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27 Oct 2009 : Column 316W—continued
Cultural Heritage
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff were employed by his Department for work on heritage matters in each year since 2004-05. [292304]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 12 October 2009]: Information on the headcount is set out in the table. These figures represent the position at the end of each financial year. The variation in the number of employees working on heritage matters is due to the transfer of areas of responsibility to other divisions within the Department, as well as restructuring and efficiency savings undertaken within the division.
| Employee numbers | Total headcount | Percentage of total headcount | |
Departmental Logos
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what methodology was used to reach the decision to refresh his Department's logo in April 2006; which (a) Ministers and (b) officials were involved in that process; and what steps have been taken to monitor the effectiveness of the refreshment. [294919]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department decided there was a need for a brand refresh as non-specialist audiences did not recognise our logo and it did not clearly communicate our role. Creative solutions were required to address issues around brand recognition, explaining the responsibilities of the department, and to ensure visual consistency across all applications.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Tessa Jowell) and former DCMS Permanent Secretary, Sue Street, oversaw the process.
Due to a limited budget it would not represent value for money to have a dedicated monitoring resource.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what expenditure his Department incurred in refreshing its logo in April 2006. [294920]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The costs were as follows:
Initial design concepts: £3,055
Identity design development: £10,460
Identity guidelines: £10,800
Total: £24,315.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how his Department assesses value for money achieved in the consistency and distinctiveness of its communications. [294921]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Value for money is achieved by using consistent design templates wherever possible, for communications material based on the DCMS brand guidelines in order to reduce design costs.
Due to limited budgets, the Department does not have resources for any wider evaluation.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2009, Official Report, column 408W, on departmental logos, what his definition of his Department's wider visual identity is; what measures he uses to assess the contribution of the logo to (a) explaining the work of his Department and (b) the consistency and distinctiveness of its communications; and what assessment he has made of the impact and success of this identity. [294962]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The wider visual identity includes consistent and distinct brand colours and typefaces. There are also straplines to explain the work of the Department available to use in several design templates. On the contribution of the logo to the Department's communications, aside from the initial branding research undertaken, due to limited budgets the Department does not have the resources for any wider evaluation.
Departmental Telephone Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years. [294976]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department does not operate any helplines and therefore does not receive anything for the operation.
Gambling Commission: Manpower
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees the Gambling Commission has; and how many employees the Gaming Board for Great Britain had in 2004. [295191]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 26 October 2009]: As at 21 October 2009, the Gambling Commission employed 221 employees. In 2004, the Gaming Board for Great Britain employed an average of 76 employees.
The two figures are not directly comparable. The Gambling Act 2005 gave the new Gambling Commission a wider range of statutory functions than the Gaming Board. These include, for example, responsibilities in respect of the betting industry and remote gambling. It also has wider powers concerning the conduct of criminal investigations and as a prosecuting authority.
Gambling Commission: Office of the National Lottery
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he plans to merge the Gambling Commission with the Lottery Regulator. [295631]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 26 October 2009]: I have no current plans to do so, although as a matter of course we keep the structure and role of our NDPBs under review, to ensure that they are delivering agreed objectives in a cost-effective way.
Gambling: Internet
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what steps he is taking to restrict access to online gambling sites which do not meet the regulatory requirements applied to gambling establishments located in UK premises; [295234]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that online gambling sites available in the UK operate under the same regulatory regime as gambling establishments located in UK premises. [295235]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Online gambling websites licensed by the Gambling Commission are subject to the regulatory requirements set out in the Gambling Act, its secondary legislation and the Gambling Commission's Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP).
Gambling entitlements, such as the types of products offered and stake and prize levels, differ between those permitted in premises-based establishments and those offered via remote means, just as gambling entitlements differ between different types of premises.
I have no plans at the current time to limit the products offered by online gambling operators so that they mirror those offered on the high street. However, the Department is currently exploring ways to ensure that online gambling sites licensed outside of Great Britain offer the same levels of consumer protection that are afforded to UK consumers as a result of the Gambling Act, to help ensure greater fairness between British businesses and their overseas counterparts.
Horse Racing: Finance
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to announce his decision on the 2009 Horseracing Levy. [295558]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 26 October 2009]: The Horserace Betting Levy Board announced the 2009-10 Levy Scheme on 31 October 2008. Subsequently it announced the 2010-11 scheme on the 28 April 2009.
International Olympic Committee
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) Ministers and officials from his Department and (b) officials from his Department's sponsored bodies attended the International Olympic Committee conference in October 2009; and at what cost to the public purse. [295295]
Mr. Sutcliffe: No Ministers or officials from the Department attended the International Olympic Committee congress in Copenhagen in October.
UK Sport have advised that two of their officials attended this event in October at a cost of £1,397.00.
Monitor Consultancy
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether any Ministers or officials in his Department have had (a) meetings, (b) communications and (c) other contacts with the Monitor Group in the last five years. [295112]
Mr. Sutcliffe: No DCMS Ministers have been in contact with the Monitor Group on departmental business and the department is not aware of any meetings with officials.
Publications: Sight Impaired
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding the Government has provided for the translation and production of Braille editions of books in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [293055]
Ian Lucas: I have been asked to reply.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has provided the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) with £200,000 per year for each of the past five years, to support them in their production of Braille materials.
The Department of Trade and Industry (now Business, Innovation and Skills) brought together publishers and the RNIB to increase the amount of content available in accessible formats (Braille, large print and synthetic audio). This directly led to an ongoing pilot project which also addresses the need for accessible versions to be available close to publication dates of the normal print version.
The Dolphin Inclusive Consortium won an open tender to trial different formats of curriculum materials for blind and visually impaired pupils. The pilot will run
during the 2009-10 school year then report back to DCSF. Staffing at the Consortium includes a part-time secondee from RNIB.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of books published in the UK which were (a) available in Braille and (b) produced as audio books in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [293056]
Ian Lucas: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not keep records of the number of books available in other formats.
We are aware that the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) claim that less than 5 per cent. of books are available in accessible formats. However, e-books with the potential to use text-to-speech promises to radically change this situation. The Publishers' Association is working to resolve licensing issues that are frustrating use of this technology after some authors' agents complained that publishers do not own the rights to the new format.
Recreation Spaces: VAT
Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has held with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a derogation from EU law to allow a reduction in value added tax on the hire of sports facilities; and if he will make a statement. [295364]
Mr. Sutcliffe: There have been no recent discussions at ministerial level. However, departmental officials have recently raised this issue with their counterparts in Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, following representations from stakeholders.
Sport England: Internet
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people have accessed Sport England's Active Places website in each year since its establishment; how much has been spent on the website in each such year; and what assessment has been made of the performance of the website against its objectives. [295753]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 26 October 2009]: Sport England advise that they do not record the number of 'hits' on the Active Places website. Instead, they record only the number of visitors using the tools and applications on the site. Figures provided by Sport England for the years since its establishment are as follows:
| Unique users | |
| Number | |
The Active Places website was launched in July 2004 and therefore the figures for that year are significantly smaller than for the other years.
Sport England advise that the website has cost the following amounts each year since its establishment:
| Cost (£ million) | |
| (1) Estimate. | |
The Active Places website provides information on sporting facilities in England, but also provides a number of benefits for other organisations. Performance is assessed on an ongoing basis, which helps to inform plans to expand Active Places alongside feedback received from users of the website.
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