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1 Mar 2010 : Column 901W—continued
Horserace Totalisator Board
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made in preparations for the sale of the Tote; and if he will make a statement. [319830]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government are preparing for the sale of the Tote in line with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement on 12 October 2009.
The current intention is that a sale process would start in summer 2010 and be completed around March 2011.
ITV: Local Broadcasting
Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had on ITV's proposals for regional news. [318852]
Mr. Bradshaw: I have had a number of discussions with ITV and other interested organisations during the past year on the future of regional news on Channel 3 and the Government's policy objective to secure this news through independently funded news consortia.
Listed Events Review
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account will be taken of the BBC Strategic Review in assessing the results of the consultation on the David Davies Review of Listed Events. [319787]
Mr. Bradshaw: I will consider all relevant issues emerging from the consultation before reaching a final decision.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2010, Official Report, column 665W, on sports: television, whether he has plans to commission independent advice for the purposes of his economic impact assessment. [319837]
Mr. Bradshaw: The evidence received in response to the Government's statutory consultation on Free-to-Air Listed Events will form the basis of an economic impact assessment. The Government are in the process of commissioning an independent economic consultancy to take forward this work.
Radio Frequencies
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the frequency to be used by commercial radio stations following digital switchover; and if he will make a statement. [319201]
Mr. Bradshaw: My Department has held two local radio summits with the commercial radio representative body, RadioCentre, and is in discussion with broadcasters from across the UK to consider the impact of Digital Radio Switchover on local commercial radio stations.
Scottish Television
Mr. Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether he has undertaken an assessment of the likely effects of reclassification of Scottish Television as an independent producer on the provision of public service broadcasting by the existing Scottish independent sector. [318614]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government recently undertook a public consultation exercise on the potential reclassification of production companies owned by Channel 3 licence holders. This included an assessment of the impact of the proposal, including the impact on the independent sector. The Government are currently assessing the responses to the consultation.
Sports: Young People
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the participation of young people in competitive sport. [318859]
Mr. Bradshaw: The annual School Sport Survey has shown a steady rise in the number of young people taking up competitive sport since 2003.
69 per cent. of pupils are now involved in intra-school competition compared to 22 per cent. in 2003/04; while 44 per cent. of pupils are now involved in inter-school competition compared to 33 per cent. in 2003/04.
Competitive sport is central to our PE and Sport Strategy for Young People and will also be enshrined in law as universal access to regular competitive sport is part of our new Pupil Guarantee.
Olympics
Olympic Legacy: West Midlands
6. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what legacy is expected for the west midlands and Coventry from the London 2012 Olympics. [318884]
Tessa Jowell: Coventry South, the West Midlands and the whole of the UK will benefit from the sporting, economic and social opportunities created by the 2012 Games.
Three companies based in Coventry have secured contracts to supply goods or services within the London 2012 supply chain and 45 businesses registered in the West Midlands have won work supplying the Olympic Delivery Authority. 19 projects in the West Midlands have been awarded the Inspire Mark, for high-quality projects inspired by the Games.
Estimated Government Expenditure
7. Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent estimate is of Government expenditure on hosting the London 2012 Olympics. [318885]
Tessa Jowell: The £9.325 billion funding package that I announced in March 2007 remains unchanged.
The most recent estimate of the anticipated final cost was £7.262 billion, as reported in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Report which was published in early February.
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change: International Co-operation
Mr. Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Congleton of 7 January 2010, Official Report, column 628W, on climate change: Copenhagen, what his most recent assessment is of the likelihood of effective global action to limit climate change; and if he will make a statement. [318584] [Official Report, 4 March 2010, Vol. 506, c. 15-16MC.]
Joan Ruddock: Since Copenhagen, we have seen support for the Copenhagen Accord grow. As of 22 February 2010, 69 countries had listed targets/actions in the Accord to limit their greenhouse gas emissions. These countries account for nearly 90 per cent. of global emissions. This willingness of many countries to take substantial domestic action, demonstrates that-with ambition-the international community has the opportunity to come together to tackle dangerous climate change effectively.
But there is still more to do. We must continue to encourage these countries to deliver the most ambitious end of their offers if we are to deliver our goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. And we will continue to campaign for countries to include these offers in a comprehensive legally binding treaty.
Departmental Energy
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department plans to take to participate in the Earth Hour event on 27 March 2010. [319084]
Joan Ruddock: The Department supports Earth Hour. Both of our premises (in London and Aberdeen) will participate. We will also support Earth Hour through our website and social networking activities and will encourage staff to participate as individuals.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many designs for its website his Department has commissioned since its inception. [318653]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has commissioned one design for its website since inception. The design is that used by the Department's official corporate website which was launched on 23 February 2009:
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many employees in his Department are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in his Department and its predecessors in each of the last five
years; what estimate he has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year. [313246]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change was formed on the 3 October 2008. To date, no staff have been placed in transition prior to being managed out.
Departmental Public Relations
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what public relations companies have had contracts with (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible since his Department was established. [317365]
Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has had contracts with Munro and Forster in 2008-09 and with The Forster Company in 2009-10, both of whom worked on the ACT ON CO2 campaign.
DECC also has a contract with Kreab Gavin Anderson to provide expert advice on the impact of proposed policy changes on renewable finance and investment prospects, as well as a range of briefing, seminars, meetings and wider awareness raising with investors and trade media, on developments in renewable energy policy.
The Energy Saving Trust has had contracts with the following public relations companies: Positif Politics Ltd., Strategem and Weber Shandwick Public Affairs.
The Carbon Trust has had contracts with the following public relations agencies: Fishburn Hedges PR, Octopus Communications and Brands2Life, as well as Golley Slater PR in Wales and Smarts PR in Scotland.
Departmental Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days since its inception. [316466]
Joan Ruddock: The Department encourages a culture where good attendance is expected and valued. However, it recognises from time to time absences for medical reasons may be unavoidable. The Department aims to treat its staff who are ill with sympathy and fairness and where possible provide them with support which will enable them to recover their health and return to work.
No staff have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days since the Department's inception in October 2008.
Departmental Travel
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost of international travel by Ministers and officials in his Department has been since May 2009. [316793]
Joan Ruddock: Since May 2009 a total of £588,743 was spent on international travel by Ministers and officials.
Electricity
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much electricity has been supplied to (a) Stroud district and (b) Gloucestershire since 2003. [318976]
Mr. Kidney: Annual electricity consumption statistics for Stroud and the Gloucestershire area are available for the years 2005 to 2008 and are shown in the following table. The statistics include both domestic and non-domestic consumption and, as they are supplied to DECC by electricity suppliers, they are therefore a measure of the electricity supplied from the national grid.
| Annual electricity consumption (GWh) in: | ||
| (a) Stroud | (b) Gloucestershire( 1) | |
| (1) Gloucestershire is defined here as comprising of the following local authorities: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud and Tewkesbury. | ||
Similar data are also available for 2003 and 2004. However there are methodological differences in the production of the datasets before 2005 and therefore the data for 2003 and 2004 are not directly comparable with the later datasets. The changes in methodology were recognised as improvements and as such the statistics from 2005 are classified as National Statistics. Details of all methodologies used to compile the statistics can be found at:
Electricity: Prices
Sir Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what obligation electricity suppliers have to customers in respect of price when supplying electricity under Tariff B. [312841]
Mr. Kidney: Setting of prices, including the level of differential between peak and off-peak charges on an Economy 7 type tariff, is a commercial decision for the company concerned. It is for Ofgem to consider whether pricing is appropriate, and it can take action if it decides that it is not.
Gas and electricity suppliers currently have up to 65 working days to notify their customers that a price increase has taken place. We think it is unacceptable for
customers to be informed of price rises so late. Ofgem has committed to consulting on the matter before Easter. We have also amended the Energy Bill during its passage through the House of Commons to include powers for the Government to set the period within which energy companies must inform customers of changes to their tariffs should Ofgem be unable to address the issue in a timely fashion.
Energy Saving Trust: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wealden of 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 323W, on the Energy Saving Trust: advertising, how much the Energy Saving Trust spent on external public relations services in each of the last three years; and whether it has contracted the services of public affairs companies during that period. [315496]
Joan Ruddock: The EST have spent the following on external public relations services in each of the last three years and have contracted the services of public affairs companies during that period.
| Total (£) | |
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