| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
12 Oct 2009 : Column 274W—continued
Monuments: Preservation
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds his Department makes available for preservation of war memorials. [292381]
Margaret Hodge:
The Memorials Grant Scheme is administered by DCMS and operates UK-wide. It gives grants equivalent to the VAT incurred by charities and faith groups to establish or repair public memorial structures. It is not possible to say how much funding has been disbursed specifically to support war memorials,
but the scheme has given grants worth almost £1.5 million in England since 2005, of which over £1.1 million has helped to establish the Armed Forces Memorial.
English Heritage is the Government-sponsored body responsible for protecting and promoting England's spectacular historic environment and ensuring that its past is researched and understood. Accordingly, English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation, in association with the War Memorials Trust, provide further grants for the repair and conservation of free-standing war memorials in England.
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what statutory powers he has in respect of the protection of war memorials in the UK. [292382]
Margaret Hodge: There are estimated to be more than 60,000 war memorials throughout the United Kingdom. Statutory designation through listing is the route by which war memorials can be protected as structures of special architectural or historic interest. Where a war memorial is listed or forms part of a listed building, the Secretary of State has the power to undertake urgent works or ultimately to compulsorily purchase it if proper steps are not being taken to preserve it. These powers fall in the first instance to local authorities. Any works to memorials that are listed buildings would require the relevant consent.
Olympic Games 2012: Developing Countries
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the International Inspiration programme to date; and where that money has been spent. [288085]
Tessa Jowell [holding answer 20 July 2009]: I have been asked to reply as Minister for the Olympics.
The International Inspiration programme is operating in Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Palau, Zambia, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Jordan and Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa, with scoping visits having taken place in Ghana, Nigeria and Malaysia.
The total expenditure since the start of the programme in October 2007 until March 2009 has been £7,681,541.
Sports: Young People
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase participation rates in sport among young people in (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) Peterborough, (d) the East of England and (e) England; and if he will make a statement. [289240]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We are not able to break down all investment in sport for young people to a local level. However, from 2008 to 2011 the Government are investing £783 million through the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP), building on the achievements of the previous national strategy and £1.5 billion invested between 2003-08.
We have expanded our ambition for PE and sport. As part of our Olympic Legacy promises, we want to create a world-class system for PE and sport in England and
ensure every child has access to five hours of PE and sport per week, with three hours for 16 to 19-year-olds.
The Sport Unlimited programme (being delivered through the County Sport Partnership network) will target 900,000 semi-sporty young people by 2011 and provide a greater range of attractive and sustainable activities based on what young people want. It aims to reach 9,570 young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and 101,789 young people in the East of England.
In addition Sport England has a target of getting 1 million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16 to 25. National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. NGBs have just been awarded £480 million over the next four years to deliver their plans to grow and sustain participation and nurture those with sporting talent.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase participation rates in sport among young people in (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency, (b) Dacorum, (c) Hertfordshire, (d) the South East of England and (e) England; and if he will make a statement. [290307]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We are not able to break down all investment in sport for young people to a local level. However, from 2008 to 2011 the Government are investing £783 million through the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP), building on the achievements of the previous national strategy and £1.5 billion invested between 2003-08.
We have expanded our ambition for PE and sport. As part of our Olympic Legacy promises, we want to create a world-class system for PE and sport in England and ensure every child has access to five hours of PE and sport per week, with three hours for 16 to 19-year-olds.
The Sport Unlimited programme (being delivered through the County Sport Partnership network) will target 900,000 semi-sporty young people by 2011 and provide a greater range of attractive and sustainable activities based on what young people want. It aims to reach 22,968 young people in Hertfordshire and 129,105 young people in the South East.
In addition Sport England has a target of getting 1 million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16 to 25. National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. NGBs have just been awarded £480 million over the next four years to deliver their plans to grow and sustain participation and nurture those with sporting talent.
Swimming: Finance
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department plans to allocate to local authorities for the free swimming programme in each of the next five years. [289245]
Mr. Sutcliffe: £140 million has been allocated to local authorities to support the free swimming programme over the next two years; discussions will take place to decide funding of the free swimming programme beyond 2011.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria his Department uses to determine the amount of funding awarded to each local authority for the free swimming programme. [289247]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The funding for the free swimming programme for those aged 60 or over and 16 or under has been provided according to a formula based on the size of the local populations of those age groups in those local authorities who choose to opt into the scheme.
The capital reward funding for modernising pool provision payments was based on the total local population, using the latest mid-2006 census statistics.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local authorities have opted into his Department's free swimming initiative. [289248]
Mr. Sutcliffe: 259 local authorities in England have opted into the free swimming programme for those aged 60 and over; 190 local authorities in England have agreed to take part in both the aged 60 and over and 16 and under elements of the free swimming programme.
Swimming: Lancashire
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) young and (b) elderly people who have participated in his Department's free swimming scheme in each Lancashire constituency in the last six months. [286792]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We are closely monitoring the number of free swims that have taken place in both the 16 and under, and the 60 and over, elements of the free swimming programme and will publish the results shortly.
Television: Licensing
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many reminder letters were sent by TV Licensing to (a) residential and (b) commercial addresses in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Rochford and Southend East constituency in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of these which relate to premises at which there is no means of receiving television programmes. [291389]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 16 September 2009]: This is a matter for the BBC and my Department does not hold this information. According to figures provided by the BBC, however, the number of reminder letters sent to residential and commercial addresses in England and Wales between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 is as follows:
| Number | |
The BBC is unable to provide figures relating to Rochford and Southend, East constituencies as the BBC does not collect information by constituency area.
The BBC does not estimate the proportion of premises which do not have the means of receiving TV programmes. Instead, the BBC relies on individuals informing them that they do not require a licence.
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pensioners resident in Bolton received a free television licence on the grounds that they are over the age of 75 years. [291642]
Mr. Bradshaw: I understand from the BBC that as at March 2009, the number of people in receipt of a free over 75 licence, where Bolton was listed as the postal town in which they lived, was 14,876. Please note that this does not cover all other towns/villages in the Bolton postcode area, but only those addresses where Bolton is listed as the postal town. It is also important to note that the number of free over 75 licences will not correspond directly to the number of over 75 residents in Bolton, as only one licence is needed per household.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the report Digital Britain: Attitudes to supporting non-BBC regional news from the TV licence fee cost to produce; and how much was paid to TNS-BMRB to carry out the polling in the report. [292152]
Mr. Bradshaw: The report Digital Britain: Attitudes to supporting non-BBC regional news from the TV licence fee was produced by TNS-BMRB to reflect and analyse the results of the polling contained within the report-this was one single piece of work for which they received one single commissioning and one single payment.
Following competitive tendering, TNS-BMRB were awarded the contract worth £61,340 excluding VAT, which included reporting.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Air Pollution: Monitoring
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on monitoring air pollution in the latest year for which figures are available. [290260]
Jim Fitzpatrick: In the financial year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, DEFRA spent £6,087,839 on monitoring air pollution, spread across 15 separate outsourced contracts. This addressed both the levels of pollutants in the air and their deposition either in the "dry" form or in rain. Breaking this figure down further:
£4,767,407 was spent on monitoring with the primary purpose of meeting the mandatory requirements of European legislation;
an additional £882,854 was spent on monitoring with the primary purpose of meeting other international obligations, either at EU or United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) level; and
£437,578 was spent on monitoring to provide additional information necessary to the development of air pollution policy in the UK.
Animal Welfare
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of animals which have died as a result of being left in cars in hot weather in each of the last five years. [290304]
Jim Fitzpatrick: No records are held centrally on this.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the penalties for those convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to animals. [290358]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is due to undergo a review of its effectiveness since it came into force in April 2007. As part of that review we will look at whether there is a need to increase the penalties.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has issued guidance on dogs left in cars and temperature. [290367]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Yes. DEFRA has published a leaflet; 'Protecting the welfare of pet dogs and cats during journeys', which includes guidance in respect of dogs overheating.
Animal Welfare Act 2006
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish codes of practice on the welfare of (a) dogs and (b) cats under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. [290068]
Jim Fitzpatrick: At the end of last year, we completed a public consultation exercise on three draft codes-for the keeping of cats, dogs and equines. We are now considering the many responses we had to the consultation on each draft code and will then ask Parliament to approve the revised codes. Assuming Parliament approves the codes, they will come into force on 6 April 2010.
Animal Welfare: Finance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on animal welfare-related initiatives in the last 12 months. [290352]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The administrative costs of the Animal Welfare Team in DEFRA were £1,153,087 for the 12 months from September 2008 to August 2009. During the same period, £767,151 was spent on animal welfare initiatives and delivery work. In addition, £2,963,372 was spent on animal welfare research and development in the 12 months from April 2008 to March 2009.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect on the level of funding for his Department's animal welfare initiatives of the recession. [290353]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Ministers and officials keep the impact of the recession under review. No changes are considered to be necessary to the level of funding available for animal welfare initiatives.
Bees
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to protect the honey bee population; what recent assessment he has made of the level of threat to the health of them; and if he will make a statement. [291818]
Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA's bee health programme, undertaken by the Food and Environment Research Agency's (Fera) National Bee Unit, provides an advisory and inspection service as well as a substantial training and education programme, free of charge to all beekeepers.
In recognition of the increasing threats to honey bees, the 'Healthy Bees' plan was launched on 9 March and is aimed at sustaining honey bee health and beekeeping in England and Wales over the next decade. A key part of this is working more closely with a wide range of bee stakeholders on practical actions and priorities. Additional funding of £2.3 million has been allocated to Fera during 2009-2011 to put more inspectors out in the field and collect more information on the degree of threat to the health of honey bee colonies. An enhanced education programme will drive up beekeeping skills, particularly husbandry standards and disease awareness. Our improved understanding of the national position will feed into a more effective and focused disease control and surveillance programme.
DEFRA also commissions research on bee health and, in addition to funding an ongoing investigative programme at Fera, is contributing £2.5million to the insect pollinator initiative and has recently invited proposals for three additional projects on honey bees to be undertaken between November 2009 and March 2010.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |