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6 Jan 2010 : Column 387W—continued
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) which solicitors' partnerships have been used by Arts Council England in each of the last three years; [308041]
(2) what the names and addresses are of the (a) accountancy firms and (b) auditors currently used by Arts Council England; [308044]
(3) when Mr. Julian Ravest of Robin and Gorringe was contracted to provide services in respect of Arts Council England's monitoring of the Public arts building project in West Bromwich; and when that contract ended; [307895]
(4) how much was paid to Robin and Gorringe by Arts Council England in each year between 2002 and 2006; [307897]
(5) what consultants were contracted by Arts Council England in relation to The Public arts centre in West Bromwich; [307901]
(6) in which of the last 10 financial years Graham Devlin was employed as a consultant by Arts Council England. [307905]
Margaret Hodge: The issues raised are matters for Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issues raised and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) who the (a) internal and (b) external trustees are of Arts Council England's pension fund; and in which capacity each serves; [308047]
(2) which trade unions are given facility agreements by Arts Council England; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such agreements. [308048]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issue and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will commission an inquiry into the value for money of the proposed restructuring of Arts Council England. [308543]
Margaret Hodge: I have no plans to commission such an inquiry.
Arts Council England: Consultants
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to reduce the number of consultants engaged by Arts Council England. [308544]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issue and to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent reports he has received on Arts Council England hiring outgoing senior employees as consultants. [307380]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 15 December 2009]: The Department has received no such reports.
Arts Council England: Finance
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the future funding of Arts Council England; and if he will make a statement. [308354]
Margaret Hodge: Officials and Ministers in my Department meet regularly with Arts Council England and current and future funding forms part of those discussions.
Arts Council England: Grants
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to direct the Arts Council to remove questions regarding sexual orientation from its application forms for funding. [307230]
Margaret Hodge: The Arts Council works independently from Government as a non-departmental public body and there is no political interference in its work or its decisions. It would not be appropriate for us to dictate the content of application forms.
The Arts Council has told us the sexual orientation question is due to be removed from their application form in March. They are looking at how best to comply with new duties proposed in the Equality Bill.
Arts Council England: Occupational Pensions
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will require Arts Council England to publish details of its pension deficit on an annual basis. [308355]
Margaret Hodge: Arts Council England publishes details of its pension scheme, including any deficit each year in their annual report and accounts.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent reports he has received on Arts Council England's pension fund deficit. [308358]
Margaret Hodge: Arts Council England report on their pension deficit each year in their annual report and accounts. Valuations take place every three years and the next is due on 31 March 2010.
Broadband
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department plans to commission research into the effects on broadband take-up of the proposed 50 pence per month levy. [308249]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) on 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1346W.
Creativity and Business International Network
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 528W, on Creativity and Business International Network: finance, on what the remaining 60 per cent. of the c&binet budget was (a) allocated and (b) spent. [307810]
Mr. Simon: The remaining 60 per cent. of the c&binet budget for 2009-10 was allocated towards activities relating to network development, stakeholder engagement (including obtaining speakers), delegate recruitment, website development and content, overarching co-ordination, media engagement, future development of c&binet and contingency. These categories also represent spend during this period.
Departmental Legislation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criminal offences have been (a) created and (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008. [307802]
Mr. Simon: Since 1 May 2008, the following new offence has been created by secondary legislation sponsored by DCMS: -
The Audiovisual Media Services Directive Regulations 2009-SI 2009/2979-SI 2009/2979 amends the Communications Act 2003 at section368N to create a criminal offence if a person provides an on-demand programme service when his entitlement to do so is suspended by a direction under section 368K or 368L or in contravention of a restriction contained in such a direction.
Since 1 May 2008, no offences have been abolished by DCMS sponsored secondary legislation.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criminal offences have been (a) abolished and (b) created by primary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008. [307944]
Mr. Simon: No new offences have either been abolished or created by primary legislation sponsored by DCMS since 1 May 2008.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 528W, how much of the amount spent on planning and staging the event at The Grove was spent on (a) food, (b) drink and (c) travel to the event. [307809]
Mr. Simon: The gross amount spent on (a) food (b) drink and (c) travel from the budget allocated to planning and staging the event are as follows.
| £ | |
There was also a total amount of £44,297 spent on day delegate rates. This included some provision for food and drink, but also covered other costs such as hotel staff, room hire, use of audio visual equipment and use of hotel facilities.
In addition, from a separate budget, we spent £3,446 on travel to the event for speakers and c&binet ambassadors.
Gambling Act 2005
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 to allow commercial snooker and pool clubs to offer higher prizes on licensed gaming machines on their premises; what timetable he has set for such action; and if he will make a statement. [307873]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Proposals in relation to gaming machines in commercial snooker and pool clubs are being considered as part of my Department's review of category B gaming machines.
I will make an announcement about the review in due course.
Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints his Department received under the chain-gifting provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009. [309482]
Mr. Sutcliffe: My Department has not received any complaints under the chain-gifting sections in the Gambling Act 2005 since the provisions came into force in 2007.
Museums and Galleries: West Bromwich
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish (1) all reports produced for the Arts Council England board by Moss Cooper on The Public arts centre in West Bromwich; [307892]
(2) the reports produced by Robin And Gorringe for Arts Council England on The Public arts centre in West Bromwich; [307896]
(3) all reports made to the Capital Projects Board of the Arts Council on the construction of The Public arts centre in West Bromwich between 1995 and 2006; [307899]
(4) the minutes of all discussions the board of Arts Council England has had on The Public arts centre in West Bromwich; [307900]
(5) all correspondence between Sylvia King of The Public arts centre and Sally Luton of Arts Council England between July 2005 and November 2006. [307902]
Margaret Hodge: The issues raised are matters for Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issues raised and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when responsibility for the Public Arts Centre in West Bromwich was transferred from the Capital Projects Office at Arts Council England to Arts Council England West Midlands. [307893]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the reports produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the funding of The Public arts centre in West Bromwich before The Public Building Limited went into administration. [307903]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issues raised and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what the date was of the first grant payment made to C/plex Limited by Arts Council England; [307906]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from Arts Council England to C/plex Limited on approval of the process of appointment of the architect to design The Public arts centre in West Bromwich. [307907]
Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England; my Department does not hold the requested information.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Olympic Games 2012: Culture
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people of each (a) sex and (b) age group in each region have participated in programmes launched as part of the Cultural Olympiad since the inception of those programmes. [307132]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 14 December 2009]: The Cultural Olympiad is a four year developing programme of cultural activity which enables a wide range of people across the UK to celebrate and become involved in the best of British culture. It includes major national projects, a UK-wide cultural festival and annual open weekend celebrations. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) does not hold information on participation in Cultural Olympiad programmes by age or sex.
However, three of the Cultural Olympiad's major national projects have already launched. These are: 'Stories of the World', involving 14 regional partners and over 50 museums, libraries and archives across the UK; 'Artists Taking The Lead', which received 2,163 submissions from artists in every nation and region of the UK; and 'Unlimited' which is inviting applications for a £1.5 million commission to support the production of quality work by disabled and deaf artists.
The Inspire Mark programme recognises non-commercial projects which are genuinely inspired or energised by the 2012 Games. According to latest available figures, 142 cultural projects have been awarded the Inspire Mark across the nations and regions of the UK, and form the UK-wide cultural festival. LOCOG estimates that approximately one million people took part in the open weekend celebrations in 2008 and 2009.
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