Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Women and Equality
Departmental Food
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will take steps to ensure that the meat and dairy products procured by the Government Equalities Office are free range or produced to standards equivalent to those of the RSPCA Freedom Food scheme. [323077]
Michael Jabez Foster: The Government Equalities Office does not procure any meat or dairy products.
Equality Bill
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Henley of 9 March 2010, Official Report, column 298W, on the Equality Bill, if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's correspondence with the fire and rescue service and other appropriate stakeholders. [323625]
Michael Jabez Foster: Further to my answer of 9 March 2010, there is no formal correspondence on this issue involving my Department to place in the Library.
My officials have discussed extending the socio-economic duty to all fire and rescue authorities with representatives of the Chief Fire Officers Association, Local Government Association, Fire Brigades Union, UNISON, and other interested parties.
Officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government will be inviting chief fire officers and the chairs of fire and rescue authorities to comment more formally on the proposal in due course.
Hotels
Anne Main: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on hotel accommodation for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) civil servants in each of the last five years. [305651]
Michael Jabez Foster: Since it's creation on 12 October 2007 the following amounts have been spent on hotel accommodation.
| £ | |||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10( 1) | |
| (1 )Figures current to 31 January 2010. (2 )Figures cannot be broken down between the two groups. | |||
Northern Ireland
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years. [324681]
Paul Goggins: The amount spent by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) on interior design in relation to office refurbishments is not separately costed or invoiced so the NIO (including its arm's length bodies and the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its agencies and NDPBs) could answer this question only at disproportionate cost.
Prime Minister
Lord Chancellor: Pensions
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister what pension former Lord Chancellors receive (a) under the Lord Chancellor's Pension Act 1832, (b) the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 and (c) other legislation as a consequence of holding the office of Lord Chancellor; and if he will make a statement. [323696]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 30 October 2007, Official Report, column 1070W, and to the answer given by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 19 November 2002, Official Report, column 93W.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to repeal the Lord Chancellor's Pension Act 1832. [323697]
The Prime Minister: The Government remain committed to legislating in this area. The current Lord Chancellor has made arrangements to ensure that his pension is no greater than the pension provision for a Secretary of State.
Unite
Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister how many meetings he has had with representatives of Unite in the last 12 months. [324543]
The Prime Minister: I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects.
Culture, Media and Sport
BBC
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what files his Department holds on (a) the BBC and (b) the BBC Trust; and if he will make a statement. [325171]
Mr. Bradshaw: My Department holds a large number of files relating to its responsibilities in respect of the BBC. To specify them individually would incur disproportionate cost.
Cricket: Broadcasting
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what discussions he had with county cricket clubs and their boards on the proposals in the David Davies Review of free-to-air listed events; and if he will make a statement; [325074]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect on the playing of cricket at grass roots level of implementation of the proposal to list home Ashes Test matches; and if he will make a statement; [325075]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effect on the finances of cricket of implementation of the proposal to list home Ashes Test matches; and if he will make a statement. [325076]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government's statutory consultation on free-to-air listed events closed on 19 March.
The evidence received in response to the consultation will form the basis of an economic impact assessment.
Departmental Information Officers
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to his Department was of employing press and media officers in the last 12 month period for which figures are available; and what the cost to his Department was of employing such staff in the financial year 1996-97, expressed in current prices. [324811]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The cost of employing press officers in 2008-09 was £706,643. This includes press officers working on the Olympics.
Information for 1996-97 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the five most expensive hospitality events hosted by his Department and its agencies were in the last three years; and what the (a) cost and (b) purpose of each such event was. [324667]
Mr. Bradshaw: The relevant five events were the Secretary of State's Christmas reception, December 2007 (£11,366); The Royal Parks' annual stakeholder event, January 2008 (£3,617.05); The Royal Parks' annual stakeholder event, December 2008 (£3,045.98); the Secretary of State's Christmas reception, December 2008 (£4,477); and the Secretary of State's new year reception, January 2010 (£2,997).
All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
Hotels
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many transactions his Department has made through the Expotel facility to date. [324341]
Mr. Bradshaw: The number of transactions made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport during the calendar years 2007 to 2009 through Expotel is shown in the table:
| Transactions by DCMS | |
| Calendar year | Number |
Newspaper Licensing Agency
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency has paid to the Newspaper Licensing Agency in each of the last 10 years. [323965]
Mr. Bradshaw: The amount paid by the Department and its agency, The Royal Parks, directly to the Newspaper Licensing Agency over the past 10 years is shown in the table:
| Cost excluding VAT | ||
| £ | ||
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport | The Royal Parks | |
Royal Parks Agency
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to Baroness Warsi of 17 March 2010, Official Report, House of Lords, column 188WA, on Government departments: consultancy services, if he will place in the Library a copy of the stakeholder audit and perception research produced for the Royal Parks Agency. [324622]
Mr. Sutcliffe: I am arranging for copies of the stakeholder audit and perception research to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Sports: Training
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations Sportscoach UK has received from independent sports teachers and coaches in its review of the UK coaching certificate. [324963]
Mr. Sutcliffe: Sportscoach UK has received a number of inquiries following the announcement of the UK Coaching Certificate Review.
The large majority of inquiries have come directly from the governing bodies of sport, with one direct inquiry from an athletics coach.
Swimming: Birmingham
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has provided to Birmingham to meet the costs of free swimming for (a) senior citizens and (b) young people since the inception of its free swimming programmes. [325238]
Mr. Sutcliffe: 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.
Birmingham is one of 261 local councils offering free swimming and has received £248,027 for the over 60s and £574,019 for the under 16s.
All authorities participating in the FSP for both the over 60s and the under 16s also received an additional share of remaining FSP funds, of which Birmingham was allocated £57,338.
Swimming: Training
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has allocated to the Amateur Swimming Association for the provision of free swimming teacher training courses in each local authority in the last two years. [324944]
Mr. Sutcliffe: As part of the Free Swimming Programme (FSP) the Government have allocated £5.8m per annum to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) for the provision of 100,000 free swimming lessons and for the recruitment of a national network of County Swimming Coordinators.
The ASA does not provide specific free swimming teacher training courses. However, the ASA has invested £100,840 across 93 local authorities participating in free swimming lessons, which has provided swimming teachers with the opportunity to upgrade to level 2 qualifications.
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