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3 Feb 2009 : Column 984W—continued
Public Libraries: Standards
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how long each local authority took to replenish to Public Library Service Standard 10 its library lending stock on open access or available on loan in each of the last three years. [251741]
Barbara Follett: The information requested is not collated centrally. The appendix to Public Library Statistics, a report published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), shows the time taken by each local authority to replenish its lending stock. It may therefore be possible to calculate how long each local authority took to replenish to Public Library Service Standard 10 its library lending stock by comparing issues of the report for the period in question. The House of Commons Library holds copies.
Public Libraries: Statistics
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his answer of 21 January, Official Report, column 1456W, what statistical information his Department gathers relating to library services. [252956]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport gathers statistical information relating to library services through its Taking Part survey. This is a continuous household survey providing national data on participation in culture, leisure and sport by adults aged 16 and over.
In relation to libraries, Taking Part asks respondents whether they have visited one in the past 12 months
and, if so, how often. It also asks about their experiences during their last visit; their satisfaction with the library's services, and whether they would repeat the visit. The survey also tries to find out why respondents have not visited a library. The latest available data for libraries, which includes demographic breakdowns of attendance, can be found at:
In April 2008, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport added questions to Sport England’s Active People survey to collect data for participation in cultural activities for the purposes of the National Indicator Set. Respondents are asked whether they had used a public library service in the past 12 months. Baseline estimates of attendance for all upper-tier local authorities can be found at:
South Bank Centre: Finance
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding (a) his Department and (b) Arts Council England provided to the South Bank Centre in each of the last five years; and how much came from (i) Exchequer funding and (ii) the National Lottery in each such year. [249415]
Barbara Follett: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s funding to the South Bank Centre is made through Arts Council England according to the arm’s length principle. Arts Council England distributes the Department’s funding for the arts. Arts Council England has advised that it has provided funding for the South Bank Centre as set out in the following table.
| Arts Council England funding for the South Bank Centre | |||||
| £ | |||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| Note: In addition, Arts Council England advises that between 1995-96 and 2007-08, the South Bank Centre received £37,369,643 towards the costs of its redevelopment. | |||||
Swimming: Elderly People
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1073W, on swimming, which local authorities made representations on plans for free swimming for those over the age of 60; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such representation. [252208]
Andy Burnham: Local authority responses are still being collated ahead of the launch of the Free Swimming programme on 1 April 2009. To date we have received approximately forty representations from local authorities on plans for free swimming for those over the age of sixty. We are taking account of these representations and are in continuing discussion with authorities in the run-up to the start of the scheme. At this stage I have no plans to put in the Library copies of local authority correspondence regarding the Free Swimming programme.
Swimming: Young People
Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of local authorities he expects will take part in the initiative to provide free swimming for under 16 year olds. [251837]
Andy Burnham: Of the 354 local authorities 211 (59.6 per cent.) have signed up to offer free swimming to under 16-year-olds. I am arranging for a list of participating authorities to be deposited in the Library of the House.
Tourism: Finance
Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what budget his Department provided for Visit Britain in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008; what budget he proposes for Visit Britain in (i) 2009, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2011 and (iv) 2012; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of such funding spent on promoting the UK as a tourist destination (A) within the UK and (B) overseas in each year. [251201]
Barbara Follett: The information requested is as follows:
| Budget provided for VisitBritain by the Department for Culture Media and Sport since 2004-05 | |||
| £ million | |||
| Total | Overseas Budget | Domestic( 1) Budget | |
| (1) Domestic budget denotes VisitBritain's budget to market England domestically. (2) For the period 2007-08, DCMS also gave £750,000 to VisitBritain to support a campaign to promote rural England following the floods and outbreak of foot and mouth of 2007. (3) Estimated figures. (4) Budget allocation due to be finalised following outcomes of VB Strategic framework review and discussions between VisitBritain and VisitEngland. (5) Not available—outside current HMT spending review round. | |||
World Creative Business Summit
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many firms bid for the contract to deliver the World Creative Business summit. [250247]
Andy Burnham: A total of 12 firms were invited to bid to deliver the World Creative Business conference (now the Creativity and Business International Network) of which six moved to pitch after a pairing process. All the firms were on the Central Office of Information (COI) framework of approved agencies.
Northern Ireland
Apprentices
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 8 July 2008, Official Report, column 1521W, on apprentices, what progress has been made in increasing the number of apprentices in his Department; and how many apprentices his Department employs. [251928]
Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office currently has 12 staff completing apprenticeships, and 33 staff have already completed. The Department will offer 16 new places to staff each year.
Departmental Correspondence
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department’s average response time to a letter received from (a) an hon. Member and (b) a member of the public was in each of the last three years. [251446]
Paul Goggins: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members correspondence. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008, Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Information for 2008 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it is ready. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
With respect to correspondence from members of the public, this information could not be provided within disproportionate costs limits but the Northern Ireland Office aim to respond to all written correspondence within 15 working days. The Department publishes statistics annually on ‘answering letters quickly and clearly’ in the departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which ICT projects initiated by his Department were abandoned before completion in each year since 1997; what costs were incurred on each project; who the contractors were; what the date of (a) commencement and (b) abandonment was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [251134]
Paul Goggins: There has been one ICT project abandoned by the Northern Ireland Office before completion since 1997. The Product Logging ICT Project was cancelled by the Forensic Science Agency at a cost of £8,500. The contractors were ICS Computing. The project commenced in June 2006 and was abandoned in November 2006.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2008, Official Report, column 773W, on departmental ICT, what his most recent estimate of the (a) cost and (b) completion date of each of the projects referred to is; and if he will make a statement. [251242]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is provided in the following table.
| Project name | Completion date | Estimated cost (£ million) |
|
Prisoner Record Information System (PRISM): Technical Refresh |
Departmental Internet
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which websites his Department maintained other than its main departmental website in the last five years; and what the operating budget for each was in each year of its operation. [251278]
Paul Goggins:
The websites maintained by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding the main departmental website,
and their associated operating budgets for the last five financial years are set out in the following table.
| £ | |||||
| Operating budget by financial year | |||||
| Website | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
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