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15 Dec 2009 : Column 961W—continued
Departmental Internet
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what redesigns of websites operated by her Office have taken place since 27 June 2007; and what the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) date of completion of each such redesign was. [306196]
Tessa Jowell: Information on the redesigns of websites in the Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will be covered in the answers provided by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office and the Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Simon) , respectively.
Departmental Training
Mr. Baron: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many overseas training courses were attended by her Office's civil servants in the latest period for which figures are available; how many civil servants attended each course; and what the total cost to the public purse was of each course. [305887]
Tessa Jowell: Civil servants in the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) report to me through the permanent secretary of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will therefore be included in the answer provided by the Under-Secretary of Statefor Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Simon). Cabinet Office civil servants will be covered in the answer provided by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office.
Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much her Office spent on hotel accommodation for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in each of the last five years. [305653]
Tessa Jowell: The Government publish an annual list of all (international) ministerial travel costing over £500. The list includes a breakdown of travel by all Ministers and the global figure for the cost of ministerial travel includes the cost of staff (including special advisers) accompanying Ministers. Detail of travel taken in the current year will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the financial year. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Information on other hotel accommodation used by myself, special advisers and civil servants in my office will be included in the answer provided by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office.
Olympic Games 2012
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many groups in the Government Olympic Executive have responsibility for 2012 Olympic legacy matters; what the (a) membership is and (b) responsibilities for Olympic legacy matters of each such group are; and how many times each such group has met in the last 12 months. [305789]
Tessa Jowell: The Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Board in the Government Olympic Executive has responsibility for managing the legacy from the 2012 games.
Four supporting boards report to the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Board: covering East London, sports, social and economic legacy. There is also a Nations and Regions Group which ensures that the legacy of the games is UK-wide.
The members consist of civil servants from across Whitehall and representatives from external organisations who give their time for free.
This year the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Board has met three times. Each of its four sub-groups has met two or three times and the Nations and Regions Group members have met four times.
I will place the terms of reference and membership for each of the groups mentioned above in the Libraries of both Houses.
Culture, Media and Sport
Historic Buildings: Coventry
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects the review by English Heritage on the proposed listing of Coventry Market to be concluded; what representations his Department has received on the matter; what discussions his Department has had with Coventry city council on the matter; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the proposed listing on wider regeneration plans for Coventry. [307168]
Margaret Hodge: The grounds for review submitted by the listing review applicants have been assessed by the Department and further advice has been requested from English Heritage, the Secretary of State's statutory advisers on the historic environment. I would expect to be able to make a decision on the review by March 2010.
The Department has received representations both in favour and opposing listing from private individuals and companies. DCMS has not had any discussions with Coventry city council on the issue of the review.
The Secretary of State, when making a listing decision, may only take into account the architectural and historic interest of a building. He may not take into account planning matters and, therefore, is unable to consider the possible effects of listing on regeneration plans.
Leisure: Facilities
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on (a) leisure facilities and (b) sports facilities in each district and unitary council area in the Eastern region in the last 12 months. [306465]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally in the manner requested; to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.
Sports: Obesity
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to encourage participation in sport in Leeds West constituency in order to reduce levels of obesity; and what funding has been made available for this purpose in 2009-10. [306979]
Mr. Sutcliffe: DCMS is primarily focused on increasing sports participation, with Sport England as our key delivery partner. However, this is part of a joint target with the Department of Health to get 2 million more people more physically active, including one million more people playing more sport. DCMS and Sport England work very closely with the Department for Health across this target and sport will, of course, have a great positive effect on people's health.
As the non-departmental public body with responsibility for community sport, Sport England's aim is to increase and sustain levels of participation in sport and develop talent to drive standards of elite performance throughout the country. Its funding is distributed as part of the commitment to get 1 million more people playing more sport by 2012.
National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are at the heart of the strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches and volunteers that make sport happen. Sport England is investing £480 million through 46 governing bodies over the next four years and has agreed grow, sustain and excel targets with each one. Each sport has developed a whole sport plan to achieve these targets.
In addition to the funding which is distributed through NGBs, Sport England also operates a number of other funding streams. In 2009-10 Leeds, West received a revenue Sportsmatch award of £50,000 through Exchequer funding to Leeds Rugby Academy for a community sports programme.
While no additional lottery awards have been made in the current financial year to Leeds, West, in previous financial years the total value of capital and revenue funding to Leeds, West totalled £2,249,610.
Sports: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance (a) the Government and (b) the National Lottery have given to (i) amateur sports clubs, (ii) sport in schools and (iii) professional sports clubs in York since 1996-97. [304509]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is as follows:
(i) In 2002 the Department introduced the Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC) Scheme which provides certain tax reliefs for registered clubs, similar to those normally given to charities. The Department does not hold records on the number of clubs registered or the financial benefit received by registered clubs in York. However as at November 2009 the CASC scheme has 5,511 registered clubs across the UK, and Deloittes estimate that it has saved community amateur sports
nearly £61 million since the scheme's inception. This money has gone back into sport and has enabled clubs to spend it on everything from facilities to kit.
Sport England have invested approximately £300 million nationally into national governing bodies of sport (not including the Football Foundation funding) since 2005. While a proportion of this funding was used to develop amateur sports clubs, Sport England are unable to breakdown the information as required. They also provide extra funding (in addition to their funding of national governing bodies of sport) directly to amateur sports clubs around the country including in York.
The Football Foundation, which is funded by the premier league, the Football Association and the Government, has advised that since its inception in 2000, it has granted a total of £2,227,115 to amateur sports clubs in York. Since 1999 The Big Lottery Fund has also awarded £73,743, through a total of 19 awards, benefiting amateur sports in the city of York constituency.
(ii) Since 2003, approximately £2.4 billion has been invested nationally to support sport in schools through the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy and then the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP). This total is a mixture of Exchequer and lottery funding, of which £686 million has been lottery funding. The Department is unable to provide a breakdown of this total at local authority level without incurring a disproportionate cost.
The Big Lottery Fund has advised that they awarded £887,392 through a total of 24 awards, benefiting sport in schools in the city of York.
(iii) In terms of lottery funding, the York City football club received a total of £556,163 through the Football Youth Development Programme. The following table provides details of individual awards by year:
| Recipient | Project title | Local authority | Total (£) | |
| Source: Sport England | ||||
Tourism
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the inbound tourism figures were for the first three quarters of (a) 2008 and (b) 2009. [303194]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 1 December 2009]: VisitBritain forecast that the full year picture for tourism in 2009 will be a year-on-year spending increase of 1 per cent.
While the United Nations World Tourism Organisation predictions were that inbound tourism figures were expected to fall for all countries because of the economic climate, the figures for inbound holiday tourism (up 3 per cent. in the first nine months of this year) and domestic tourism (up 6 per cent. in the first eight months of this year) have remained strong.
The figures over the first three quarters of both years are set out in the following table. However, latest figures show the number of overseas residents visiting the UK in September 2009 was unchanged compared with September 2008. Furthermore, overseas visitor spend in September was 7 per cent. higher than September last year.
The latest UK inbound tourism figures (in thousands), for 2008 and 2009 are set out as follows(1).
(1)( )Source:
The Office for National Statistics
| Number | |
| (1) Latest estimate. | |
Prime Minister
Departmental Conferences
Mr. Baron: To ask the Prime Minister which conferences held overseas have been attended by civil servants based in 10 Downing Street in the last three years; and what the cost to the public purse was of such attendance at each conference. [305876]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the annual list of overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers, costing in excess of £500, published by the Government. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Hands: To ask the Prime Minister how many plasma screen televisions his Office has purchased since 2001; and what the cost has been of purchasing and installing such screens in each such year. [306083]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Angela E. Smith) on 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 839W.
General Elections
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Prime Minister when the purdah period in advance of a general election will commence in respect of Government announcements; and if he will make a statement. [305752]
The Prime Minister: In line with established practice, once a general election is announced, guidance is issued on questions of procedure and conduct during the period of the election.
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