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3 Mar 2010 : Column 1290W—continued
Olympic Games: Canada
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department attended the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. [318780]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 25 February 2010]: In my capacity as Minister for Sport I attended the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and was accompanied by my Private Secretary. The Minister for the Olympics also attended the games with her Private Secretary, a press officer and a special adviser.
In addition, four members of the Government Olympic Executive also attended the games and it is planned that a further four officials will attend the Paralympics. They are participating in the observer programmes which run throughout the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Attendance at the Games provided an invaluable opportunity to study at first-hand Vancouver's experience in staging an Olympic Games and to learn lessons for London 2012.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on travel for (a) officials and (b) Ministers to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. [318968]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 1 March 2010]: Details of ministerial travel costing over £500 are published annually and include the cost, destination and purpose of the trip. It also provides information on the number of officials who accompany Ministers.
The most recent list was published in July 2009 and the details of attendance at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be included in the 2010 return.
Olympic Lottery
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was raised for the London 2012 Olympics by (a) national lottery games dedicated to the London 2012 Olympics and (b) the Dream Number lottery game in 2007-08. [319574]
Mr. Sutcliffe: National Lottery Games dedicated to raising money for the London 2012 Olympics provided a total of £147 million for the financial year 2007-08.
Returns to good causes from the sale of all National Lottery products are calculated in accordance with a formula set out in the National Lottery Licence. Proceeds to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund (OLDF) are based on the proportion of total sales attributable to all designated Olympic Lottery games. These include the Dream Number draw, certain Scratchcards and online instant win games. Proceeds to the OLDF are not available on a game-by-game basis.
We remain on course to meet the £750 million target towards the cost of staging the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games from dedicated National Lottery games.
Public Houses: Closures
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to assist public houses facing closure. [319608]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) continues to be the lead voice in Whitehall on the importance to the economy of the whole hospitality industry, including public houses, and for licensing policy. In particular, the Licensing Act 2003 and subsequent simplifications of its processes have produced savings in administrative burdens of about £99 million annually since the Act came into force in November 2005.
The Prime Minister has recently appointed my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Housing and Planning to head a task force of five Ministers to champion public houses in their role as the hubs of their communities. The Department for Communities and Local Government is co-ordinating relevant work with the DCMS, The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office.
Sports: Health Services
Andrew Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether responsibility for providing free emergency health cover and hospital accommodation and treatment for (a) participants and (b) spectators at major international sporting events resides with the host country; if he will clarify the position in relation to (i) participants and visitors
to the UK attending the London 2012 Olympic Games and (ii) UK residents who attend, as participants and as visitors, the Isle of Man TT Races; and if he will make a statement. [318457]
Mr. Sutcliffe: UK Sport has advised that for the majority of events supported by UK Sport through its World Class Events programme, athletes are required by their international federations to have their own insurance to allow them to compete. International federations will usually incorporate medical cover requirements in the event contract agreements with which host organisers must comply.
The event organisers are liable for public liability insurance cover in case of any accident/injury as a result of the event set up, as opposed to simply injury/accidents as a result of participants competing.
Visitors to events are always covered in terms of emergency first aid as a matter of best practice. This would be free of charge, but organisers of events would not be liable to cover any required hospital treatment.
With regards to participants and visitors to the UK for the Olympic Games in 2012, it was a requirement of the bid that NHS treatment for the Games Family (including participants, IOC and IPC members, technical officials etc.) would be free. The Department of Health is working to fulfil the bid commitment.
For participants, the larger Olympic and Paralympic teams will bring their own specialist medical teams and will provide any medical care required. The vast majority of medical services will be delivered by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games-LOCOG-in the polyclinic in the Olympic Park and in on-site facilities in other Games' venues. LOCOG is working directly with Hospital Trusts to specify the services and facilities needed in the rare event that a participant is admitted to hospital.
For spectators, business as usual arrangements will apply in line with current legislation-treatment given in an NHS accident and emergency department is free to all persons, but treatment after admission as an in-patient will incur a charge unless the person is entitled to it for free.
Finally, with regards to the TT races on the Isle of Man, the reciprocal healthcare agreement between the UK and the Isle of Man is still in effect, but terminates on 31 March 2010. Therefore all competitors must be insured against the risk of personal accident in accordance with the FIM Sporting Code.
The Isle of Man Health Service is not part of the UK NHS and, except for immediately necessary and emergency treatment which does not require admission to hospital, visitors to the Isle of Man (including UK residents) who require treatment will be expected to pay for it.
It is therefore strongly recommended that all visitors to the Isle of Man ensure that they have appropriate insurance in place which will cover any treatment costs and repatriation to the UK by air ambulance if that should prove necessary.
Swimming: Concessions
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on the free swimming initiative in each quarter of 2009 for which figures are available. [318911]
Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 26 February 2010]: The funding structure of the programme, with grants going to local authorities covering each financial year, means that quarterly spend figures for the Department are not available.
The Free Swimming Programme (FSP) is a £140 million package comprising contributions from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department of Health, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government. This is broken down into £10 million (capital funding) in 2008-09 and £65 million (a mixture of capital and resource) in each year for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
Children, Schools and Families
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many designs for its website his Department and its predecessors have commissioned since 2005. [318657]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department's main website homepage:
and standard web page template have undergone four redesigns since 2005, as a result of changes to the Department's name and brand.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what expenditure his Department incurred on hospitality extended by Ministers in the financial year (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06, (c) 2006-07 and (d) 2007-08 in current prices. [318829]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 December 2008, Official Report, column 494W.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many receptions he has hosted for representatives of print and broadcast media since October 2008; how much each reception cost; and how many people attended each. [318830]
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many receptions he has hosted for representatives of print and broadcast media since 2008; how much each reception cost; and how many people attended each. [319350]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statements made by my right hon. Friend Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on 22 July 2008, Official Report, column 84WS, and 13 October 2009, Official Report, column 15WS.
Information for the current financial year will be published later in the year.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on ministerial hospitality in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06, (c) 2006-07 and (d) 2007-08, expressed in current prices. [319349]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 December 2008, Official R eport , column 494W.
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many receptions he plans to host in 2010 for representatives of print and broadcast media. [319351]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: There are no such receptions planned at this time.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of his Department's annual budget is allocated to preventative and early intervention measures. [318841]
Ms Diana R. Johnson [holding answer 26 February 2010]: Preventative and early intervention measures are an integral part of many of the Department's programmes and policies. However, these aspects of the Department's business are not always identified as specific allocated budgets within the remit of larger programmes and policy initiatives. It would not be possible to accurately identify the annual amount of spend on preventative and early intervention measures without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Relations
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) with which public relations companies (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible and (c) other bodies sponsored by his Department have had contracts in each year since 2004; [317067]
(2) how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible in 2009. [316837]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: Public relations agencies are employed for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press office to provide campaign support in local, regional and specialist media. The Department's expenditure on public relations for complete financial years, since its formation in June 2007, is outlined in the following table.
| Total spend (£) | |
The other requested information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many thefts from his Department have been recorded in the last two years. [318985]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The number of items reported stolen from the Department for Children, Schools and Families in the last two years is given in the following table.
| Item stolen | 2008/09 | 2009/10 |
Education: International Cooperation
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the average duration is of a Teachers' International Professional Development Programme visit; [318230]
(2) how many teachers and teaching assistants participated in Teachers' International Professional Development Programme visits to each county in each year since 2000. [318233]
Mr. Coaker: Study visits taking place under the Teachers International Professional Development (TIPD) programme take place during half-term and other holiday periods. The majority of study visits last for five days, but for long-haul destinations the study visit may be extended to a maximum of 10 days.
There are three strands to the TIPD programme: local authority led study visits on a theme decided by the relevant local authority; school determined visits to examine a theme of study decided by the schools engaged; and a programme of study visits to developing countries jointly funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for International Development. The number of teachers taking part in study visits by country under each of these three strands is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of each (a) audit and (b) evaluation of the Teachers' International Professional Development programme undertaken or commissioned by his Department to date; [318231]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness in promoting best practice in schools in England of the Teachers' International Professional Development programme. [318232]
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