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22 Jan 2009 : Column 1580W—continued
Most of these costs were met from the grant in aid, the remainder from income from a facilities management charge paid by the Royal Collection Trust, £1.8 million in 2007-08.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on (a) departmental Christmas parties and (b) staff entertainment in the last three years. [243743]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The annual DCMS staff Christmas party is self-funded by staff at no cost to the public purse. No expenditure has been incurred on staff entertainment in the last three years. All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on gifts and hospitality, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Departmental Public Appointments
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what progress has been made in appointing a research consortium to review his Department’s participation research; when he expects the consortium to be appointed; and what time frame he plans to set for its deliberation; [249426]
(2) what progress has been made in appointing a research consortium to review his Department’s participation research; when he expects the consortium to have been appointed; and what time frame will be set for its deliberation. [249796]
Barbara Follett: We recently announced that the university of London’s EPPI-centre and Matrix Knowledge Group have been appointed to conduct the first phase of the research. This phase is due to last one year. For further details on the new ‘Culture and Sport Evidence Programme’ (CASE, formerly referred to as the ‘joint research programme’) please see the new webpage at:
Departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards the target of reducing by 20 per cent. the number of unnecessary transactions required to be carried out by his Department's public bodies; if he will make it his policy to eliminate all unnecessary transactions; and if he will make a statement. [248919]
Barbara Follett: During the course of 2008, DCMS delivered a 9 per cent. reduction in the number of reports required of public bodies. We are pursuing further reductions with the aim of meeting the 20 per cent. target during 2009. Our oversight of each body is linked to a thorough risk assessment, so that a report should not be requested if the degree of risk does not justify it.
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of people responding to his Department's Taking Part survey said that they had participated in an active sport during the preceding four weeks in each year since 2005. [249356]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The ‘Taking Part’ survey is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
The following table shows the percentage of adults who participated in an active sport in the four weeks prior to interview.
| Participation in active sport in past four weeks | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | ||||
| % | +/- | % | +/- | % | +/- | |
This information has been extracted from the report published in December 2008, ‘Final assessment of progress on PSA3’. The full report is available at
Horserace Totalisator Board: Recruitment
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications were received by his Department for posts of (a) members of the Independent Strategy Board of the Gambling Commission and (b) non-executive directors of the Tote; how many positions are available for each; and when he expects to make the appointments. [247354]
Mr. Sutcliffe: For the Independent Strategy Board of the Gambling Commission, nine vacancies were advertised and 50 applications were received. Appointments are expected to be made in time for the first board meeting on 4 March 2009.
For the non-executive directors of the Horserace Totalisator Board, two vacancies were advertised and 72 applications were received. I anticipate making these appointments by February 2009.
Listed Buildings: Liverpool
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants his Department and English Heritage have awarded for the maintenance of grade I listed buildings in Liverpool in the last two years; how much was awarded in each case; and if he will make a statement. [248325]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides no direct Exchequer funding for the maintenance of listed buildings. Government funding is provided as grant in aid to English Heritage.
English Heritage advises that they have offered the following grants to grade I listed buildings in Liverpool in the last two years. English Heritage’s grant schemes are primarily for major urgent structural repair projects rather than ongoing maintenance.
| Grade I building | Grant type | Date grant offered | Amount of grant offered (£) |
National Lottery: Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take to assist voluntary organisations in applying for Heritage Lottery Fund grants. [248230]
Barbara Follett: This is a matter within the operational responsibility of the Heritage Lottery Fund. The fund has advised that it is committed to providing efficient and simple ways of funding voluntary organisations throughout the UK, and it produces a range of guidance, including some designed to help groups carrying out heritage projects for the first time.
The Government have encouraged all lottery distributors, including the Heritage
Lottery Fund, to ensure that the application process is as simple as possible. The lottery distributors have set up a website
which has proved very successful in letting potential applicants know about the relevant lottery programmes, including those run by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Sports: Clubs
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 10 November 2008, Official Report, columns 484-5, on the Subs for Clubs campaign, what progress has been made in talks between his Department and HM Treasury. [250344]
Mr. Sutcliffe: DCMS officials have discussed the Central Council of Physical Recreation's (CCPRs) ‘Subs for Clubs’ proposal to allow community amateur sports clubs (CASC) to claim gift aid on junior subscriptions with HMT.
A decision was made against implementing this proposal at the current time. DCMS officials are in discussion with CCPR to identify ways of encouraging more clubs to register for the CASC scheme and to maximize the use of the existing benefits that CASCs enjoy.
To date the CASC scheme has now registered over 5,000 clubs receiving rate relief and other benefits. As of December 2009 Deloittes estimate that it has saved grassroots sports more than £48 million since its inception. This money has gone back into sport and has enabled clubs to spend it on everything from facilities to kit. Additionally, all community sports clubs will benefit over the next year from the reduction in VAT from 17.5 per cent. to 15 per cent. which will help to increase the funds available to clubs, and moreover provide more money in the pockets of potential donors.
Sports: EC Action
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what dates since March 2008 (a) he and (b) the Sports Minister have met with their European counterparts to discuss the European White Paper on sport. [250271]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I have met with my European counterparts to discuss the White Paper at two EU Informal Sports Ministers’ meetings on 16-17 March 2008 and 27-28 November 2008.
The Secretary of State has had no such discussions.
Sports: North East
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public money was spent per capita on sporting infrastructure in (a) the north-east and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last five years. [245015]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England have provided the following figures, based on Exchequer data held for the last five financial years from 2003-04 to the second quarter of 2008-09:
| (a) Capital Exchequer awards to the north-east | |
| £ | |
| Financial Year | Per capita based on 2001 census |
| (b) Capital Exchequer awards to Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland | |
| £ | |
| Financial Year | Per capita based on 2001 census |
The constituency and region will also have benefited from lottery funding for sporting infrastructure during this period.
Sports: Public Participation
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of (a) all adults and (b) each priority group participated in active sport in the last four weeks. [249807]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The ‘Taking Part’ survey is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
The following table shows the percentage of all adults, and those from each priority group, who participated in an active sport in the four weeks prior to interview.
| Participation in active sport in past four weeks | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | ||||
| % | +/- | % | +/- | % | +/- | |
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