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16 Mar 2010 : Column 724W—continued
Culture, Media and Sport
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2010, Official Report, column 565W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the latest redesign. [321933]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The design costs for the redesign of the website in 2005 were £31,104.54.
In 2009-10 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned a digital agency to design and create five themed landing pages for its website. This work is essential to bring the current site up to date, by providing better access to content allowing more flexibility and the ability to pull in relevant social media feeds (which the current single homepage cannot support). The total cost for design was £8,383.75.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many designs for its (a) internal website and (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design. [321984]
Mr. Sutcliffe: We have not commissioned any designs for the intranet since 2005.
Greater Manchester
Sir Gerald Kaufman: 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 the Manchester, Gorton constituency, the effects on that constituency of his Department's policies since 1997. [322132]
Mr. Sutcliffe: 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 Manchester, Gorton constituency since 1997 include:
£316,615 given from Arts Council England to organisations based in Gorton in 2008-09 through the Grants for the Arts programme.
Digital Switchover has been completed in the Gorton region, and by 2012, 98.5 per cent. of households nationwide will be able to receive digital TV-the same number that can currently receive analogue.
£1,416,994 of Exchequer investment to the Gorton constituency provided through Sport England since 2002.
Over £20 million of national lottery grants made to applications from the constituency since 1995.
The Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies have awarded £5,694,522 to projects located in the constituency since the 1996/97 financial year. This includes an award made in 2008-09 of £446,140 for an active project to redevelop Levenshulme. United Reformed Church into a multi-purpose community centre.
£117,483 of English Heritage grant offers to the Gorton constituency in 2008-09.
The Manchester, Gorton constituency has also benefitted 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.
Over 2 million free swims taken in the north-west region since the Free Swimming programme was introduced.
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.
Local Government: Statistics
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2010, Official Report, column 341W, on local government finance, what performance data local authorities regularly submit on libraries and museums to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. [319795]
Margaret Hodge: There is no requirement for local authorities to submit performance data on libraries and museums to the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. The MLA:
1. Part-fund the collection of local authority data relating to National Indicator Set 9 and 10 (in order to enable libraries and museums to manage their own performance better). Local authority National Indicator Sets are required by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
2. Collects information (on Cultural Strategies, Business Plans, accounts and collecting policies) from all local authorities when they apply to become Accredited museums or Designated collections. The MLA also collect data returns from local authorities with Renaissance funded museums. This does not form part of the wider local authority performance framework.
3. Advises CIPFA on their annual public library statistics on expenditure, income, staffing and service provision, for all library authorities in England.
Summertime
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with the tourism industry on the merits of introducing British Summer Time and Double British Summer Time. [322497]
Margaret Hodge: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I have held a number of recent discussions with the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers, and Attractions (BALPPA) and other tourism industry stakeholders about the potential benefits to DCMS sectors, including tourism and sport, of making changes to British Summer Time (BST).
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is the lead policy Department on BST, and the DCMS have raised these issues with BIS for their consideration.
Tourism: Poole
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated to the promotion of tourism (a) in Poole and (b) nationally in each year since 1997. [320486]
Margaret Hodge: The information requested on funding to promote tourism in Poole is not held centrally. Responsibility for tourism in the regions was taken over by the regional development agencies (RDAs) in 2003.
I have therefore asked the chief executive of the South West regional development agency to write to the hon. Member for Poole directly. Copies of the response will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The overall level of public sector investment in tourism from local, regional and national sources will exceed £2 billion in the current spending review period (2008-09 to 2010-11).
Nationally, funding to promote tourism is directed through VisitBritain and VisitEngland.
VisitBritain's Grant in Aid since 1997 (including VisitBritain's predecessor bodies -the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council-up to 2002-03) is outlined in the following table:
| £ million | |
The rise in spending between 2001 and 2003 represents the additional funding invested by the Government and the industry to support tourism in response to specific national and international events that occurred in and immediately preceding this period (foot and mouth, 9/11 and SARS).
Wales
Business: Montgomeryshire
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many businesses were registered in Montgomeryshire in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [322012]
Mr. Hain: Montgomeryshire has consistently had the second highest number of VAT registered businesses in Wales after Brecon and Radnorshire.
The number of enterprises registered for VAT at the start of each year in Montgomeryshire is as follows:
| Number | |
Figures for 2009 are not available at this time.
Departmental Lost Property
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what property has been recorded as (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property. [322084]
Mr. Hain: One mobile telephone was recorded as stolen. The replacement cost approximately £40.
Transport
Bus Services: Concessions
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will assess the merits of introducing a concessionary bus travel scheme for persons aged (a) up to 15 years old and (b) between 16 and 19 years old; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of introducing such a scheme in (i) England, (ii) Gloucestershire and (iii) Stroud constituency. [322051]
Mr. Khan: The Government have no plans at present to introduce a statutory bus concession for young people. Any extensions to the scope of the current statutory minimum would bring with them associated costs and would require careful consideration of the full impacts, including: the effect on limited spare bus capacity; the potential for distortion of the commercial bus market; and the impact on walking and cycling initiatives.
Local authorities are best placed to decide on the most appropriate discretionary concessions in their areas, offering far more flexibility than would be the case with a blanket statutory concession.
The Department for Transport recently commissioned some research on the cost and impact of options for extending the current statutory minimum concessionary travel scheme. Based on this research, the Department estimates that it would cost:
( a) around an extra £1.2 billion per annum to extend the statutory minimum concession to enable 5 to 16-year-olds to travel anytime for free on buses England-wide.
(b) around an extra £740 million per annum to extend the statutory minimum concession to enable 14 to 19-year-olds in full-time education to travel anytime for free on buses England-wide.
The Department does not have any estimates for specific counties or constituencies.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2010, Official Report, column 1363W, on departmental internet, what the cost was of the website redesign. [321924]
Chris Mole: The Department for Transport last commissioned a new design for its corporate website in 2005:
The work to develop a new information architecture and associated usability testing cost £39,500 (net). The subsequent work to develop a new visual design around the revised information architecture cost £55,825 (net).
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many designs for its (a) internal website and (b) intranet his Department has commissioned since 2005; and what the cost was of each such design. [321979]
Chris Mole: Since 2005 the Department has commissioned one new design for its intranet at a cost of £10,210 (ex VAT). The design work was part of a larger technical upgrade.
East Coast Railway Line
Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make an assessment of the merits of increasing capacity for (a) passengers and (b) freight on the East Coast Main Line, with particular reference to (i) the lengthening of station platforms and (ii) the raising of freight loading gauges. [322242]
Chris Mole: The assessment of the merits of increasing capacity on the East Coast Main Line is a matter for Network Rail. The East Coast Main Line Route Utilisation Study was published by Network Rail in February 2008 and made recommendations for increasing the route's capacity for both passenger and freight services. This can be found on Network Rail's website at:
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