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9 Mar 2010 : Column 175Wcontinued
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases of financial irregularities have been recorded in his Department in each of the last five financial years; and if he will make a statement. [320896]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Treasury guidance, 'Managing Public Money' defines irregularities as spend outside legal powers, parliamentary consents, or Treasury delegations. On that basis, the Department has reported financial irregularities over the last five years as follows:
Financial year | Number of cases |
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) Ministers and (b) staff of each grade in (i) his Department and (ii) its agency spent on first class travel in the last 12 months. [320397]
Margaret Hodge: All travel by Ministers and staff is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
The Department's system does not analyse total travel expenditure by grade of staff or class of travel. To obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
The only information on first class travel which is available and which is for travel pre-booked through the Department's contracted travel agents only, is set out in the following table.
£ | ||
Financial year | Ministers | Staff |
(1) To January 2010. (2) Full year costs. |
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has provided to organisations or companies registered abroad in each of the last five years. [318625]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 25 February 2010]: The Department paid subscriptions to international bodies in each of the last five years as set out in the following table.
£ | |||||
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10( 1) | |
(1 )Forecast |
Details of other spend with overseas trade suppliers can only be identified at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff his Department and its agencies have appointed who were later discovered to be illegal immigrants since 2005. [320441]
Margaret Hodge: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and The Royal Parks Agency have found no illegal immigrants working for them since 2005.
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made on establishing cross-cutting procedures to enable progress to be made on the (a) funding for and (b) construction of a site shared with the Royal Opera House campus, Thurrock of the Creative and Cultural Skills Academy. [320598]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 4 March 2010]: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has worked closely with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government to progress the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills (NSA) and the Royal Opera House Production Park.
In November 2009, the Learning and Skills Council committed £5 million to the NSA. Discussions have taken place with the Homes and Communities Agency on funding.
Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation handed over the Royal Opera House Production Workshops to the Royal Opera House on the 2 March 2010. The completion date for this project is November 2010 and it will house the creation of costumes and scenery.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public houses there were in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009. [321058]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has collated annual statistics from licensing authorities relating to alcohol, entertainment and late night refreshment since the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003. This does not identify the number of pubs, as there is no official or established definition of a pub which distinguishes it from other premises which sell alcohol.
Prior to the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003, data were collected by petty sessional division (magistrates court areas) on a triennial basis. As at 30 June 1998, there were 135 public houses in Bexley and 8,844 public houses in London. This definition of a public house includes hotels and premises (other than those licensed under part IV of the Licensing Act 1964) having a justices' on-licence.
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public libraries there were in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009. [321059]
Margaret Hodge: Public library statistics are published annually by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). Data for 2009 are not yet available. The total number of service points (including mobile libraries) in Bexley and Greater London open 10 or more hours per week at 31 March 1997 and 2008 are in the table.
1997 | 2008 | |
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford of 1 March 2010, Official Report, column 658, what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Olympics on the take up of free swimming initiatives by Bexley borough council; and on what date Bexley borough council commenced offering free swimming. [320737]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Secretary of State has had no specific discussions with the Minister for the Olympics on the take up of the free swimming initiative by Bexley borough council.
Bexley borough council commenced offering free swimming in April 2009.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what representations he has received from (a) members of the public and (b) local authorities on charging for swimming floats by leisure centres which participate in the Government's free swimming initiative; [320891]
(2) whether funding provided under his Department's free swimming initiative is intended to cover the use of (a) swimming floats and (b) other swimming aids. [320892]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has received no representations from members of the public or local authorities on charging for swimming floats by leisure centres which participate in the Government's free swimming initiative.
The Government provide revenue funding to local authorities who are responsible for the delivery of the Free Swimming Programme. The scheme enables people aged 60 and over and young people aged 16 and under to swim for free.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding was provided to each theatre participating in the free theatre tickets scheme; and how many tickets each theatre agreed to make available. [317187]
Margaret Hodge: Theatres wishing to participate in the "A Night Less Ordinary" scheme were invited to apply for one of four types of grants by Arts Council England.
According to the type of venue, the location and the number of tickets each venue expected to be able to give away, participants received either:-
a multi award of £300 000 for one large West End consortium;
a premium award of £50,000 for larger ticket allocations;
a standard award of £30,000 for regular ticket allocations;
a flexible award of £10,000 for smaller ticket allocations.
Arts Council England has supplied a full list of participating theatres by award category in the following table.
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