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22 Jan 2009 : Column 1574W—continued
Road Traffic Offences: Elderly
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of prosecutions for road traffic offences that are not proceeded with annually on the grounds that the driver has subsequently surrendered his licence on grounds of old age. [250369]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold this information.
Road Traffic Offences: Fixed Penalties
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of appeals against fixed penalty notices to traffic adjudicators were upheld in each of the last five years in each region of England; and if he will make a statement. [247900]
Paul Clark: This information is not collected centrally by the Government, but the available figures for the number of appeals made against the issuing of Penalty Charge Notices and the number of appeals upheld for each local authority are set out in the annual reports of the traffic adjudicators: the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS) for London; and the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) for outside London.
The reports of the PATAS are available at:
The reports of the TPT are available at:
Roads: Accidents
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of road traffic accidents which are recorded annually as being the fault of drivers aged over (a) 70 years and (b) 80 years. [250370]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not held centrally.
The Department for Transport publishes the number of drivers of different age groups involved in reported personal injury road accidents in table 38a of the publication "Road Casualties Great Britain - annual report 2007". Fault is not assigned to participants in these collisions. However, information on the contributory factors is collected and published in article 4 of the same report. Table 4h of this article provides the most frequently recorded contributory factors for car drivers by age group.
Copies of the report have been deposited in the Libraries of the House. The report is also published on the Department for Transport web site at the following link:
Shipping: Lost Property
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many shipping containers have been lost overboard in UK waters in each year since 2006. [249471]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not have a separate database to record the loss of containers. The MCA operates databases to record incidents, including recording where containers are lost overboard.
The MCA relies on ships reporting loss of containers in accordance with national and European legislation.
To give a specific number would require a manual interrogation of the incident recording system and that would incur disproportionate costs.
Speed Limits: Schools
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on encouraging local authorities to apply 20 mph zones around schools; and if he will make a statement. [248622]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport encourages local authorities to introduce 20 mph zones in areas where vulnerable road users are present, including the roads around school premises.
This view is reflected in the Department for Transport guidance to local authorities on setting local speed limits, published in August 2006. In addition, Traffic Advisory Leaflet 9/99 provides best practice guidelines on setting 20 mph speed limits and 20 mph zones. Copies of the leaflet are in the Library of the House.
Vehicle Certification Agency
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend East of 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 199W, on departmental official residences, for what purposes Vehicle Certification Agency staff are based in (a) the United States and (b) Japan. [250046]
Mr. Hoon: Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) staff are based in the United States and Japan to carry out their operational duties as a United Kingdom (UK) type approval (TA) authority to conduct and witness tests to European Community (EC) and United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) directives and regulations on vehicles coming into Europe from those countries.
VCA does not have any official residences anywhere.
Culture, Media and Sport
Advertising: Economic Situation
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to support the advertising industry; and if he will make a statement. [249810]
Andy Burnham: The Government are committed to supporting the creative industries, including the advertising industry. Last year this Department launched Creative Britain, a strategy setting out in 26 commitments the Government's determination to move the creative industries from the margins to the mainstream of the UK economy. The commitments cover education and training, research and innovation and intellectual property.
The Government also provide targeted support to help companies start, survive and succeed. This is available to all businesses, including those in the advertising sector, via Business Link
On 14 January the Government launched a support package which consists of loan guarantees and a new Enterprise Fund aimed at helping companies struggling to access finance for working capital and investment.
Arts: Local Government Finance
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much local authority funding was provided for the arts in England in each year since 1980. [246419]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government collects data on revenue and capital expenditure by local authorities. Expenditure on the arts by local authorities is only available on a consistent basis since 2004-05. The net current expenditure for ‘arts development and support’ is set out in the following table.
| Net current expenditure (£ million) | |
Arts: Schools
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what date he expects the baseline data for the Find Your Talent pilots to be established. [249225]
Barbara Follett: The baseline position of the Find Your Talent pathfinder areas is currently being established. An independent evaluation team of SQW Consulting and Ipsos MORI will measure baseline participation in a representative sample of young people in the 10 areas and the results of this survey will be available in May 2009.
Charities
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to which (a) charities and (b) voluntary organisations his Department has provided funding in the last five years; and how much funding was provided to each. [247362]
Barbara Follett: The Department provides funding to charities and voluntary organisations through grant in aid, specific grants, strategic commissioning and the procurement of services, but it does not record the status of all bodies that it makes payments to, and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department does record the charitable status of those bodies that it provides substantial financial support to, and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 15 December 2008, Official Report, columns 353-54W, which includes a table of payments to charities where the charity received more than £100,000 in any one year.
Churches: Conservation
Mr. Swire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Heritage Lottery
Fund has been allocated to preserving historic churches in each of the last five years. [247833]
Barbara Follett: The Heritage Lottery Fund provides funding to places of worship, including historic churches, through its Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme. The allocation for this scheme over the last five years is set out in the following table. Historic churches have also been eligible to apply to the fund’s other grants programmes if they met the criteria, and provided that any application for outstanding repair works could not be tackled via the Places of Worship scheme.
| Financial year | Heritage Lottery Fund Repair Grants for Places of Worship budget (£) |
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the long-term sustainability of historic churches; and if he will make a statement. [247834]
Barbara Follett: The Secretary of State relies on the advice of English Heritage in relation to the condition and sustainability of historic buildings. In 2005, English Heritage and the Council for the Care of Churches commissioned a Fabric Needs Survey, which aimed to establish the cost of all major repairs needed to bring all listed places of worship in England into good repair. The survey concluded, based on a sample of buildings, that £925 million over five years was necessary.
As part of its Heritage at Risk programme, English Heritage is undertaking an assessment of the condition and level of use of listed places of worship, the results of which are due to be published in 2010. This research will to give a national perspective on the physical condition of these buildings and inform DCMS, English Heritage and all partners across the sector, regarding the current and future prospects for sustainability.
Churches: Grants
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s available funds on grants to church buildings; and if he will make a statement. [247835]
Barbara Follett: The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has always recognised that places of worship are a very special part of the United Kingdom’s heritage, and it therefore continues to ring-fence funds for them. Although the Fund’s grant budgets will reduce from 2009-13, a higher proportion of its overall budget has been set aside in recognition of the role these buildings play in community life.
The Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage remain committed to providing grants to historic places of worship. The joint Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage funding scheme has offered over £133 million for the repair of historic places of worship since it began in 2002. In 2009, £25 million will be offered to
listed places of worship: £17.5 million will go to Grade I and II* buildings, and £7.5 million to Grade II buildings. £15 million of this is provided by the HLF, and £10 million by EH. Both bodies anticipate continuing this grant scheme at its current level until 2010-11.
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport where those offices established to advise on the maintenance and repair of church buildings will be located. [248228]
Barbara Follett: On 12 December 2008, English Heritage launched a scheme to provide funding for Support Officers for historic places of worship. To date, six Support Officer posts have been established in Brighton and Hove, Exeter, Coventry, Carlisle, the North-West region and Worcester. Posts are established in response to applications from dioceses; denominations; faith groups and other organisations or partnerships which have a role in the care of historic places of worship anywhere in England. The response to the scheme has been very positive and all nine English Heritage regions are now in discussion with potential partners. A wide geographical, denominational and multi-faith coverage is expected.
The Churches Conservation Trust is launching its Community Regeneration Task Force to work with the congregations of vulnerable church buildings where the building might end up vested in the Trust were it to become redundant.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps (a) his Department and (b) English Heritage are taking to assist church maintenance pilot projects in the dioceses of (a) Gloucester and (b) London. [248229]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides grant-in-aid to English Heritage, the Government’s statutory adviser on all matters concerning the conservation of England’s historic environment.
The schemes in the Church of England dioceses of Gloucester and London are two of three pilot maintenance projects, which English Heritage has supported with funds and advice, the third being in the Church of England diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich. A model scheme will be developed from the lessons learnt from the pilot projects, which other dioceses and organisations will be encouraged to adopt, with funding from English Heritage for the set-up costs where possible.
Crown Lands and Estates
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to the public purse of each royal property is in 2008-09. [247976]
Barbara Follett:
The royal household receives £15 million a year from my Department to meet the costs of property maintenance; utilities; telephones and related services at the occupied royal palaces in England. As given in the Royal Public Finances Annual Reports 2007-08, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House (http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page3954.asp), the maintenance
costs of the occupied royal palaces for the year to 31 March 2008 (the most recent year for which there are figures) were:
| Maintenance costs (£ million) | |
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