Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 11 February 2009
Culture, Media and Sport
Creativity and Business International Network
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what payments have been made to Creative and Business International Network ambassadors to date. [255968]
Andy Burnham: No payments have been made to ambassadors for the Creative and Business International Network, and we do not expect to make any payments at any point in the future.
Culture: Education
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the Find Your Talent pilot projects to date; and how much he expects to be spent on them in each year to 2011. [256086]
Andy Burnham: The 10 Find Your Talent Pathfinders have been allocated a total of £4,312,070 in 2008-09, £8,030,923 in 2009-10, and £8,030,923 in 2010-11.
To date, the pathfinders have received 50 per cent. of their budget for 2008-09, a total of £2,156,035, and will shortly receive the remainder.
Culture: Young People
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of 16 who have (a) performed music live to an audience, (b) taken part in a theatre production, (c) visited an art gallery, (d) visited a library and (e) visited an historic building in each of the last three years. [255897]
Barbara Follett: The Taking Part survey provides data on engagement with a range of cultural activities by children aged 11 to 15. The child element of the survey began in January 2006 and data are therefore available for 2006 and 2007 only.
The following table shows the percentage of children aged 11 to 15 who had participated in the listed activities in the 12 months prior to interview:
| Engagement in a selection of cultural activities during the past 12 months, by children aged 11 to 15 | ||
| Percentage | ||
| 2006 | 2007 | |
|
Visited an exhibition or collection of art, photography or sculpture | ||
| Note: These figures are survey estimates which each sit within a range. The data have been extracted from the report published in October 2008, ‘Headline findings from the child survey 2007’. The full report and accompanying data workbooks are available from the DCMS website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5481.aspx | ||
Departmental Consultants
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many expert advisers, excluding special advisers, have been commissioned by his Department since June 2007; and on which topics they have advised. [254746]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 January 2009, Official Report, column 899W.
Departmental Databases
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of maintaining the databases owned and managed by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008. [256142]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Database maintenance costs in my Department are made up of the cost of the software maintenance from the supplier and the day to day maintenance carried out by our outsourced IT service provider, Atos Origin. The latter is included in the outsourced ICT contract service charges with Atos Origin and it is not possible to disaggregate the cost from the service charges. My Department does not separately identify database management expenditure and aggregate information is not available before 2007-08.
Database maintenance charges paid to software providers by my Department and its agency was £217,448 in 2007/8 and £168,394 so far this financial year.
Departmental Foreign Workers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) EU foreign nationals and (b) non-EU foreign nationals are employed by his Department. [256213]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not currently employ any EU or non-EU foreign nationals.
Departmental Lobbying
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether Ministers in his Department received representations from (a) Lord Moonie, (b) Lord Taylor of Blackburn, (c) Lord Snape and (d) Lord Truscott in the last seven months. [255223]
Andy Burnham: Ministers in this Department have received no such representations.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department paid to the designated moderator at the event which it hosted at the Walker Art Gallery on 20 November 2008. [255966]
Andy Burnham: No payment was made to the moderator at the event hosted by DCMS at the Walker Art Gallery on 20 November 2008.
Departmental Pensions
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to advise staff of pension options available to them in relation to added years or additional voluntary contributions. [253260]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme receive an annual benefit statement showing the pension built up to date, and also a projection of their pension on retirement if they continue in service to scheme pension age. The benefit statement prompts the member to consider boosting their pension and provides details of the civil service pensions website where staff can obtain further information, including options for making additional voluntary contributions and a calculator to work out costs for added pension (previously added years).
New entrants are informed of pension options in the employment offer and are provided with a pension information pack.
Cabinet Office provides leaflets that explain added pension and additional voluntary contributions for members. The information is also available in scheme booklets. These are available on the civil service pensions website or on request from the member's pensions administrator.
Digital Britain Review
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the Digital Britain Summit in April 2009; and where he expects the event to take place; [254778]
(2) what Digital Britain events are planned to take place in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England in the next 12 months; and how much is planned to be spent on staging each such event. [254809]
Andy Burnham: As set out in the Government’s Digital Britain interim report, focused events will take place in the UK nations ahead of publication of the Government’s final report as well as a summit due to take place in April. These events will provide an opportunity to explain thinking on the key issues as far as possible and allow interested stakeholders to make representations. The details of these events have not been fully developed and the costs are not yet available.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what original research has been commissioned by the Digital Britain Review; which organisations and individuals have been commissioned to conduct such research; what the estimated cost of each project is; and what plans he has to publish the outcomes of such research. [254779]
Andy Burnham: To date the following original research has been commissioned in relation to the Digital Britain Review:
An analysis of the key trends and issues in the UK media and telecoms sector, provided by Enders Analysis;
An audit, commissioned from Ofcom, of their existing research; and
A very small space on an omnibus survey looking at the importance of digital media now and in the future.
The research produced by Enders Analysis and Ofcom was published as Annexes to the Interim Report on 29 January and is available at:
The responses provided for the omnibus survey will be incorporated into the final report due in the summer.
It would not be appropriate to provide the costs of each individual piece of research for reasons of commercially confidentiality. However, the total cost is estimated at around £21,350.
Economic Situation
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions his Department has had with outside organisations to discuss policy on reducing the effect of the recession on matters within his Department’s responsibility. [254052]
Andy Burnham: I have regular engagements—on a range of issues relating to the economy—with many organisations connected to the sectors for which I have ministerial responsibility. This includes other Government Departments.
Music: Young People
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many young people were mentored as part of the Music Mentoring initiative in each of the last three years. [255907]
Barbara Follett: Youth Music is unable to provide the information in the form requested. However, Youth Music has advised that, in the period 2006-08, a total of 1,627 young people received one-to-one, small group, and large group mentoring; and 166 young people were engaged as peer mentors and were also mentored. In the period 2008-09, a total of 764 young people have so far received one-to-one and small group mentoring, with 81 young people working as peer mentors.
Portable Antiquities Scheme
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the future of the Portable Antiquities Scheme; and if he will make a statement. [253447]
Andy Burnham: In recognition of the importance of the portable antiquities scheme, I am pleased to confirm that funding remains committed for 2009 to 2011. In November 2008, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), which provides the largest contribution towards funding the scheme, confirmed allocation of £1.3 million this year (2009-10), which will rise to over £1.4 million in 2010-11. The MLA has also stated that it intends to maintain the scheme at present levels of activity.
Sports: Private Sector
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many organisations have subscribed to his Department's Medal Hopes scheme; and how many are in negotiation to subscribe; [254377]
(2) how much funding for elite sport has been raised by the Medal Hopes scheme to date; and how much he expects to be raised in each of the next three years; [254378]
(3) how much funding for elite sport has been raised by the Medal Hopes scheme to date; and how much he expects to be raised by the scheme in each of the next three years. [254780]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Negotiations are ongoing with various potential private sector partners and to release further information regarding these negotiations at this time would prejudice commercial interests. However I will make an announcement in due course.
Swimming Teachers' Association
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration he gave to including the Swimming Teachers Association in the range of stakeholders consulted on the Free Swimming Programme. [256191]
Andy Burnham: The Free Swimming programme was designed in close consultation with Sport England, the Local Government Association, the Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers’ Association and the Amateur Swimming Association (as the national governing body for swimming).
My officials recently met the Swimming Teachers’ Association to discuss future work and policy initiatives concerning the programme. We will continue to involve them in future discussions as appropriate.
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency: Manpower
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff were employed in (a) the Child Support Agency and (b) the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in each quarter since March 2008; and how many are expected to be employed in each quarter to December 2012. [250534]
Kitty Ussher
[holding answer 22 January 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have
therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 11 February 2009:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency and the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner. The Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff were employed in (a) the Child Support Agency and (b) the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in each quarter since March 2008; and how many are expected to be employed in each quarter to December 2012. [250534]
The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the Child Support Agency from 1 November 2008, at which point all staff employed by the Agency transferred to the Commission. The table below sets out the number of full-time equivalent employees directly employed by the Agency and the Commission in the last four quarters and the current estimate for the quarter ending March 2009, rounded to the nearest hundred.
| March 2008 | June 2008 | September 2008 | December 2008 | March 2009( 1) | |
| (1 )Estimated | |||||
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