for Birmingham Hodge Hill (Mr. Byrne) the former Minister of State at the Home Office in April to discuss visas. She also met with the hon. Member for Gloucester (Mr. Dhanda) the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government on 21 July 2008 to discuss concerns raised by VisitBritain, on behalf of small accommodation providers about The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and its impact on their establishments.
I will shortly be meeting with the right hon. Member for Oldham East and Sadleworth (Mr. Woolas), Minister of State at the Home Office and HM Treasury to continue the discussions on visas and also with the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. McFadden), Minister for State at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to discuss Daylight Saving.
Leader of the House
Racial Harassment
David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which her Office is responsible have been (a) investigated and (b) upheld in the last 12 months. [236901]
Chris Bryant: The Leader's Office has a policy of zero tolerance to all forms of abuse. There have been no complaints of racial abuse within the last 12 months.
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 19 November 2008
Olympics
Departmental NDPBs
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by her Office; and what budget each has been set for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [236930]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is responsible for the delivery of infrastructure and venues to be acquired, constructed or adapted in preparation for the London Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012. The ODA’s budget is set annually and for 2008-09 is £1,361.1 million. ODA’s budget has not yet been set for the following two years, but its estimated spend for those two years is £1,744.2 million for 2009-10 and £1,615.2 million for 2010-11. The figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are subject to revision in the light of actual outturn in 2008-09.
The Olympic Lottery Distributor (OLD) will be responsible for the distribution of up to £1,835 million of national lottery funds over its lifetime. Its remit is to make grants or loans which it considers necessary or expedient for the purpose of, or in connection with, the provision of facilities, services or functions for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. The OLD draws down funds from the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund as they are needed to meet grant payments and running costs. The OLD currently expects to distribute £125 million in grant payments during 2008-09 and estimates that it will distribute £374 million in 2009-10 and £378 million in 2010-11. The OLD prepares its running costs budget annually, in advance of each financial year and has budgeted £0.9 million in 2008-09 for its running costs.
Olympic Games 2012: East Midlands
Mr. Skinner: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what locations in the East Midlands are being considered as training sites for athletes for the 2012 Olympics. [237906]
Tessa Jowell: A list of those facilities in the East Midlands that feature in the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Pre-Games Training Camp Guide is provided in the following table. LOCOG will provide each National Olympic Committee (NOC) and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) with a financial award of up to £25,000 for them to spend at facilities they choose from the guide. In addition, NOCs and NPCs are free to base themselves elsewhere in the East Midlands at facilities not included in this list.
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