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12 Feb 2009 : Column 2279W—continued
Departmental Impact Assessments
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many equalities impact assessments his Department has undertaken in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of such assessments. [255077]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department has carried out seven equality impact assessments over the year 2008. Six have been published on our website; and one is awaiting publication.
We do not monitor the cost of carrying out assessments.
Departmental Public Appointments
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which of the public appointments for which his Department is responsible are due to be (a) renewed and (b) filled in the next 24 months; what the (i) remit, (ii) salary, (iii) political restriction, (iv) eligibility requirement and (v) timetable for each appointment is; and what records his Department keeps in respect of such appointments. [254236]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Information on DCMS public appointments is published in the DCMS Annual Report and also on the website:
DCMS public bodies also provide detailed information about appointments in their individual Annual Reports. DCMS public appointments vacancies are advertised on the DCMS website and on the Cabinet Office Public Appointments website at: www.publicappointments.gov.uk. The process for making a public appointment, including guidance on political activity and eligibility criteria, follows the Cabinet Office publication “Making and Managing Public Appointments”. For appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the appointments process also complies with the “Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies”. Copies are in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Sick Leave
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in his Department or its predecessors were on sick leave for (a) over 30 days, (b) over 50 days and (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years. [256321]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The requested information is shown in the following table:
| Staff on sick leave | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in his Department were recorded as having been on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years. [256633]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The number of DCMS staff on sick leave for over 12 months on 31 December in each of the last five years is zero.
Music: Young People
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) adult and (b) peer mentors have been appointed as part of the Music Mentoring scheme in each of the last three years. [255906]
Barbara Follett: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 February 2009, Official Report, column 1551W.
Musical Instruments: Loans
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have taken out loans for musical instruments as part of the Take It Away scheme in each of the last three years; and what the monetary value of the loans was in each year. [255899]
Barbara Follett: The Take it Away scheme is run by Arts Council England and was launched in July 2007. Sales statistics are therefore available only for 2007-08 and 2008-09.
The Arts Council has advised that in 2007-08, a total of 5,962 loans were taken out for the value of £3,934,235. In 2008-09 (to December 2008), a total of 10,163 loans have been taken out for the value of £6,603,773.
Since the scheme's launch, more than 16,000 customers have used Take it Away for the purchase of over £10.5 million worth of musical instruments and equipment.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of those who have taken advantage of the Take It Away instrument loan scheme fall into each of the eligibility criteria. [255900]
Barbara Follett: The Take it Away scheme is run by Arts Council England and is open to all UK residents over the age of 18. The scheme aims to support, in particular, the following priority groups:
Those buying an instrument for a child or young person under 18;
Those buying an instrument for the first time (of any age);
Those on income levels equivalent to or below the national average of £22,500 per annum who might otherwise be unable to acquire an instrument appropriate to their needs.
The Arts Council has advised that the percentage of customers who fall into each priority group is as follows.
| Percentage | ||
| Priority group | 2007-08 | 2008-09( 1) |
| (1) 2008-09 figures are to the end of September 2008 only | ||
National Lottery
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much revenue has been raised from (a) all National Lottery games and (b) the Olympic scratch card game in each year since the launch of the latter. [256159]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 10 February 2009]: The National Lottery Commission have provided the following table which shows total sales from all National Lottery games and separated out the total sales of all Olympic Lottery designated games (including Scratchcards) in each year since the launch of the letter.
| £ million | ||
| Financial year | Total sales | Total sales of Olympic Lottery designated games |
| (1) Eight months. (2) Year to December 2008. | ||
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of the Olympic scratch card game on Lottery contributions to the National Lottery good causes since its launch; and if he will make a statement. [256160]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 10 February 2009]: The National Lottery Commission have advised that it is not possible to assess the impact of Olympic designated games on overall returns to good causes as it would not be possible to predict what sales would have been without a successful Olympics bid.
The best way to minimise the impact of Olympic Lottery games sales on The National Lottery Distribution Fund is therefore to maximise overall sales.
Public Libraries
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 18 November 2008, Official Report, columns 255-6W, on public libraries, to what factors he attributes the difference between the number of libraries open for more than 10 hours in (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2006-07. [256645]
Barbara Follett: Although the number of libraries open more than 10 hours a week (excluding mobile ones) decreased by 17 between 1996-97 and 2006-07, the proportion of libraries open for more than 44 hours per week increased by 79 per cent. (369). A large increase in the number of static libraries open for less than 10 hours per week (from 0 to 86) during this period compensates for a reduction in the number of mobile libraries (-12 per cent.) and results in the total number of libraries (static plus mobile) increasing by eight between 1996-97 and 2006-07. These changes indicate that authorities have altered their library opening hours in accordance with the needs of their communities. This information is set out in the following table.
| Libraries open 60+ hrs per week | Libraries open 45-59 hrs per week | Libraries open 30-44 hrs per week | Libraries open 10-29 hrs per week | Mobile libraries | Libraries open 10+ hrs per week (incl. mobiles) | Libraries open <10 hrs per week | Libraries open (all hours) | |
| Source: Public Library Statistics (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)) | ||||||||
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 18 November 2008, Official Report, columns 255-6W, on public libraries, what consideration his Department has given to the central collection of information on the number of public library openings. [256647]
Barbara Follett: Information on the number of public libraries is published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in Public Library Statistics. This is the most comprehensive source of data on public library services in the UK. In order to avoid excessive data burdens on local authorities, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not collate additional information about library service provision centrally.
Tourism
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to promote the UK as a tourist destination to those overseas. [255562]
Barbara Follett: VisitBritain is currently formulating its new three-year strategy based on the many recommendations of the recent British Tourism Framework Review. This sets out the steps that VisitBritain will take between 2009-2012 to increase the visitor economy to £133 billion by 2018. The strategy was launched on 11 February.
VisitBritain announced a new marketing campaign 'Value for Money' at the Liverpool Tourism Summit on 8th January 2009 costing £6.5 million. This will include the promotion of London as a more affordable destination at the present time. In addition, the Government will continue to invest in skills and in tourism product itself. This will include the quality of accommodation; the Olympics and Paralympic games; the Cultural Olympiad; free museums and galleries; heritage and seaside resorts, which are all critical to meeting visitor expectations and their demand for an exceptional experience.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
AWE Aldermaston
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when the decision was taken to transfer RWE Aldermaston to Jacobs. [249572]
Ian Pearson: After consultation between BERR (then DTI) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the decision to undertake the process of selling the British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) one-third stake in AWE Management Limited (AWEML) was taken at the end of June 2007 and was announced to Parliament on 16 July 2007, Official Report, column 1WS, before the process commenced.
AWEML is the consortium of BNFL, Serco and Lockheed Martin) that has the 25-year contract with the MOD to manage and operate the Atomic Weapons Establishment on MOD's behalf. The Government have not transferred or sold any of its stake in the Atomic Weapons Establishment itself, which remains entirely owned by the MOD and in which UK sovereignty remains protected.
It became clear during the summer of 2008 that the bid from Jacobs Engineering Group was the most attractive and the decision to accept that bid was agreed by BERR Ministers on 25 September 2008 subject to finalisation of various contractual matters. The contract confirming the deal was finally signed by BNFL and Jacobs on 17 December 2008.
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