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17 Jun 2009 : Column 343W—continued
RAF St. Athan
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether construction work has been started at St. Athan military academy; when the work is expected to be completed; and how much (a) has been spent and (b) is planned to be spent on the project in each year of the project. [280162]
Bill Rammell: Construction at the St. Athan site is expected to begin shortly after contract award for the Defence Training College, which is anticipated to be signed in the summer of 2010. However, some site clearance and demolition work is expected to take place to prepare the site before contract signature. The construction of the Defence Training College is expected to be completed by 2014.
Estimated construction costs for the first five years of the contract are provided in the following table.
| Cost (£ million) | |
Weapons: Lost Property
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many weapons of each type have (a) been stolen and (b) gone missing from armed forces bases in each year from 1997 to 2004. [280292]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1244W, by my hon. Friend the Minister for Veterans (Mr. Touhig) to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell).
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts: Apprentices
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many apprenticeships in the creative industries have been taken up since his Department’s publication of its Creative Britain document. [279531]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 12 June 2009]: Since the publication of Creative Britain, 400 apprenticeships have started on frameworks associated with the creative industries. These include the Creative Apprenticeships and the Quality Assurance Games Testing.
This figure does not include apprentices working in the creative industries on non-creative apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeship Service will be able to calculate this information from September.
Gambling: Internet
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will refer the matter of the establishment of a sports right for online betting operators to the new expert panel on sports betting. [280145]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The expert panel on sports betting will be established very soon and I will announce the chair and members shortly. The panel’s terms of reference will examine all practical measures to further the overall objective of reducing the risk of corruption in British sport and will include a number of areas that I want them to focus on specifically. It is up to the chair, in discussion with the panel members, to decide on the other areas to examine.
I have also been clear that the issue of integrity should not necessarily be linked to any proposed sports right. Therefore I have not referred this for the panel’s consideration at this stage.
Leisure Facilities: Finance
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance his Department has provided for the redevelopment of leisure centres in each local authority area in each of the last three years. [280271]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sport England has advised that it does not hold information on financial assistance given to individual leisure centres in each local authority area covering the last three years because it does not categorise data in this way. The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Local Broadcasting: Radio
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) economic viability and (b) social contribution of local radio. [279293]
Mr. Simon
[holding answer 12 June 2009]: Following the Interim Digital Britain Report, my Department commissioned an independent review of the localness regime which regulates local content on radio. This
review also considered the current economic viability and social contribution of local radio. The report undertaken by John Myers, "An Independent Review of the Rules Governing Local Content on Local Radio" is available on my Department's website
Olympic Games 2012: Football
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make an assessment of the likely effect on (a) women's and (b) disabled people's football of fielding a football Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. [276099]
Mr. Bradshaw: The fielding of women's and Paralympic GB football teams would provide a unique opportunity to showcase and strengthen the women's and disabled games, from the grass roots through to the elite.
As the host nation, a women's and a disabled team would automatically qualify. The Government would like to see the best possible teams taking part to provide Team GB with every opportunity to achieve the ambitious medal targets for the Paralympic and Olympic games in 2012, and to provide inspiration to the next generation of those taking part in women's and disabled football.
Sports: Greater Manchester
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding he plans to provide for sport in Denton and Reddish constituency in 2009-10. [279771]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has allocated Sport England £135.7 million of Exchequer funding in 2009-10. Sport England has targets to get one million people doing more sport by 2012-13, and to make a major contribution to the delivery of the five hour sports offer for children and young people. Denton and Reddish constituency will benefit, alongside every area of England, from Exchequer and Lottery investment by Sport England in 2009-10 in support of these targets.
In addition, Sport England have advised that the following initiatives support participation in sport in Denton and Reddish constituency.
Stockport Metropolitan borough council has signed up to Pot 1 of the free swimming programme, free swimming for the over-60s, and has been awarded £88,472 in this regard.
Tameside Metropolitan borough council has also signed up to Pot 1 and has been awarded £60,929.
Sport Unlimited is an integral part of the Government's PE and Sport Strategy for Young People. The overall aim of Sport Unlimited is to increase opportunities for Children and Young People aged five to 19 to participate regularly in sport.
This project is in its second year (2009-10) of delivery. In Denton and Reddish approximately £8,750 will be put into Sport Unlimited activities during 2009-10.
Sports: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding he plans to provide for sport in Milton Keynes in 2009-10. [280346]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has allocated Sport England £135.7 million of Exchequer funding in 2009-10. Sport England has targets to get one million people doing more sport by 2012-13, and to make a major contribution to the delivery of the five hour sports offer for children and young people. Milton Keynes will benefit, alongside every area of England, from Exchequer and Lottery investment by Sport England in 2009-10 in support of these targets.
In addition Sport England have advised that there are a number of initiatives to support participation in sport in Milton Keynes:
Milton Keynes unitary authority has opted in to the U16 and Over 60 Free Swimming Programme and has received £196,525 (£46,740 for pot 1 and £149,785 for pot 2) in this regard. The local authorities that have opted to offer the scheme to both age groups have also received a share of a £10 million capital fund to spend on modernising or improving pool provision. Milton Keynes received £68,116.
Those local authorities that will offer free swimming to both age groups also stand to benefit from a further £25 million capital challenge fund in both 2008-09 and 2010-11 to spend on improving pool facilities. Milton Keynes has been awarded:
£180,000 towards the modernisation of Middleton Pool;
£60,985 towards the modernisation of Wroughton Leisure Centre; and
£200,000 towards the Stantonbury Campus Pool Modernisation Project.
Sport Unlimited is an integral part of the Government’s PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP). The overall aim of Sport Unlimited is to increase opportunities for Children and Young People aged five to 19 to participate regularly in sport.
In Milton Keynes, approximately £38,464 is currently assigned this financial year to deliver projects across the city.
Step into Sport focuses on young people aged 14 to 19, giving them opportunities to become involved in sports leadership and volunteering and encouraging them to continue this into later life.
The programme is funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as part of the PESSYP strategy, which is revitalising PE and school sport across the country. Step into Sport in Milton Keynes has been awarded £5,500.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of an increase in EU carbon reduction targets. [265835]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 23 March 2009]: The levels of the first three carbon budgets, covering 2008-12, 2013-17 and 2018-22, were approved by Parliament in May. These require a reduction in UK greenhouse gas emissions by over 22, 28 and 34 per cent. against 1990 levels respectively. The budgets have been set in line with the independent Committee on Climate Change’s advice and with our emissions reduction targets under the EU 2020 Climate and Energy package.
In the summer, the Government will present a Climate and Energy Strategy to Parliament, which will set out our proposals and policies to meet the carbon budgets, in the context of our overall programme for delivering secure low-carbon energy, transport and housing.
The EU has committed to a 20 per cent. greenhouse gas emissions reduction target by 2020, increasing to 30 per cent. by 2020 as part of a comprehensive global deal. The Government will amend the carbon budgets following such a global deal and once proposals on sharing out the new EU target are agreed.
Climate Change
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to appoint a permanent Director General for National Climate Change and Consumer Support. [280354]
Joan Ruddock: Phil Wynn-Owen has been appointed as Director General, National Climate Change and Consumer Support. Phil joined the Department on 15 June 2009.
Departmental Data Protection
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made. [278725]
Joan Ruddock: Under the mandatory requirements of the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008, DECC is required to give a summary report on data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner in our annual resource accounts.
We will be publishing information on personal data security breaches reported to the Information Commissioner for the 2008-09 reporting year before Parliament rises in July. The information is currently being compiled and is to be audited and verified before it is laid before Parliament.
Departmental Manpower
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2008, Official Report, column 628W, on departmental personnel, how many Civil Service fast streamers are in post in his Department. [280332]
Joan Ruddock:
DECC was formed from the Climate Change Directorates from DEFRA and the Energy Group from what was then BERR, now BIS. DECC
inherited 17 Fast streamers from BERR and 30 from DEFRA. The total number of fast streamers currently working in DECC is 47.
Fuel Poverty
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect of the application of the provisions of the Climate Change Act 2008 on levels of fuel poverty. [270906]
Joan Ruddock: The Government are committed to tackling fuel poverty, and have spent £20 billion on fuel poverty benefits and programmes since 2000. The fuel poverty implications of the Climate Change Act will depend on the specific policies to deliver the carbon budgets and to mitigate fuel poverty. In the summer, the Government will lay a report before Parliament on a package of policies and proposals for meeting the first three carbon budgets, as part of an Energy and Climate Change Strategy. This will include an assessment of the overall impact of the package on fuel poverty. An initial estimate of the possible impact was contained in the first report of the Committee on Climate Change, published on 1 December 2008, and the Government's Impact Assessment of the EU Climate and Energy Package and proposed carbon budget levels, published on 22 April 2009.
Fuel Poverty: North West
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2009, Official Report, column 1481W, on fuel poverty, what the reasons are for the relatively high number of fuel poor households in the North West; and whether his Department has any region-specific programmes in place to rectify the situation. [278049]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 11 June 2009]: In 2006, the latest year for which fuel poverty estimates are available, 14.2 per cent. of households in the north-west were fuel poor. In England as a whole, in the same period, 11.5 per cent. of all households were fuel poor. Table 1 refers.
| Table 1: Fuel Poverty figures , 2006, by Government office region | ||
| Government office region | Percentage of fuel poor households in region | Number of fuel poor households in region (thousand) |
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