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29 Jan 2009 : Column 686W—continued
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on works and refurbishment to offices allocated to Ministers in departmental buildings in the last 12 months. [252370]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has spent £40,625 plus VAT on works and refurbishments to offices allocated to ministers in the last 12 months. This cost also includes work to offices occupied by private office staff.
Departmental Training
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which external organisations his Department have engaged to provide training for fast stream civil service staff in the last three years; and how many civil servants in his Department have participated in provision of training for external organisations in that period. [252227]
Mr. Sutcliffe: In the last three years the National School of Government (NSG) have provided specific training for fast stream staff in DCMS.
Fast stream staff are also entitled to, apply for and attend, other learning and development interventions open to all staff in DCMS. Many of these are provided by external organisations but they are not exclusive to fast stream civil service staff.
Information is not available to say how many civil servants in DCMS have participated in the provision of training for external organisations in the last three years.
Film: Licensing
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what grounds local licensing authorities may (a) amend the classification of a film classified by the British Board for Film Classification and (b) withhold a licence for a film to be shown. [252476]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The only mandatory requirement imposed by the Licensing Act 2003 is the imposition of a condition to be included in the premises licence or club premises certificate requiring the admission of children to films to be restricted in accordance with the film classification given by the BBFC.
However, licensing authorities must also take into account the guidance issued under the Licensing Act which recommends that they should not duplicate the effort underpinning the BBFC’s classification, and only classify films themselves if there are good reasons for doing so.
The guidance is clear that children should not be allowed access to regulated entertainment ‘of a clearly adult or sexual nature’ and draws the licensing authorities’ attention to the BBFC’s classification scheme. The guidance recommends that:
(i) where the licensing authority itself is to make recommendations on the admission of children, the venue operator must submit the film to the licensing authority at least 28 days before it is to be shown to allow the licensing authority time to classify the film and ensure that the licence holder adheres to its own age restrictions;
(ii) the BBFC’s classification shall be shown on screen for at least five seconds before the film (or any trailers);
(iii) where a licensing authority recommends restriction of admission of children, visible notices should be displayed both inside and outside the venue.
(b) A licence or certificate for a film to be shown could be revoked or withdrawn on an application for review by an interested party (e.g. local resident or business) or responsible authority (e.g. police or local body with responsibility for child welfare) if the licence or certificate owner breached the mandatory or any additional conditions or acted in a way that contravened the objectives of the Licensing Act.
Playing Fields: Planning Permission
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 244W, on playing fields: planning permission, for what reasons the statistics for 2006-07 were not published in December 2008; and when he expects them to be published. [251308]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that they are still collating the statistics on planning permission affecting playing fields for 2006-07. These statistics are due to be finalised and published in the spring of 2009. The last statistics for planning applications affecting playing fields were published in spring 2008.
South Bank Centre: Finance
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England paid to the South Bank Centre for managing its collections in each year since 1997. [249412]
Barbara Follett: Arts Council England has advised that it has the information requested only for the years since its merger with the Regional Arts Boards in 2002-03. Before this date, the Regional Arts Boards maintained their records according to their own systems and requirements. As a result, any figures relating to periods before 2002-03 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures for the period from 2002-03 are set out in the following table.
| £ | |
Arts Council England advises that these figures represent costs separately identified in the funding agreement with the South Bank for particular storage facilities. The ongoing general costs of the collection are covered by the overall grant in aid allocation to the South Bank. The increase in 2006-07 was due to a significant expansion of these storage facilities.
Olympics
Departmental Surveys
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much her office’s media and communication unit has spent on public surveys since its inception. [248029]
Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) commissions an annual poll, to help inform the Government of the general public’s views on London 2012 and ensure their views are accounted for in developing plans for London 2012.
The total expenditure for each of the last three years is:
| £ | |
| (1 )Nil return | |
Mass Media
Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the cost of her Office's contracts with press monitoring services has been since it was established. [251198]
Tessa Jowell: The Government Olympic Executive shares Media monitoring with DCMS provided by EDS Media through a contract that began in April 2008. The total cost to the Department to-date is £36,283.33. It is not possible to break down the exact proportion of this contract used by the Government Olympic Executive.
In addition, the Department pays an annual subscription charge to the Media Monitoring Unit (this is part of the Central Office of Information, previously part of the Cabinet Office). A breakdown of this cost is unavailable as the annual charge includes a number of services including some press monitoring.
Olympic Games 2012: Contracts
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether contractors at the Olympic site with business continuity plans are required to comply with BS25999 on business continuity management. [250567]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority applies a ‘balanced scorecard’ approach to evaluating bids. ‘Cost’, ‘delivering on time’ and ‘quality’ are paramount scorecard factors. While compliance with the BS25999 is not a specific requirement, contractors’ ability to comply with this standard for business continuity management is a consideration when reviewing contractor tenders.
Duchy of Lancaster
10 Downing Street: Internet
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many hits the 10 Downing street website has received since its most recent redesign. [249903]
The Prime Minister: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 26 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1481-82W. Further information requested is available on the Downing street YouTube channel at:
A copy of this webpage has been placed in the Library of the House.
Employment Summit
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what the cost to the public purse of catering at the employment summit held on 12 January 2009 was; and what suppliers were used for catering at the event; [249908]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the list of attendees at the employment summit held on 12 January 2009; [249916]
(3) what the cost to the public purse was of the employment summit held on 12 January 2009. [249917]
Mr. McNulty: I have been asked to reply
The employment summit was held in London on 12 January. It was led by the Prime Minister and was attended by over 120 key figures from business, trade unions, academia, work-place providers and representative bodies.
The summit provided an opportunity to discuss how Government and employers could best work in partnership to help people and business through the downturn fairly and get people and business in the best possible shape for the up-turn.
The list of attendees has been placed in the Library.
The total cost of the event was £162,076.18, of which the cost of the catering was £5,641.82. The catering was provided by Mustard Catering.
Public Expenditure: Wales
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the schemes outlined in the New Opportunities White Paper, Cm. 7533, will entail a Barnett consequential for Wales in (a) each year to 2010-11 and (b) the period of the next comprehensive spending review; and which have been identified as entailing no such consequential payments. [252770]
Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
Spending measures in the New Opportunities White Paper are funded from within departmental budgets and therefore there are no new Barnett consequentials beyond those announced in the comprehensive spending review.
Wales
Departmental Training
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales with reference to the answer of 27 October 2008, Official Report, column 600W, on departmental training, what personal training courses at public expense other Ministers in his Department have undertaken since 1 January 2008. [251322]
Mr. David: One Minister in the Wales Office has taken a personal training course at public expense since 1 January 2008:
Action Learning Set—National School of Government.
Departmental Travel
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what expenditure his Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each of the last five years. [251868]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office does not record individual journeys made in ministerial cars. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 6W. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the ‘Ministerial Code’.
Departmental Working Hours
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what the policy of his Department and its agencies is on granting staff time off in lieu for working (a) in lunch breaks, (b) in evenings and (c) at other times outside contracted working hours; and if he will make a statement; [252007]
(2) how many days off in lieu were granted to staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies for working (i) in lunch breaks and (ii) at other times outside contracted working hours, in the last year for which figures are available. [252008]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Wales Office employees may be given time off in lieu for any overtime taken at the individual line manager's discretion, staff are actively encouraged to take the minimum of half-hour for lunch on a daily basis.
Time off in lieu is not recorded centrally by the Wales Office. As such the answer cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Mass Media
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of his Department's contracts with press monitoring services was in each of the last five years. [251217]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has spent the following amounts on media monitoring with the companies listed:
2006-07: £8,401
2007-08: £11,045
2006-07: £4,136
2007-08: £3,309
2005-06: £6,650
2006-07: £9,868
2007-08: £13,700.
We do not hold records in this form before 2006-07.
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