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9 Feb 2010 : Column 823W—continued
Thanet
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will set out, with statistical information related as directly as possible to South Thanet constituency, the effects on South Thanet of his Department's policies and actions since 2000. [315630]
Mr. Simon: My Department's aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.
The impact of bodies and policies of my Department on the South Thanet constituency since 2000 include:
£5,813 given from Arts Council England to organisations based in South Thanet in 2008-09 through the Grants for the Arts programme.
Digital Switchover is due to take place in South Thanet in 2012. By the time switchover is complete at the end of 2012, 98.5 per cent. of households nationwide will be able to receive digital TV-the same number that can currently receive analogue.
Almost £14 million of national lottery grants made to applications from the South Thanet constituency since 1997.
The South Thanet constituency has also benefited from other policies and spending whose impact cannot be broken down by constituency. This includes:
£4 billion of Exchequer funding spent on culture.
More than £5.5 billion invested in sport by the Government and the national lottery since 1997.
Almost 400,000 free swims taken in the south east in the first six months of the Free Swimming programme.
A 68 per cent. increase in national museum visits from 1998-99 to 2008-09 10 per cent. of which were by adults from lower socioeconomic groups.
£416.6 million in grants allocated by English Heritage since 1997.
48 per cent. of buildings on the original 1999 Buildings at Risk Register having their future secured.
90 per cent. of all pupils taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE or sport per week in 2008 from an estimated 25 per cent. in 2003-04-exceeding our target.
Vauxhall
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Vauxhall constituency, the effects on the constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997. [310334]
Mr. Simon: My Department's aim is to improve the quality of life for everyone through cultural and sporting activities, to support the pursuit of excellence and to champion the tourism, creative and leisure industries.
The impact of bodies and policies of my Department on the Vauxhall constituency since 1997 include:
£635,706 given from Arts Council England to organisations based in Vauxhall in 2008-09 through the Grants for the Arts programme.
£37,844,788 of capital lottery funds allocated by Arts Council England for projects in Vauxhall undertaken since 2003.
The Young Vic and National Theatre have joined A Night Less Ordinary allowing young people to attend theatre events for free.
Digital Switchover is due to take place in Vauxhall in 2012. By the time switchover is complete at the end of 2012, 98.5 per cent. of households nationwide will be able to receive digital TV-the same number that can currently receive analogue.
£497,500 of Exchequer investment to the Vauxhall constituency provided through Sport England between 2002-03 and 2009-10.
Over £306 million of National lottery grants made to applications from the Vauxhall constituency since 1997.
The Vauxhall constituency has also benefited from other policies and spending whose impact cannot be broken down by constituency. This includes:
£4 billion of Exchequer funding spent on culture.
More than £5.5 billion invested in sport by the Government and the National Lottery since 1997.
Almost 1 million free swims taken in London in the first six months of the Free Swimming programme.
A 68 per cent. increase in national museum visits from 1998-99 to 2008-09 10 per cent. of which were by adults from lower socioeconomic groups.
£416.6 million in grants allocated by English Heritage since 1997.
48 per cent. of buildings on the original 1999 Buildings at Risk Register having their future secured.
90 per cent. of all pupils taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE or sport per week in 2008 from an estimated 25 per cent. in 2003-04-exceeding our target.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Health Bill: Draft
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the draft Animal Health Bill what contribution hobby farmers would be expected to make under the cost-sharing arrangements proposed in the draft Bill. [315785]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The cost sharing arrangements associated with the draft Animal Health Bill will be developed as part of a future Finance Bill. The form that the cost sharing arrangements will take and any implications for the farming sector will be examined as part of the policy development process.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department and its agencies (a) have the status of embedded communicators and (b) are members of the Government Communications Network but are not listed in the Central Office of Information White Book. [315478]
Dan Norris: There are currently seven embedded communicators working within the business and a further 70 in the core communications function.
Government Communications Network (GCN) membership data are not held by individual departments. The Cabinet Office unit who administer the GCN are unable to share membership data without the permission of individual members. Therefore it is not possible to readily provide accurate information.
Detailed figures relating to DEFRA agencies are not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Legal Costs
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure his Department and its agencies have incurred on external legal advice and representation in each year since his Department was established; and for what purposes such services have been commissioned. [300583]
Dan Norris: The expenditure the Department and its agencies have incurred on external legal advice and representation in each financial year since the Department was established is as follows:
| £000 | |
External legal advice and representation was commissioned for a range of specialist legal services that were not available internally.
In reply to a question from the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), on 18 June 2007, Official Report, column 1429W, asking how much was spent on legal fees in each of the previous five years, 2002-03 to 2006-07, an answer was published which gave lower figures for those years than the figures above.
The reason is that one of the Department's executive agencies (the Rural Payments Agency) has revised its figures for 2002-03 to 2006-07 to include expenditure on legal services by non-legal divisions within the RPA that had been omitted from the answer referred to above.
Departmental Legislation
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criminal offences have been (a) abolished and (b) created by primary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008. [303250]
Dan Norris: The information requested is as follows:
DEFRA is only responsible for some parts of the Climate Change Act 2008.
The parts of the Act for which DEFRA is responsible do not create any other offences, or repeal any offences. However there are some provisions which amend some offences.
Section 88 amends section 105(2) of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to enable an increase in the maximum fines on summary conviction that can be provided for under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999. This is to enable the maximum fines on summary conviction under regulations made under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 to be made consistent with the equivalent maximum fines under section 33(8) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Also to provide for consistency, it revokes regulation 39(2)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (which provides for maximum fines).
Paragraph 3 of schedule 5 contains a consequential amendment to section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (receptacles for household waste). Section 46 contains an offence provision.
Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009
The Marine and Coastal Access Act creates a number of new offences, abolishes others and amends some existing criminal offences. The Act has only recently received Royal Assent and so a number of these provisions are not yet in force. Full details of the offences that will be created when the Act is fully in force and of the offences that will be repealed or amended are as follows:
Section 85(1) (breach of requirement for, or conditions of, marine licence)
Section 89(1) (knowingly/recklessly making false/misleading statements; intentional failure to disclose material particular)
Section 92(3) (failure to comply with compliance notice or remediation notice)
Section 103(3) (failure to comply with stop notice)
Section 105(3) (failure to comply with emergency safety notice)
Section 139(1) (contravening any byelaw made under section 129 or 132(1), or any order made under section 134 or 136(1))
Section 140(1) (damaging etc protected features of Marine Conservation Zones)
Section 163(1) (contravention of any byelaw made under section 155)
Section 163(2) (liability of master, owner and charterer)
Section 190(1) (contravention of any provision of an order made under section 189)
Section 190(2) (liability of master, owner and charterer)
Section 195 amends section 3 of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 to insert offence of contravening an order made under subsection (2A))
Section 198 amends section 5 of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 by substituting subsection (1) to make it an offence to contravene any prohibition or restriction imposed by an order made under section 5 and to add liability for master, owner or charter of vessel
Section 199 amends section 15 of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 to create offences of assaulting an officer and obstructing an officer
Section 200 substitutes section 12 of the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 in relation to liability of officers etc of bodies corporate
Section 206 amends section 3 of the Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 to provide for liability of master, owner and charterer
Section 219 amends section 27 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975 to create two new offences in section 27B of that Act (unauthorised fishing)
Section 228(1) amends the Theft Act 1968 to substitute an offence of unlawfully taking or destroying etc fish in private property etc.
Section 232 contains an enabling power to make regulations in relation to keeping, introduction and removal of fish, and such regulations may make provision creating criminal offences
Section 292(1) (failure without reasonable excuse to comply with reasonable requirement or directions given by enforcement officer, etc).
Section 292(3) (knowing or reckless provision of false information; intentional failure to disclose material particulars)
Section 292(4) (intentional obstruction of enforcement officer)
Section 292(5) (assaulting an enforcement officer)
Section 292(6) (falsely pretending to be an enforcement officer)
Section 293 amends section 30 of the Fisheries Act 1981 to substitute provision providing for liability of master, owner and charterer, and offence of contravention of fishing restrictions/obligations
Section 314(1) amends Energy Act 2008 to create the following new offences in that Act:
section 791 (carrying out operation without consent or failing to comply with condition)
section 79J(1) (knowingly or recklessly making false statements)
section 79J(2) (failing to disclose relevant information)
section 79K(1) (failure to fail to comply with a direction under section 79E)
section 79L(1) (failure to comply with emergency safety notice or immediate action notice within time allowed)
section 79N contains an enabling power for making regulations about inspectors etc, and such regulations may provide for the creation of offences
Section 318 (offences by officers etc where offence committed by bodies corporate)
Schedule 15, paragraph 3(5) amends the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967 to insert a new section 1(6A) (failure to comply with order under section 1(6))
Section 187 repeals the Sea Fisheries Regulation Act 1966 (which contains offences in section 11)
Section 233 repeals several offences in Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975: section 4 (poisonous matter and polluting effluent), section 23 (export of salmon and trout) and section 24 (consignment of salmon and trout; and obstruction of authorised officer)
Section 234 repeals-
White Herring Fisheries Act 1771 (offence in section 11);
Seal Fishery Act 1875 (offence in section 2);
North Sea Fisheries Act 1893 (offences in sections 2, 3 and 4);
Behring Sea Award Act 1894 (offences in sections 1 to 3);
Seal Fisheries (North Pacific) Act 1895 (offences in 1, 2 and 4);
Seal Fisheries (North Pacific) Act 1912 (offence in section 3);
Schedule 16, paragraph 2 omits offence in section 3 (nets) of Salmon and
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