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6 Sep 2010 : Column 292W—continued
Statistics
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he plans to take to minimise the effects of reductions in departmental expenditure on the integrity of the UK statistical system; and if he will consult (a) the National Statistician and (b) the UK Statistics Authority on this matter. [12846]
Mr Maude: It is the responsibility of each Department to manage their budgets, in accordance with departmental priorities. The Head of Profession for Statistics is responsible for promoting the importance of official statistics produced within their Department. They also have the support of the National Statistician.
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007; and if he will make a statement. [12847]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office is carrying out post legislative scrutiny of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, in accordance with current policy of reviewing primary legislation and I will submit a Memorandum of Understanding to the Public Administration Select Committee in the autumn.
Swine Flu
Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the conclusions of the Cabinet Office's report on the 2009 influenza pandemic. [11625]
Mr Maude: In March 2010 Dame Deirdre Hine was commissioned by the four UK Health Ministers to chair a review of the 2009 influenza pandemic. On 1 July, the Secretary of State for Health welcomed her report and recommendations and set out that he would take these into consideration, alongside financial constraints, when reviewing future pandemic plans in the National Framework for responding to an influenza pandemic.
Officials from all key Departments are working together to consider the recommendations and therefore I have had no formal discussions with the Secretary of State for Health on the conclusions of the review.
Taxis
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on taxi fares in each year since 1997. [12974]
Mr Maude: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Teenage Pregnancy
Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the conception rate in girls under 20 years was in each local authority area in Wales in 2008. [12590]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated August 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the conception rate in girls under 20 years was in each local authority area in Wales in 2008. (12590)
Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths or legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions.
The table below provides the conception rate for women under 20 in each unitary authority in Wales in 2008.
| Table 1: Conception rate( 1) to women under 20( 2) in Unitary Authorities( 3) in Wales 2008 | |
| Local authority | Conception rate |
| (1) Number of conceptions to women under 20 per 1,000 female population aged 15-19 (2) Under 20 years at estimated date of conception (3) Boundaries as of May 2010 (4) Provisional. | |
Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many conceptions in girls under 18 years there were in England and Wales in 2008; [12591]
(2) how many conceptions in girls under 16 years there were in England and Wales in 2008. [12592]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated August 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics. I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary questions asking how many conceptions in girls under 18 years there were in England and Wales in 2008 (12591), and how many conceptions in girls under 16 years there were in England and Wales in 2008 (12592).
Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths or legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions.
The table below provides the number of conceptions to women under 16 and under 18 in England and Wales in 2008.
| Table 1: Conceptions to women aged under 16( 1) and under 18( 2) in England and Wales 2008( 3) | ||
| Under 16 | Under 18 | |
| (1) Under 16 years at estimated date of conception. (2) Under 18 years at estimated date of conception-includes under 16s. (3) Provisional figures. | ||
Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many pregnancies among girls under 20 years old there were in each constituency in England and Wales in 2008. [12593]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated August 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many pregnancies among girls under 20 years old there were in each constituency in England and Wales in 2008. (12593)
Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths or legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions.
Information on conceptions is routinely published for local authorities and strategic health authorities. Because of the confidentiality of data on abortions and stillbirths figures on conceptions are not published for small areas. Figures cannot be provided by parliamentary constituency because of the risk of disclosing such information due to small differences with local authority boundaries.
Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the conception rate in girls under 20 years-old was in England and Wales in (a) 2008 and (b) 1998. [12594]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated August 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the conception rate in girls under 20 years old was in England and Wales in (a) 2008 and (b) 1998. (12594)
Figures on conceptions are estimates based on the number of live births, stillbirths or legal abortions. They do not include miscarriages and illegal abortions.
The table below provides the conception rates to women under 20 in England and Wales in (b) 1998 and (a) 2008.
| Table 1: Conception rates( 1) for women under 20( 2) in England and Wales in 1998 and 2008( 3) | |
| Conception rate | |
| (1) Conception rates are calculated as the number of conceptions to women under 20 per 1,000 female population aged 15-19. (2) Under 20 years of age at estimated date of conception. (3) Figures for 2008 arc provisional. | |
Unemployment
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what percentage of social tenant households in each local authority area have no individuals in paid employment; and if he will make a statement. [11376]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what percentage of social tenant households in each local authority area have no individuals in paid employment. (11376)
The information requested is given in the table. The figures are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets for the period January to December 2007. A copy of the table has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. Due to the specific detail of the request, it is not possible to provide estimates for many of the local authorities because of insufficient sample sizes.
Voluntary Work: Disability
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on policy to encourage people with disabilities to (a) undertake voluntary activities and (b) provide other contributions to their local areas. [10615]
Mr Hurd: I have not met the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss ways to encourage disabled people to volunteer. However, officials in the Office for Civil Society work closely with the Office of Disability Issues to discuss ways to encourage disabled people to volunteer. In addition the Office for Civil Society currently offers grants to organisations to enable more disabled people to volunteer through the Access to Volunteering programme, which operates in London, the North West and the West Midlands.
Deputy Prime Minister
British Constitution
Paul Murphy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will refer to the British-Irish Council and the Joint Ministerial Council the matter of the effect on the devolved Administrations of the Government's proposed constitutional reform. [11751]
Mr Harper: The Government discussed the coalition agreement and those elements within it, including constitutional, reform, which were likely to be of most significance to the devolved Administrations at the plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) in June. The Government's constitutional reform agenda was also discussed in July at the inter-governmental senior officials' forum which supports the JMC. We will continue to work collaboratively with the devolved Administrations and the forward work programme for the JMC and JMC (Domestic) will be the subject of discussion by ministers collectively at the first meeting of JMC (Domestic) in the autumn. These matters are not appropriate for discussion at the British-Irish Council, which contains members who are not part of the United Kingdom.
Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate he has made of the (a) mean, (b) median and (c) mode annual pension payment currently made in the Civil Service Pension scheme. [11806]
Mr Maude: As at 31 March 2010 the mean annual pension payment to former civil servants and their dependents was £6,767.44. The median payment was £4,302.01. Rounded to the nearest pound, the mode figure was £1,184.
Constituencies
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what timetable has been set for the review of the size of UK parliamentary constituencies. [10782]
Mr Harper: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, introduced on 22 July, requires that the Boundary Commissions must submit reports to the Secretary of State before 1 October 2013, and a further review must be completed every five years from that point on. This will ensure that constituency boundaries remain up to date and fair.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that unregistered electors are placed on the electoral register before the implementation of his proposals to change the size of parliamentary constituencies. [10783]
Mr Harper: As the Deputy Prime Minister made clear in his statement to the House on 5 July, calculations for the electoral quota will be derived from the register published on 1 December 2010. The canvass for this register will be carried out under the existing household registration arrangements as is the usual practice.
The Government are currently considering the options for speeding up the implementation of individual electoral registration in a way that will improve the levels of registration and will announce its approach to this in due course.
Mr Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons the provisions of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill do not reflect the contents of the Coalition agreement relating to the number of parliamentary constituencies. [12733]
Mr Harper: The Coalition agreement stated that provision would be made 'for the creation of fewer and more equal sized constituencies'. The Bill achieves this by reducing the size of the House of Commons from 650 to 600 members, and by providing that every, constituency is to be within 5% of a United Kingdom electoral quota of registered electors, with some very limited exceptions.
Departmental Communication
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what instructions have been issued by his private office on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to correspondence. [9676]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 September 2010.
Departmental Internet
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost to the public purse of developing the Your Freedom website has been. [11221]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 July 2010, Official Report, column 248W.
Elections
Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with members of the Calman Implementation Group on the decision to hold the first fixed-term election in May 2015. [12195]
Mr Harper: The Secretary of State for Scotland and the Exchequer Secretary chaired the first meeting of the High Level Implementation Group on the 26 July. This group has been established to draw on external financial expertise and work through the tax compliance issues arising from the Calman finance proposals.
The Government are consulting a range of stakeholders in relation to their proposal to introduce fixed-term parliaments. The Secretary of State for Scotland has written to the First Minister, leaders of other political parties in Scotland and the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament to indicate that he wants to discuss how best to deal with the combination of polls in May 2015.
Electoral Register
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he expects individual registration of electors to commence in September 2011. [10320]
Mr Harper: The Government are currently considering the options for implementation of individual electoral registration in a way that will improve the levels of registration, so people who are entitled to vote are on the register, and will inform the House of their plans in due course.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many electoral registration officers have been fined under section 9a of the Electoral Administration Act 2006; [10785]
(2) how many electoral registration officers have been convicted of an offence related to failure to take sufficient steps to register electors under section 9A of the Electoral Administration Act 2006. [10893]
Mr Harper: Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as inserted by section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, places a duty on Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to take certain steps in maintaining the electoral register. Section 63 of the 1983 Act provides that for a wide range of electoral officials (including EROs), breach of official duty is a criminal offence. To date no EROs have been prosecuted or convicted for failure to discharge their section 9A duty.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the use of fixed penalty notices on the number of eligible electors who repeatedly fail to register to vote. [10808]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made such an assessment. Options for improving registration rates will be considered as part of the wider programme of implementing individual electoral registration in Great Britain.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of door-to-door visits for the purpose of electoral registration of the implementation of the Electoral Administration Act 2006. [10809]
Mr Harper: Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 inserted section 9A into the Representation of the People Act 1983, imposing new duties on electoral registration officers (EROs) to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register. The steps that EROs must take, as set out in that section, include:
(a) sending more than once to any address the form to be used for the canvass;
(b) making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries;
(c) making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
(d) inspecting any records held by any person which he is permitted to inspect under or by virtue of any enactment or rule of law;
(e) providing training to persons under his direction or control in connection with the carrying out of the duty.
The Government do not collect information on the steps taken by EROs and have not made such an assessment.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will assess the merits of engaging private sector credit reference companies to assist in the collection of information for the purpose of electoral registration; [10810]
(2) if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the merits of taking steps to ensure that all claimants of benefits over the age of 18 years are placed on the electoral register. [10811]
Mr Harper: The Government are considering options for implementation of individual electoral registration together with ways to improve registration rates and will announce their approach in due course.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on the level of (a) electoral registration and (b) accuracy of the electoral register of the Government's proposed reductions in public spending. [10820]
Mr Harper: The level of (a) electoral registration and (b) the accuracy of the electoral register will be subject to continuing assessment in the context of the Government's move to a system of individual electoral registration in Great Britain. Electoral registration officers (EROs) are under a statutory duty to compile and maintain comprehensive and accurate electoral registers. It is for the local authorities which appoint them to ensure they have sufficient funds and resources to do so. The Electoral Commission sets and monitors performance standards for EROs.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of the reasons that levels of electoral registration are not higher than they are. [10823]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made such an assessment. However, the Electoral Commission's report: 'The completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain', published in March 2010, found that "the completeness of Great Britain's electoral registers remains broadly similar to the levels achieved in comparative countries." The most recent estimate, based on figures from 2000, is that the electoral register is 91% complete.
The report also found, however, that "national datasets and local case study research suggest there may be widening local and regional variations in registration levels." In addition, it found that "under-registration is notably higher than average among 17-24 year olds (56% not registered), private sector tenants (49%) and black and minority ethnic (BME) British residents (31%)".
Further detail on the Commission's findings can be found at:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/publications-and-research/policy-and-research?query=&;meta_s_phrase=Electoral _register&meta_dyear=&sort=relevancy&daat=on
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what proportion of households in each local authority area responded to the most recent annual electoral registration canvass; and how much each local authority spent per election on voter registration in the latest period for which figures are available; [10892]
(2) which local authority areas have not undertaken comprehensive doorstep canvassing for non respondents to electoral registration in the last 12 months. [10895]
Mr Harper: Under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983, electoral registration officers (EROs) have a duty to take certain steps to maintain the electoral register, including house-to-house inquiries, and therefore it is expected that all local authority electoral registration departments would undertake this exercise.
The Electoral Commission requests that electoral registration officers supply them with information about the methods they use to canvass properties. This information is supplied on a voluntary basis, and does not therefore give a comprehensive picture.
The most recent data are published in a spreadsheet titled 'The electoral registration data for 2009' on the Commission's website at:
and includes the following headings:
Number of households sent an annual canvass form
Number of households returning a canvass form by personal canvasser
Number of electors added to the revised register following the 2009 annual canvass as a result of an annual canvass form
Number of electors on the local government register at 1 September 2009
Number of electors on the local government register at 1 December 2009.
The Commission further informs me that it has published full financial data for each local authority in Great Britain, covering the 2007-08 and 2008-09 financial years. The information can be found on the Commission's website:
The Commission is collecting information for the financial year 2009-10, which will be published on its website next year.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of best practice among local authorities in introducing innovative approaches to encouraging voter registration; and if he will make a statement. [10894]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made such an assessment. The Electoral Commission is under a statutory duty to provide advice and guidance to electoral registration officers (EROs) on the performance of their duties. In addition, the Commission conducts research into aspects of electoral registration and sets and monitors performance standards for EROs.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the compatibility of software used by local authorities for electoral registration with that used by (a) the Electoral Commission and (b) the Ministry of Justice. [10896]
Mr Harper: The Government have not carried out such an assessment. The Ministry of Justice does not administrate electoral registration and so does not maintain software for that purpose.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the £2.5 million funding set aside by the Ministry of Justice to encourage participation in electoral registration was spent in each year it was available; and how much each local authority eligible for such funding received in each such year. [10897]
Mr Harper:
£2.5 million was set aside by the Ministry of Justice to support local electoral officers in undertaking their statutory duties under section 69 of the Electoral
Administration Act 2006 in each of the financial years 2007-08 to 2009-10. Electoral registration officers were invited to apply for grants from the fund. The following amounts were paid in each year:
| £ | |
| (1) The Government provided pre-approval for a further £399,976 to be spent by local electoral officers. This will be paid upon receipt of relevant claims and invoices. | |
A breakdown of the amounts which were provided to individual local authorities in each of the aforementioned years will be placed in the Libraries of both houses.
In addition, a total of £67,354.96 is planned to be spent in 2010-11. This sum relates to the cost of activities which were undertaken by local authority electoral officials to encourage participation at the elections which were held on 6 May. The Participation Fund has now been ended, in the emergency Budget of 22 June 2010. Support for the work of electoral registration officers will be strengthened as part of the move to individual electoral registration which this Government are committed to speeding up.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of local government databases by electoral registration officers in (a) unitary authorities and (b) two-tier authorities for the purposes of voter registration. [10898]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made such an assessment. Legislation currently provides that EROs may inspect records held by the local authority that appointed them and the registrar of births and deaths. EROs appointed by district or borough councils in two tier local authority areas may therefore not have access to records held by county councils, including data held by social services and education departments. The Government have announced their intention to speed up the implementation of individual electoral registration in Great Britain and any consideration of further legislation relating to registration will be in that context.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will assess the merits of using the vehicle registration database held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to increase levels of voter registration. [10899]
Mr Harper: The Government are currently considering piloting the use of various public datasets to assist Electoral Registration Officers in identifying individuals to encourage registration, alongside the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration in Great Britain. We will make an announcement on our approach in due course.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities have set up electoral registration working groups. [10900]
Mr Harper: This information is not collected.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of electoral registration officers did not meet targets for public awareness of electoral registration in each of the last five years. [10901]
Mr Harper: The Government do not hold this information, but under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983, each electoral registration officer is under a duty to take all steps that are necessary to maintain their registers.
The steps that EROs must take, as set out in that section, include:
(a) sending more than once to any address the form to be used for the canvass;
(b) making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries;
(c) making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
(d) inspecting any records held by any person which he is permitted to inspect under or by virtue of any enactment or rule of law;
(e) providing training to persons under his direction or control in connection with the carrying out of the duty.
The Electoral Commission published a report on EROs' performance in March 2010: "Report on performance standards for Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain". The report found that just under 96% of EROs in Great Britain met or exceeded the required standard for the "Completeness and accuracy of electoral registration records", compared to 83% of EROs the previous year.
More information about Electoral Registration Officers' performance against the standards can be found at:
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the trends in variation in electoral registration at (a) local and (b) regional level; and if he will make a statement. [10902]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made such an assessment. The Electoral Commission's report: "The completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain", published in March 2010, provides a high level assessment of voter registration at a national level and a more detailed analysis in a number of case study areas.
On local and regional variations, the Commission found that there were
"growing local and regional variations in the completeness and accuracy of the registers, with metropolitan and unitary areas outside of Greater London experiencing the greatest levels of decline."
"The highest concentrations of under-registration are most likely to be found in metropolitan areas, smaller towns and cities with large student populations, and coastal areas with significant population turnover and high levels of social deprivation."
However, although the report provides an initial analysis of the factors which may explain local and regional variations, it identifies the need for further analysis and additional research
"into the reasons for the apparent decline in registration levels and the growth of local and regional variations".
Further detail on the Commission's findings can be found at:
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/publications-and-research/policy-and-research?query=&;meta_s_phrase=Electoral _register&meta_dyear=&sort=relevancy&daat=on
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of levels of voter registration in areas which are (a) densely populated and (b) not densely populated; and if he will make a statement. [10903]
Mr Harper: The Government have not made such an assessment. The Electoral Commission's Report: 'The completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain', published in March 2010, provides a high level assessment of voter registration at a national level and a more detailed analysis in a number of case study areas. In relation to population density, it indicates that, while there is no straightforward relationship between population density and the state of local register,
"it is predominantly densely populated urban areas with significant concentrations of mobile young people which typically have the highest levels of under-registration".
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many convictions for offences related to fraudulent registration on the electoral register there were in each of the last 10 years. [10904]
Mr Harper: This information is not collected centrally. The most recent publication on electoral fraud was the joint report by the Electoral Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), entitled "Analysis of allegations of electoral malpractice at the June 2009 elections", published in January 2010. The report stated that the number of cases of electoral malpractice recorded by police forces in Great Britain was 48 (arising from 107 allegations). 26 out of the 48 cases (52% of the total number) relating to the June 2009 elections were recorded as requiring no further action.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely effects of individual voter registration on registration rates among (a) black and ethnic minority persons, (b) young people aged between 17 and 24 years and (c) persons living in private rented accommodation. [10949]
Mr Harper: The Government are considering what further steps could be taken to improve registration rates, particularly among people from those groups which have been identified as currently being under-represented, in the context of the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration in Great Britain. We will set out our approach in due course.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what mechanisms are in place to ensure that local authorities undertake comprehensive doorstep canvassing in respect of households which fail to return voter registration information. [11501]
Mr Harper: Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 inserted section 9A into the Representation of the People Act 1983, imposing new duties on electoral registration officers (EROs) to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register. The steps that EROs must take, as set out in that section, include:
(a) sending more than once to any address the form to be used for the canvass;
(b) making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries;
(c) making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
(d) inspecting any records held by any person which he is permitted to inspect under or by virtue of any enactment or rule of law;
(e) providing training to persons under his direction or control in connection with the carrying out of the duty.
The Electoral Commission has produced comprehensive guidance for EROs, on all aspects of managing electoral registration. The guidance specifically deals with matters in relation to undertaking an annual canvass, the appointment of canvassers and the requirement to make house visits to non-responding households.
In addition, the Commission sets performance standards against which EROs self assess. The standards cover the extent to which EROs use house-to-house inquiries to ensure that all eligible residents are registered.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals to provide for penalties against authorities which fail to provide sufficient funding and resources to enable electoral registration officers to fulfil their statutory responsibilities. [11502]
Mr Harper: The Government have no current plans to do so. Electoral registration officers (EROs) are under a statutory duty to compile and maintain comprehensive and accurate electoral registers. It is for the local authorities which appoint them to ensure they have sufficient funds and resources to do so.
The Government are considering what further steps could be taken to improve electoral registration in the context of the implementation of individual electoral registration in Great Britain. We will set out our approach in due course.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make an assessment of the robustness of the self-assessment procedure for electoral registration officers; and if he will make a statement. [11528]
Mr Harper: The Electoral Commission are responsible for setting and monitoring Performance Standards for Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain.
The Electoral Commission undertake a verification exercise as part of the self assessment process, in order to ensure the process has been carried out in an accurate and consistent way. The Electoral Commission's March 2010 report on Performance Standards sets out how they verify self-assessments in more detail. A copy of the report can be found at:
The Electoral Commission have informed the Government that they will keep the performance standards framework, including the assessment reports, under continual review.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to increase the accuracy of the reporting by electoral registration officers on the amount spent per elector on voter registration. [11529]
Mr Harper: As part of its work in developing performance standards for electoral services, the Electoral Commission launched a financial information survey across Great Britain in September 2007. Electoral registration officers and returning officers were asked to complete the survey and return it by 31 July 2008, and again in July 2009. The Commission published its report "The Cost of Electoral Administration in Great Britain" in June 2010, based on the survey findings and covering the 2007-08 and 2008-09 financial years.
The report notes that there were a range of issues with the reporting process (for example, response rates were not 100%, and some returns were incomplete), and the Government understands that the Electoral Commission is looking to improve the process for future reports. Further details on these issues and the Commission's response to them can be found on the Commission's website at:
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals for the further use of fixed penalty notices in cases relating to a failure to register to vote. [11530]
Mr Harper: The Government have no plans to bring forward proposals for the further use of fixed penalty notices in cases relating to a failure to register to vote.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that hon. Members and other elected representatives are informed of registration rates in their constituencies. [11531]
Mr Harper: Electoral registration figures are published annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are publicly available on their website at
The process of calculating registration rates (ie the percentage of the entire population who are registered to vote) is not straightforward, as the total number of people who are eligible to vote is not known. However, the Electoral Commission's recent research in this area, "Report on the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain", published in March 2010, is also publicly available at:
Mr Brady: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) British citizens, (b) Commonwealth citizens, (c) citizens of the Republic of Ireland and (d) citizens of other EU countries are on the electoral register for each parliamentary constituency. [11974]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) British Citizens, (b) Commonwealth citizens, (c) citizens of the Republic of Ireland and (d) citizens of other EU countries arc on the electoral register for each parliamentary constituency (11974).
ONS docs not hold specific data on the number of British, Commonwealth, Irish citizens or citizens of other EU countries, registered to vote.
Figures on all eligible citizens registered to vote in parliamentary elections are collected as a single number. Data are not available to distinguish between citizen groups registered to vote in parliamentary elections.
Fixed-term Parliaments
Caroline Flint: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the merits of bringing forward proposals on fixed terms for a Parliament of four years or less. [11606]
Mr Harper: Fixed-term parliaments will provide stability, as it will be known from the beginning of the Parliament how long it can be expected to last. The current maximum length of a Parliament is five years. A period of five years provides the right amount of time to allow for strong and stable Government while still ensuring that Parliament and Government remain accountable to the electorate.
Legislation: Devolution
Dr Whitehead: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has set a timetable for the amendment of legislation governing devolution as a consequence of his proposed review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries. [10623]
Mr Harper: In Wales and Northern Ireland, at present parliamentary constituencies act as constituencies for the purposes of elections to the devolved Assemblies. The relevant provisions are included in the Government of Wales Act 2006 and the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
In respect of Wales the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill includes provision at clause 11 to break the link between parliamentary constituencies and Assembly constituencies so that fewer parliamentary constituencies in future would not lead to a reduction in the size of the Assembly.
In respect of Northern Ireland the Government believe that the size of the Assembly is a matter for the Assembly itself to consider. The Government have no intention of dictating the size of a future Assembly but in the absence of any decision by the Assembly we do not intend to make specific provision in relation to the Northern Ireland Assembly in this Bill. As a result the existing legislative framework would provide for a reduced Assembly by the time of the 2015 election. However, once the Assembly have completed their consideration of this matter the Government will bring forward further legislation to give effect to any changes recommended by the Assembly in advance of the 2015 election.
Ministers
Mr Allen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will bring forward legislative proposals to limit the number of Ministers in the House of Commons in proportion to the reduction in the number of hon. Members. [10609]
Mr Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the response of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to questions on the statement on Political and Constitutional Reform on 5 July 2010, Official Report, columns 23-47.
Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill
Mr Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his timetable is for proceedings on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill. [11478]
Mr Harper: The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill was introduced to the House on Thursday 22 July and second reading is scheduled to take place on Monday 6 September.
The remainder of the timetable is subject to parliamentary business.
Political Parties: Finance
Priti Patel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will bring forward legislative proposals to restrict donations by trade unions to political parties; and if he will make a statement. [11205]
Mr Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 July 2010, Official Report, column 681W. We are considering our approach to party funding as part of the Government's overall programme of reforms, and an announcement will be made in due course.
Voting Systems: Referendums
Mr Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation he has undertaken with the Electoral Commission on (a) the provisions of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill and (b) the question that is to appear on the ballot papers for the referendum on the alternative vote system. [12735]
Mr Harper: My right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister and I have had discussions with the Commission on a number of matters.
Following publication of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill on 22 July 2010, the Electoral Commission has commenced its assessment of the intelligibility of the proposed referendum question, as required under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
Mr Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of holding the proposed referendum on the alternative vote system. [12736]
Mr Harper:
As indicated in the written answer provided to the right hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr Straw) and the hon. Members for Bolton North East (Mr Crausby) and for Dunfermline and West Fife, (Thomas Docherty) on 14 July 2010, Official Report, column 798W, many of the cost elements of running the proposed referendum on the alternative vote system will be similar to those for a general election. The previous Government estimated the cost for conduct elements of the 2010 general election in Great Britain at £82.1 million-30 March 2010, Official Report, column 1079W. Based on this, and our modelling for the 2009 European and 2010 general elections, it can be estimated that the cost of conduct elements for the proposed referendum will be similar. We have made initial assumptions about the conduct costs of a referendum were it not to be combined with
any other polls and on that basis we currently estimate a saving of £17 million on the conduct costs of the referendum through combination.
Additionally, as indicated in the written answer by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Devon (Mr Streeter) of 6 July 2010, Official Report, column 144W, the Electoral Commission has estimated that the cost of its own activities in relation to the referendum at £9.3 million.
Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, designated lead campaign organisations are entitled to send a referendum address post free, similar to the entitlement in place for candidates at general elections. The cost of funding this entitlement does not form part of the costs of the conduct of the poll. The Government are considering how this entitlement will apply at the referendum on the alternative vote.
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council England: Mass Media
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England spent on press monitoring services in each year since 1997. [11419]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England has supplied the information available in the table for costs related to press monitoring services since 2003. This information is only retained for seven years therefore figures before 2003 are not available.
| Financial year | £ |
| (1 )To follow. | |
Figures for years before 2006-07 are archived following a significant change to Arts Council England's financial management system in 2006. Arts Council England is continuing to collate the remaining archived information and I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to write direct to the hon. Member for Burnley (Gordon Birtwistle) with a full response once that process has been completed. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Arts: Industry
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the creative and digital industries play a role in the consultation on his Department's structural reform plan. [12855]
Mr Vaizey: The Structural Reform Plan, published on 15 July, invites views on the Department's blueprint for activity over the next two years and we are already working with partners to achieve the specific actions. Further consultation and announcements on wider policies and plans will follow later in the year.
We have already committed to supporting the creative and digital industries and local media by scrapping local cross media ownership rules and modernising the national media regulatory regime, leading to a new Communications Bill in due course.
BBC
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to make the BBC more accountable to Parliament; what discussions he has had with the BBC on this issue since his appointment; and if he will make a statement. [12225]
Mr Vaizey: The coalition Government are committed to ensuring the National Audit Office has full access to the BBC's accounts by November 2011, in order to improve the BBC's transparency and accountability. I discussed this matter briefly with the chair of the BBC Trust in June.
BBC: Audit
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what progress he has made on implementing his Department's proposal to give the National Audit Office full access to the BBC's accounts. [11201]
Mr Vaizey: I discussed the matter briefly with the Chair of the BBC Trust last month. As announced in my Department's Structural Reform Plan, my officials are now working with the BBC Trust to ensure the commitment is achieved by November 2011, in a way that preserves the BBC's editorial independence.
Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his Department's responsibilities are for delivery of the UK's broadband infrastructure. [11121]
Mr Vaizey: Delivery of the UK's broadband infrastructure is first and foremost for the private sector. From a Government perspective, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport takes overall responsibility for policy and delivery of programmes, with the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries (shared between DCMS and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) also working on this portfolio.
Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Broadband Delivery UK, the team charged with delivering universal broadband, report for these purposes to both Ministers.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many officials in his Department have experience of broadband infrastructure projects. [12540]
Mr Vaizey:
Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills report to me for these purposes. This includes Broadband Delivery UK, the team charged with delivering universal broadband. This team has
been assembled to include people with experience of broadband infrastructure projects, and contains secondees from the private sector.
Broadband: Rural Areas
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost of delivering superfast broadband in rural areas; and who will pay for this exercise. [11257]
Mr Vaizey: The Government have not made their own estimate, but the Broadband Stakeholder Group published research in 2008, which estimated the total cost of deployment of superfast broadband for the UK. This information is available at
It concluded that rolling out fibre nationwide would cost between £5.1 billion and £28.8 billion (depending on the technology used).
Providing this investment is first and foremost for the private sector. Government's role is primarily to provide the right climate and incentives for investment but we have not ruled out financial support through the TV licence fee from 2013.
Camelot Group
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what action his Department has taken to ensure that the National Lottery Commission consults stakeholders and other interested parties regarding the implications for its core National Lottery business and brand as a consequence of Camelot's application to be able to operate other commercial services; and if he will make a statement. [7662]
John Penrose: On 16 July, the National Lottery Commission announced its decision on the proposals from Camelot to offer commercial services through National Lottery terminals.
The Commission is minded to refuse to grant consent to Camelot's application to undertake these ancillary activities on the basis of the EU/competition law concerns it raises. It is a provisional decision in order to give those who are interested in the Commission's decision a final opportunity to make representations, these should be made by 3 September 2010.
The Commission conducted a limited consultation on the EU and competition law considerations which may arise from the proposal, as these are issues on which those already offering such services have a direct interest. The Commission considers that it will have sufficient information to exercise its discretion properly, without consulting on the implications for the core National Lottery business and brand.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had with (a) the National Lottery Commission and (b) Camelot regarding Camelot's application to be able to operate certain commercial services in addition to the National Lottery; and if he will make a statement. [7666]
John Penrose: My officials and I have regular meetings with both the National Lottery Commission (NLC) and Camelot about the full range of National Lottery regulation issues, and the possibility of Camelot providing commercial services which are ancillary to the operation of the National Lottery has been discussed in that context.
On 16 July, the National Lottery Commission announced its decision on the proposals from Camelot to offer commercial services through National Lottery terminals.
The Commission is minded to refuse to grant consent to Camelot's application to undertake these ancillary activities on the basis of the EU/competition law concerns it raises. It is a provisional decision in order to give those who are interested in the Commission's decision a final opportunity to make representations, these should be made by 3 September 2010.
Camelot: Post Offices
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will direct Post Office Ltd. not to carry out an assessment into the impact of Camelot's proposals to enter the bill payment and mobile top-up market on the income of sub-post offices while Post Office Ltd. is a named partner in the Camelot proposal; and if he will make a statement. [8082]
John Penrose [holding answer 13 July 2010]: The Secretary of State has no power to intervene in this process.
On 8 April 2010, the Commission published a clarification to Camelot's proposals which explained that
"there is currently no concluded agreement between the Post Office and Camelot in relation to the provision of commercial services...All discussions with the Post Office have been on an exploratory basis only and there is no certainty that they will progress beyond this stage."
On 16 July, the National Lottery Commission announced its decision on the proposals from Camelot to offer commercial services through national lottery terminals.
The Commission is minded to refuse to grant consent to Camelot's application to undertake these ancillary activities on the basis of the EU/competition law concerns it raises. It is a provisional decision in order to give those who are interested in the Commission's decision a final opportunity to make representations, these should be made by 3 September 2010.
Cricket: Community Development
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of people (a) in total and (b) in deprived areas who played cricket (i) between 1980 and 1997, (ii) between 1997 and 2001 and (iii) since 2005; and what estimate he has made of the number of people who currently regularly play cricket (A) in total and (B) in deprived areas in each region of the UK; [11134]
(2) how much was allocated to grassroots cricket in deprived areas (a) from 2001 to 2005 and (b) from 2005 to 2009. [11138]
Hugh Robertson: Sport England had been measuring adult participation in sport through the Active People Survey since 2005. The total number of adults who played cricket at least once a month in 2005-06 was 380,366 . The last full year data for 2008-09 showed there were 206,600 adults who played cricket once a week for 30 minutes at moderate intensity. The next full year data will be available in December 2010.
Sport England does not hold data for participation in cricket before 2005 and although it does hold data by social economic group the sample size for cricket is too small to provide a geographical breakdown. More information on the Active People Survey can be found on the Sport England website:
From 2005-09 Sport England invested £46,944,318 into Cricket. For the period 2009-13 Sport England will invest £38,003,357 into Cricket. Sport England do not hold data in a format that allows it to identify funding allocated to grassroots cricket in deprived areas.
Departmental Air Travel
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on air travel in each year since 1997. [12043]
John Penrose: Air travel is not separately recorded on the DCMS finance system from other spend on UK and overseas travel and subsistence. It would not be possible to disaggregate this information without incurring disproportionate cost.
The total expenditure on overseas travel and subsistence since 1997 can be seen in the following table:
| Financial year | Total (£)( 1) |
| (1) This total represents all overseas travel, including any accommodation and subsistence claimed. Some foreign travel, to Europe for example, may involve travel by train (such as Eurostar). It does not include any travel in the UK, which may include some air travel. | |
Departmental Allowances
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on (a) reimbursement of staff expenses and (b) the 10 largest staff expense reimbursement claims in each year since 1997. [13039]
John Penrose: The total reimbursement of staff expenses and the 10 largest claims in each year since 2006 are in the table. Prior to this the information is archived after a change in the database used, and could be retrieved only at disproportionate cost.
| £ | ||||
| Financial year | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Departmental Assets
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which former (a) buildings and (b) land owned by (i) his Department and (ii) (A) non-departmental public bodies and (B) agencies for which his Department is responsible have been sold since May 2005; what the sale price of each was at the time of sale; and to which body the funds from the sale accrued in each case. [12334]
John Penrose: In 2006-07, the Department sold one freehold property in Windsor, and the freehold title to another property to the holder of a long lease of that property. The total proceeds received were £472,000 and were retained by the Department to fund its capital programme.
In October 2005, following special legislation, the Department completed the sale of a strip of land at Kensington Palace Gardens to an adjacent freeholder for £2.5 million. The proceeds were retained by the Department. An additional Grant-in-Aid of the same value was made to the Royal Household for capital works to the Occupied Royal Palaces.
In June 2008, the Department sold the freehold site to the North of the British Library at Brill Place, Camden, London NW1 for £85 million to a consortium led by the Medical Research Council. As agreed with HM Treasury, £39.8 million of the sale proceeds was retained by the Department as "non-operating Appropriations-in-Aid" to help fund its capital programme and arms length bodies. The £45.2million balance of the sale proceeds was surrendered to the Consolidated Fund.
Our Executive Agency, The Royal Parks, has not sold land or buildings since May 2005.
The Department does not collate information on the buildings and land sold by its arm's length bodies.
Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write to the hon. Member for Angus. Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Departmental Buildings
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much office space per employee his Department occupied in each year since 1997. [13001]
John Penrose: Office space per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee for this Department has been calculated as part of the annual Office of Government Commerce Property Benchmarking exercise since 2007 and can be seen in the table. Information prior to 2007 is not available. Since hot desking was introduced at the end of March 2010 the Department is now operating at approximately 10.5 square metres per FTE.
| Financial year | Office space square metre per FTE |
Departmental Consultants
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the (a) average and (b) highest daily rate paid to consultants by his Department was in each of the last five years. [12662]
John Penrose: The average and highest daily rates paid to consultants by this Department since 2006-07 are in the table. Prior to this the information is archived after a change in the database used, and could be retrieved only at disproportionate cost.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | Average daily rate | Highest daily rate |
Departmental Empty Property
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on vacant properties in each year since 1997. [13020]
John Penrose: The Department spend on vacant properties in each year since 2005 is in the following table, information prior to 2005 is not available.
| Financial year | Spend on vacant properties (£) |
Departmental Furniture
Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many chairs his Department has purchased in each year since 1997; how much it spent in each such year; and what the five most expensive chairs purchased in each such year were. [12800]
John Penrose: The Department holds the following information relating to the purchase of office chairs. It is not possible to separate the cost of individual chairs. Information prior to 2004 is not available.
| Chairs | ||
| Number | Cost (£) | |
Departmental ICT
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value of each such contract was. [12719]
John Penrose: No IT contracts awarded by the Department in each of the last five years have been abandoned.
Departmental Legal Costs
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on legal advice in each year since 1997. [7564]
John Penrose: The information in the table outlines departmental expenditure on legal advice since 1997:
| £ | ||
| Financial year | Total | Total (excluding parliamentary Counsel) |
Information on the amount spent by the DCMS agency and arm's length bodies is held by them and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Location
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to relocate (a) civil servants and (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement. [8294]
John Penrose:
The Department has no plans to relocate civil servants outside London. As part of the cross-Government review of public bodies, the Department announced in its written ministerial statement on 26 July 2010, Official Report, columns 59-61WS, its intention
to make a number of changes to its public bodies. It also noted that further work remains to be done to finalise the details of these proposals. This includes potential options relating to the relocation or co-location of these bodies as appropriate.
Departmental NDPBs
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility on the proposals to be contained in the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill. [12508]
John Penrose: The Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies and reducing their number and cost. Following the ministerial statement our Secretary of State made on 26 July, we are currently working with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and other partners across Government to finalise proposals to reform a number of bodies. We expect to make a further announcement by the autumn.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in his Department in (a) May and (b) June 2010. [10107]
John Penrose: All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance, based on the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
Hospitality was provided for three events, each hosted by the Secretary of State. The breakdown of these events is shown in the table.
| Month | Event | Cost (£) |
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on meals and entertainment in each year since its establishment. [11374]
John Penrose: Expenditure on entertainment is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. The amount spent by the Department on meals and entertainment each year since 1997 is outlined in the table:
| Financial year | Total (£) |
Departmental Pay
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10. [9893]
John Penrose: The DCMS resource accounts 2009-10 discloses the total above in Note 10. The accounts can be found at
and Note 10 is on page 26 of Part 2.
Departmental Pensions
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost was of pension contributions incurred by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each region of England and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 2010-11. [12468]
John Penrose: The pension contributions incurred by this Department and its executive agency, The Royal Parks (TRP), for the last three years are in the following table. The Department's planned expenditure for 2010-11 is £3,730,000, subject to any departmental reviews. TRP 2010-11 planned expenditure on pension contributions is £813,701, based on their current budget and subject to their half year review in October.
| £ | ||
| Financial year | DCMS Pension contributions | TRP Pension c ontributions |
This Department does not collate pension contributions for each arm's length body. Accordingly, I have asked their chief executives to write to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire. Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Departmental Public Consultation
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase the involvement of young members of the public in the making of decisions that affect them by (a) Ministers in his Department, (b) officials in his Department and (c) public bodies which fall within his Department's area of responsibility. [12266]
John Penrose:
This Department has not dedicated specific resource to targeting input from young people
in decisions. However the opportunity is available for everyone to contribute their views by contacting the Department through several channels, including the DCMS Twitter account, as well as more traditional correspondence routes.
The Department's public bodies are responsible for developing their own decision making processes and engagement strategies. To provide information on what steps each of these bodies are taking to increase the involvement of young people would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Relations
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the monetary value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK in each of the last five years. [12470]
John Penrose: The value of public opinion research conducted by the Department in the last five financial years can be seen in the table:
| Cost of public research by year | |
| £ | |
The costs of the Department's contracts with public relations consultancies in each of the last five financial years are in the table:
| Spend ( £ ) | |
The value of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts is not broken down by nations, UK regions or by London area.
Departmental Rents
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much was paid by his Department in rent for properties in (a) total and (b) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and in each of the last five years. [12335]
John Penrose: The properties for which the Department pays rent are located in London. The net rental costs paid in the last five years are set out in the table.
| Financial year | Net rent (£000) |
The Department holds the head leases of a number of buildings. Space that is no longer required for departmental use is let on commercial terms.
Departmental Stationery
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on stationery in each year since 1997. [7458]
John Penrose: The amount spent by the Department on stationery since 2004 is outlined in the following table. Reliable data prior to 2004 is not available.
| Financial year | Total (£) |
The figures shown may include costs other than stationery. To disaggregate pure stationery costs could be done only at disproportionate cost.
Information on the amount spent by the DCMS agency and arm's length bodies is held by them and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Training
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on employee awaydays in each year since 1997. [7313]
John Penrose: For the financial year 2008-09, spend on away days was £28,596 and for the financial year 2009-10 spend was £47,382. These figures exclude Board and Executive Committee away days as this information was not separately identified at that time.
Prior to this period, the Department's accounting system did not record expenditure on away days separately from other staff training and development costs. To identify and summarise these costs for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost.
Information on the amount spent by the DCMS agency and arm's length bodies is held by them and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Utilities
Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much (a) his Department and (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997. [7583]
John Penrose: The amount spent by the Department on electricity, water and heating in each year since 2007-08 is shown in the table. Information prior to this is not available.
| £ | |||
| Electricity | Water | Heating (gas) | |
The amount spent by the Department on telephone services in each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
| Telephone services (£) | |
Information on the amount spent by the DCMS agency and arm's length bodies is held by them and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Digital Broadcasting
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to upgrade relay transmitters across the UK so that all transmitters can receive all channels available on Freeview. [12745]
Mr Vaizey: As the independent regulator for the communications industry, Ofcom is responsible for ensuring broadcasters and transmission operators comply with their licence conditions in areas such as transmission coverage and reception, including monitoring the quality and quantity of reception received through relay transmitters.
I have therefore asked Ofcom's chief executive to consider the question raised by the hon. Member for Ceredigion and to write to him direct.
Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Digital Broadcasting: Radio
Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent estimate is of the extent of coverage for digital radio reception in Wales; and what steps his Department is taking to increase it. [12038]
Mr Vaizey: In 2008 the Digital Radio Working Group made an assessment of the coverage of Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) across the UK. The coverage figures, which are separated into coverage of the two national multiplexes and indoor and mobile coverage, for Wales are set out in the table:
| DAB coverage in Wales (Percentage of population) | ||
| BBC national multiplex( 1) | Commercial national multiplex | |
| (1) These figures do not reflect the transmitters built in Wales since 2008, which we believe have increased the BBC's coverage to mobile DAB: 79% and indoor DAB: 85%. Source: Digital Radio Working Croup Spectrum Report 2008 | ||
Ofcom are leading a review of future DAB coverage planning, as part of the Digital Radio Action Plan launched last month, to determine the most technically efficient way of matching DAB coverage levels to FM. Ofcom will report back to the Secretary of State with the conclusions of this process by summer 2011.
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