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11 Mar 2009 : Column 460W—continued
ITV Wales: Hearing Impaired
Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effects of the decision taken by ITV Wales to discontinue the provision of British Sign Language interpretation of their flagship news programme on the company’s ability to meet its public service obligations. [261757]
Andy Burnham: The Communications Act 2003 sets minimum targets for signing of programmes by broadcasters. However, it is the responsibility of Ofcom to ensure that these requirements are met. The Government understand that the signing of parts of some regional news programmes provided by ITV has always been in addition to the minimum targets set out in the Communications Act 2003.
Government welcome the fact that last year all ITV channels exceeded their minimum access services targets set out by Ofcom and that ITV intend to continue to subtitle all of their news programmes and bulletins.
Legal Deposit: Digital Technology
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he received the independent report on extension of legal deposit to digital and online media; and if he will publish it. [261618]
Barbara Follett: Recommendations on legal deposit for digital and online media are being received from the Legal Deposit Advisory Panel on an ongoing basis and are considered as they are received. Policy formulated in response to recommendations will be published for public consultation at the appropriate time. The decision whether to publish the recommendations themselves will be taken as part of that process.
National Library of Scotland
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any items from the national collection were damaged as a result of the recent failure of the sprinkler system at the National Library of Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [261691]
Barbara Follett: The National Library of Scotland is a devolved function and this is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
Public Libraries
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the likely effect on public library authority budgets for 2009-10 of the time taken to publish the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's (CIPFA's) survey of library usage; whether his Department has held discussions with CIPFA on the matter; what account he takes of (a) the survey and (b) other statistics when assessing the value of public library services; and if he will make a statement. [259950]
Barbara Follett: It is unlikely that the time taken to publish the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA's) survey of library usage will have an effect on public library authority budgets for 2009-10.
Due to the various validity checks from both CIPFA and the Audit Commission, and taking in queries from local authorities, the earliest date that figures can be shared with all subscribers is November. Data are published nationally between January and March. CIPFA believes this timetable ensures a 100 per cent. response rate and accurate data. We do not believe this timetable affects an authority’s ability to plan budgets for the following financial year.
DCMS is represented on the CIPFA Library Standards and Statistics Working Party, but has not otherwise discussed the survey with CIPFA.
Being the primary source of data on public libraries, we look forward to the publication of the annual CIPFA statistics. However, we believe that local authorities should have the freedom to manage their library budgets in accordance with the needs and wishes of their communities and that close monitoring of their performance is unnecessary.
The Library Service Modernisation Review, which was launched by the Secretary of State in October, will define Government’s high level vision for the provision of modernised library services, and the necessary steps to achieve this vision, and is intended to encourage excellence in all authorities. We believe that participation increases when services are excellent and we hope that results of our own Taking Part and Active People surveys will demonstrate year on year increases in library participation.
Royal Parks Agency: Parking
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the annual revenues which would be generated from the Royal Parks Agency's proposed car park charging regime in (a) Richmond Park and (b) Bushy Park; and if he will make a statement. [261953]
Barbara Follett [holding answer 9 March 2009]: The Royal Parks (TRP) advise that a consultation is underway about the possibility of introducing parking charges in Bushy and Richmond parks and the level of the fee. No decision has been taken about whether the proposal will be adopted or the level of charge and nor will it be until the consultation is complete.
Sex Establishments
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to exclude lap dancing from the provisions of temporary event notices. [262392]
Mr. Sutcliffe:
Lap dancing itself is not a licensable activity under the Licensing Act 2003, which controls activities such as “the performance of dance” but has no role in censoring the content of any such performance. The Government currently have no plans to change the regime for permitted temporary activities contained in the Licensing Act 2003 or to give it a new role involving
censorship. I am aware that concerns regarding the use of temporary events notices for lapdancing events were raised during the House of Commons committee stage of the Policing and Crime Bill. In response, the Minister with responsibility for crime reduction, the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth, (Mr. Campbell) stated that he would discuss the issue with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. These discussions are ongoing.
Television: Licences
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was collected from television licence fees in the UK in each of the last five years. [261646]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt) on 14 October 2008, Official Report, column 1203W.
Tourism
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the prospects for the tourism sector in 2009. [262697]
Barbara Follett: The British Tourism Framework Review, carried out by Deloitte on behalf of VisitBritain, includes assessment of the prospects for the tourism sector in 2009. The report can be located at the following web address:
At the National Tourism summit in January 2009 both the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State and I spoke about opportunities within the tourism sector. These include: the increased affordability of our high quality tourism product for visitors from the USA and Eurozone countries; the forthcoming decade of world class sports events which provide opportunities to showcase our towns, cities and regions; and our dynamic culture, incomparable countryside, and heritage.
Tourism: South West
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to support the tourist industry in the South West. [258980]
Barbara Follett: Between 2008 and 2011, the Department will have provided £3.5 million annually to the regional development agencies for the support of the tourism industry.
In the same period, the DCMS will have provided over £130 million to VisitBritain and VisitEngland to market Britain to overseas visitors, and England to domestic visitors respectively.
DCMS has also made £45 million (£15 million per annum over three years) available through the Sea Change programme, which aims to help the regeneration of seaside resorts in England through cultural and heritage projects. In the first year of the programme (2008-09), £4,160,655 was allocated to the south west as set out in the following table:
| Seaside town/resort | Grant allocated (£) |
| (1 )Development grant (2 )Feasibility grant | |
Home Department
Anti-Semitism
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account her Department takes of published anti-Semitic views of individuals seeking to enter the United Kingdom in deciding whether to grant entry; and if she will make a statement. [261522]
Mr. Woolas: Where there is clear, reliable evidence that a non British citizen has engaged in one or more of a list of unacceptable behaviours, and has not clearly and publicly repudiated their previous extremist views or actions, there will be a presumption towards exclusion from the UK. The list includes behaviour likely to incite racial or religious hatred. Each case will be considered carefully to determine whether the evidence provided demonstrates that the person’s actions or activities constitute unacceptable behaviour and therefore justify exclusion from the UK.
Asylum: Zimbabwe
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Zimbabwean asylum seekers have been refused asylum in the UK in each year since 2005. [255894]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 12 February 2009]: There were 945 Zimbabwean principal asylum seekers refused asylum at initial decision in 2005, 1,510 in 2006, 1,115 in 2007 and 1,660 between January and September 2008. All figures are rounded to the nearest five and 2007 and 2008 figures are provisional.
Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Annual figures are available in Table 3.3 of Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007 published on 21 August 2008. Quarterly figures are available in the supplementary web tables published with the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistics Summary. Q4 2008 was available from 24 February 2009 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
Begging and Vagrancy
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of alternatives to use of the criminal justice system in reducing the incidence of begging and vagrancy. [259555]
Mr. Alan Campbell: There have been no recent assessments of alternatives to the criminal justice system in reducing the incidence of begging or vagrancy. It is for local areas to determine what works best for them in tackling the problem where it exists.
Binyam Mohamed
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the threat of persecution to Mr Binyam Mohamed in his country of origin. [259014]
Mr. Woolas: We do not normally comment on individual cases and cannot confirm or deny whether an individual is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. Mr. Mohamed has only recently returned to the United Kingdom and his current status is accordingly being considered.
Contracts: Costs
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) first estimate, (b) last estimate and (c) outturn cost was of each of the 30 largest IT contracts her Department has entered into with external suppliers since 1997. [250831]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 January 2009]: Details of the largest information technology contracts agreed by the Department since 1997 are as follows:
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