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26 Nov 2008 : Column 2205W—continued

Vacancies

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) Sport England and (b) Arts Council England spent on advertising vacancies in each of the last five years. [225463]

Barbara Follett: Sport England and Arts Council England advise that their financial systems do not easily allow disaggregation of advertising from other recruitment costs. To undertake a manual search would incur disproportionate costs.

VisitBritain: Buildings

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Visit Britain offices there are (a) in the UK and (b) overseas. [231621]

Barbara Follett [holding answer 30 October 2008]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my predecessor my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge) on 15 October 2007, Official Report, column 830W.

VisitBritain inform us that they have two offices in the United Kingdom, its headquarters office in Hammersmith, London, and the Britain and London Visitor Centre in Regent Street, London.

VisitBritain: Information Officers

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many press and communications officers are employed by Visit Britain. [224848]

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain inform us that they employ seven full-time equivalent members of staff on press and communications functions in the UK. 23 posts in overseas offices also have press or communications roles.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Visit Britain spent on employing press and communications officers in each of the last five years. [226249]


26 Nov 2008 : Column 2206W

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain inform us that due to the complex nature of their domestic and overseas work this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

VisitBritain: Manpower

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff work for VisitBritain; and how many staff are planned to work for VisitBritain in each of the next three years. [231620]

Barbara Follett: [holding answer Thursday 30 October 2008]:VisitBritain employed an average of 403 staff during the last financial year. As it is currently undertaking a restructuring exercise it is difficult to provide figures in the requested manner, but VisitBritain inform us that staffing in the VisitBritain/VisitEngland's Thames Tower headquarters is expected to reduce by 40 per cent. from 228 to around 135, and staff posts in overseas offices are expected to be reduced by 25 per cent. from 194 to around 145. These predictions are likely to be affected by market forces and business needs during the three year period in question.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff Visit Britain and its predecessor employed in each year since 1997. [239391]

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain was created on 1 April 2003, formed by the merger of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council. VisitBritain inform us that the average number of people they have employed is as follows:

Year ending March Number

2008

403

2007

463

2006

482

2005

476

2004

476


VisitBritain inform us that prior to 2003, the average number of people employed by the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council (from 1999-2003; and the English Tourist Board before that) were as follows:

Year ending March BTA ETC/ETB

2003

484

59

2002

483

56

2001

455

57

2000

418

55

1999

414

63

1998

405

63

1997

378

60

Note:
Figures provided by VisitBritain from Statutory accounts.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff were employed in each of VisitBritain’s overseas offices in each of the last five years. [239464]

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain have provided the information in the following table. The headcount list includes permanent and contract staff. VisitBritain inform us that they do not hold information for the period since April 2007.


26 Nov 2008 : Column 2207W

26 Nov 2008 : Column 2208W
Staff employed in VisitBritain’s overseas offices from April 2003 to April 2007
As at April each year

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Amsterdam

14

13

12

11

13

Auckland

3

3

1

1

1

Berlin

6

31.5

30.5

32.5

39

Brussels

9

9

11

11

10

Buenos Aires

4

4

4

2.5

n/a

Chicago

3

3

4

4

2

Copenhagen

6

6

3

3

3

Czech Republic

n/a

n/a

n/a

1

0

Dubai

5.5

5

3

4

4

Dublin

12

11.5

12

11

12

Frankfurt

24.5

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

Greater China

n/a

n/a

n/a

4

4

Greece

n/a

n/a

n/a

1

1

Hong Kong

4

11

12

8

12

Hungary

n/a

n/a

n/a

1

1

India

4

4

4

6

5

Johannesburg

7

7

5

6

1

Korea

n/a

n/a

n/a

1

1

Lisbon

1

1

1

1

1

Los Angeles

4

3

1

2

2

Madrid

11

14

14

12

13

Malaysia

n/a

n/a

n/a

1

1

Milan

10.5

10.5

10.5

11.5

11

Muhlhausen

3.5

4.5

4.5

4.5

2.5

New York

40

34

34

26

28

Oslo

5

5

5

5

5

Paris

19

22

24

19.5

22

Rio de Janeiro

4

5

5

4

(1)2.5

Russia

n/a

n/a

n/a

2

2

Singapore

7

7

4

7

6

Stockholm

12

13

14

17.5

17.5

Sydney

12

11

11

11

11

Thailand

n/a

n/a

n/a

1

1

Tokyo

9

10

8

6

8

Toronto

7

7

6

5

6

Zurich

5

6

4

n/a

n/a

(1) Office moved from Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo in early 2007.

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