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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 28 March 2011
International Development
Libya: Overseas Aid
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated for humanitarian purposes to assist people (a) in Libya and (b) seeking to leave Libya since 1 January 2011; for what purposes any sums over £100,000 were allocated; and if he will make a statement. [49499]
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Mr Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) takes the humanitarian issues arising out of the Libyan crisis very seriously. To assist people in Libya, DFID has provided £2 million of funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross who are active inside many areas of Libya now. This will fund three medical teams with supplies to treat 3,000 people affected by fighting and 100,000 of those in greatest need.
The total directly allocated by DFID to assist people seeking to leave Libya is £8.04 million. The breakdown of this funding is detailed in the tables. The majority of the funding has been for repatriation flights for over 12,000 people from the border camps. In addition, the UK was the first country to provide blankets and tents giving shelter for up to 10,000 people stranded at the Libya-Tunisia border. The actions by the UK and other international donors have avoided a logistical problem becoming a humanitarian crisis,
DFID has also provided indirect contributions via the European Commission.
| DFID indirect contributions | |||
| Activity | Purpose | Recipient | Amount (£ million) |
Overseas Aid
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 844W, on overseas aid, when he plans to publish the operational plans for each country receiving bilateral aid from his Department. [49634]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Operational plans will be published from April 2011.
Women and Equalities
Public Bodies Reform Programme
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities which public bodies sponsored by the Government Equalities Office (a) have been and (b) are to be closed, merged or reorganised following her appointment; and how many (i) women and (ii) men who are public appointees at each body will no longer hold such an appointment in consequence. [47115]
Lynne Featherstone: The coalition Government are committed to increasing the accountability of public bodies, and this involves reducing their number and their cost to the taxpayer. The proposals for the majority of bodies across all Departments, including the Government Equalities Office, were announced and published on 14 October 2010. An updated list reflecting changes since October 2010 was published on the Cabinet Office website on 16 March 2011.
Summary information on public appointments is published annually by the Cabinet Office. This includes data on gender. Copies of the most recent report can be downloaded from:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb
Lisa Nandy:
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS,
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on the public bodies reform programme, what estimate she has made of the savings to the Government Equalities Office net of costs incurred in the assumption of additional departmental responsibilities to accrue from
(a)
the abolition of 11 public bodies within the Office's area of responsibility and
(b)
the change in function of one such body. [48144]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 21 March 2011]:The Minister for the Cabinet Office issued a written ministerial statement on 16 March 2011, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, updating Parliament on progress on public bodies reform. That statement also announced that Departments estimate cumulative administrative savings of at least £2.6 billion will flow from public bodies over the spending review period.
For bodies sponsored or formerly sponsored by the Government Equalities Office, I anticipate from structural reforms net overall savings of £86 million, and net overall administrative savings of £37 million, over the spending review period.
Racial Discrimination
Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will bring forward proposals to use the powers in section 9 (5) (a) of the Equality Act 2010 to make caste an aspect of race for the purposes of the Act. [49073]
Lynne Featherstone: In March 2010 the Government commissioned an independent report on caste prejudice and discrimination in Great Britain from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. The report was published in December 2010.
One of the purposes of the report was to help consideration of whether the power relating to caste contained within the Equality Act 2010 should be exercised. The Government are still considering the report carefully, together with the various representations that they have subsequently received from a range of lobby groups, and will announce their conclusions on whether or not to exercise the power in due course.
Women's National Commission.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what estimate the Government Equalities Office has made of the savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Women’s National Commission. [48682]
Lynne Featherstone: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given on 25 November 2010, Official Report, column 465W.
Prime Minister
Chequers
Mr Watson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make proposals to the independent trustees responsible for Chequers, for Chequers to be open to the public. [49509]
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The Prime Minister: This is a matter for the trustees.
Chequers: Operating Costs
Mr Watson: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2011, Official Report, column 31W, on Chequers: operating costs, in which year a grant was first made from the Cabinet Office to the independent trustees. [49508]
The Prime Minister: The authority for the issuing of grants in aid to the Chequers Trust derives from the Chequers Estate Act 1958.
Personnel: Criminal Investigation
Mr Watson: To ask the Prime Minister whether he requires members of staff at No. 10 Downing Street to inform him when they are subject to criminal investigation. [49502]
The Prime Minister: Matters relating to the conduct of members of staff are set out in the Cabinet Office Human Resources Code.
Communities and Local Government
Preventing Violent Extremism Programme
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which external bodies received funding from his Department and its agencies from the (a) community resilience and (b) Preventing Violent Extremism funding streams in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11; and (A) how much each received and (B) what the purpose of the payment was in each case, listing the value of the payments and purpose of the payment to each individual or body. [43866]
Andrew Stunell: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not operate a separate funding stream for community resilience.
Owing to the quantity of data involved, details regarding the bodies and individuals that received funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government under the Preventing Violent Extremism funding stream have been placed in the Library of the House.
Aerials: Planning Permission
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to revise guidance issued to local authorities on the treatment of planning applications from mobile telephone operators. [49260]
Robert Neill: We are considering how to take forward policy on telecommunications masts as part of the new planning policy framework. We are due to consult on the framework in the summer.
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Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials of each grade in his Department have policy responsibility for dealing with anti-Semitism; what sources are available to them to obtain up-to-date information about anti-Semitism in the UK; what recent reports he has received from officials in his Department about levels of anti-Semitism; and if he will make a statement. [48997]
Andrew Stunell: The Decentralisation and Big Society Directorate in the Department of Communities and Local Government is responsible for the formulation and, in partnership with other Departments, the implementation of policy on reducing the incidence of anti-Semitism. The Department's work on anti-Semitism falls under the auspices of the team that works on hate crime and includes two officials. The team have a number of sources available to them across Government and externally as appropriate and provides regular updates to Ministers.
Brighton Marina
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has received any recent representations on the provisions of the Brighton Marina Act 1968. [49175]
Robert Neill: My Department has received no written representations on provisions in relation to the Brighton Marina Act 1968, other than from my hon. Friend.
Housing Revenue Accounts
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has had discussions with local authorities on the future ring fencing arrangements for the Housing Revenue Account following the introduction of self-financing. [49176]
Andrew Stunell: My Department has not had specific discussions with local authorities on this subject though it has been raised in general discussions on reforms to the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system. The ring-fence will continue after reform and ‘Implementing self-financing for council housing’, which we published on 1 February, advised that we do not intend to issue new guidance on its operation.
Abolition of the subsidy system does not end the requirement for local authorities to maintain a statutory, ring-fenced Housing Revenue Account. They will still be required to account to their tenants for income and expenditure on council housing separately from other functions and services. This ensures that council tax payers do not subsidise services specifically for the benefit of tenants and that rent is not used to subsidise functions which are for the benefit of the wider local community.
Housing: Construction
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on requiring the compulsory installation of sprinkler systems in all newly-built domestic properties. [49530]
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Andrew Stunell: Provisions for fire protection in new buildings are made in Part B (Fire safety) of the Building Regulations. While there are some situations where sprinkler protection is required, this does not apply to all domestic properties.
Following a review of these regulations last year, we have concluded that there is not any significant new evidence on the health and safety benefits of greater sprinkler provision that would alter the cost/benefit analysis and the basis of the current approach. Details of the findings of this review were published in December and are available on the Department’s website at:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/buildingregsnextsteps
Housing: Owner Occupation
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what plans he has for the future of (a) commonhold and (b) leasehold tenure; [41519]
(2) what plans he has for the future rights of domestic leaseholders. [41520]
Grant Shapps: My Department receives representations from a wide range of interests, including from freeholders (landlords) and leaseholders, about residential leasehold. Residential leasehold is a long-established way of owning property in England and Wales. We have no plans to abolish the leasehold system.
The Government recognise however the need to strike the correct balance of rights and responsibilities between landlords and leaseholders. It is important that landlords and managing agents as well as other businesses operate in a socially responsible manner. As with all regulation, state intervention should be proportionate, seeking to raise standards where there is bad practice, and avoiding unnecessary burdens across the leasehold sector.
In general, we believe that the current legislative framework can deliver that balance, if matched by an increasingly pro-active and positive approach by the professionals in the sector. I am, however, aware of some specific concerns, particularly in the retirement sector where there is an ongoing OFT investigation. We will, however, keep a close watching brief and will not rule out making changes in future if that proves necessary.
Commonhold is a new tenure introduced in 2004. Issues concerning commonhold are a matter for the Ministry of Justice. The Government have no plans to alter the commonhold legislation and intend that commonhold will remain a voluntary alternative to long leasehold ownership for flats and other interdependent properties.
Housing: Regulation
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) if he will make it his policy to support an accreditation scheme to regulate the leasehold-managed accommodation sector; [45861]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulation of the leasehold-managed accommodation sector. [45862]
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Grant Shapps: The Government recognise the need to strike the correct balance of rights and responsibilities between freeholders (landlords) and leaseholders. It is important that landlords and managing agents as well as other businesses operate in a socially responsible manner. As with all regulation, state intervention should be proportionate, seeking to raise standards where there is bad practice, and avoiding unnecessary burdens across the leasehold sector.
My Department continues to receive representations from leaseholders and freeholders (landlords) on the broader issues of residential leasehold. Having considered the issue of regulation in the leasehold management sector, we believe that the current legislative framework can deliver that balance, if matched by an increasingly pro-active and positive approach by the professionals in the sector. We are therefore not convinced by the case for regulating managing agents in the leasehold sector but, whilst we have no immediate plans to make any changes, we will keep the matter under consideration.
Leasehold: Regulation
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the merits of introducing a system of regulation of managing agents of leasehold properties. [46507]
Grant Shapps: The Government recognise the need to strike the correct balance of rights and responsibilities between freeholders (landlords) and leaseholders. It is important that landlords and managing agents as well as other businesses operate in a socially responsible manner. As with all regulation, state intervention should be proportionate, seeking to raise standards where there is bad practice, and avoiding unnecessary burdens across the leasehold sector.
My Department continues to receive representations from leaseholders and freeholders (landlords) on the broader issues of residential leasehold. We have considered the issue of regulation in the leasehold management sector and believe that the current legislative framework can deliver that balance, if matched by an increasingly pro-active and positive approach by the professionals in the sector. We are therefore not convinced by the case for regulating managing agents in the leasehold sector but, while we have no immediate plans to make any changes, we will keep the matter under consideration.
Local Government: Pay
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to enable non-executive council members to limit the remuneration of local authority chief executives. [49095]
Robert Neill: The Government have brought forward measures in the Localism Bill to require locally elected councillors to have a greater say in the setting of senior pay. Under the proposals, councils will have to prepare, approve and publish a senior pay policy statement which will set the framework which they will be required to follow when setting senior pay locally. Such a statement must be considered by full council.
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In addition, the Secretary of State has signalled his intention to issue guidance under those provisions to set out the Government’s view on a threshold at which remuneration decisions should be always brought before full council to vote on. The Secretary of State’s view is that £100,000 is an appropriate threshold. This will be expressed in guidance to which councils must have regard. The guidance will be published in draft for consultation in due course.
The Government’s role in specific local government pay and workforce issues is extremely limited as they are, rightly, a matter for the individual councils as the employer. The Government are clear, however, that the measures set out above will greatly increase local democratic accountability over local authority pay matters.
Planning
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the potential effects on economic growth of implementation of his plans for more localised decision-making by planning authorities. [49284]
Greg Clark: Giving people power and control and delivering economic growth are complementary objectives. By removing the antagonism created by imposed regional housing targets, and through powerful incentives, including the New Homes Bonus, the planning system will support the delivery of new homes and economic growth. In addition, the Duty to Cooperate will ensure that local authorities and other public bodies maximise the effectiveness of working on strategic planning issues such as economic growth.
Private Rented Housing: Regulation
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to introduce greater regulation of the activities of private landlords. [49100]
Andrew Stunell: It is important to ensure that the right balance is achieved between providing protections for tenants and discouraging existing and potential landlords from renting out their properties. The Government believe that the current regulatory framework delivers that balance and has no plans to introduce greater regulation into the sector. Overburdening private landlords with regulation would risk deterring property owners from letting their properties, potentially reducing choice and/or increasing rents. That would help no one whether they are a tenant or a landlord.
Solar Power: Planning Permission
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications for solar farms have been made in Oxford West and Abingdon constituency in each of the last five years; and what the size of the proposed solar farm was in each case. [49081]
Robert Neill:
Information on planning applications for solar farms will be available from individual local planning authorities but is not collected by this Department. The Renewable Energy Planning Database, accessible
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via the Department for Energy and Climate Change's website, includes data on solar photovoltaic projects but the statistics do not include all live planning applications because of the time lag in collecting data.
Standards Board for England
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to replace the responsibilities undertaken by (a) the Standards Board for England and (b) local standards committees; who will be responsible for future disciplinary processes involving local authorities; and how such processes will be funded. [47420]
Robert Neill: The Standards Board regime fuelled petty complaints and malicious vendettas, wasting taxpayers’ money and harming local democracy.
The Localism Bill places a duty on councils to promote and maintain high standards of conduct, under which it will be their responsibility to take and fund such measures, including establishing any appropriate disciplinary processes, that they see fit to fulfil this duty.
And as a guard against corruption, the Bill also provides that a member will commit a criminal offence if he or she, without reasonable excuse, fails to register or disclose an interest, or takes part in council business having personal interests which prohibit this.
Voluntary Organisations: Playing Fields
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to assist local organisations to establish Queen Elizabeth II fields. [47603]
Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply.
Through the London 2012 Olympic Legacy programme, Places People Play, Sport England has entered into a partnership with Fields in Trust (FIT) and will be supporting the protection of playing fields as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Playing Fields initiative.
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Wales
Anti-Semitism
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether she has had discussions with the First Minister on steps to combat anti-Semitism in Wales since May 2010; and if she will make a statement. [48875]
Mr David Jones: Neither I nor the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) has discussed the issue of anti-Semitism in Wales with the First Minister.
While the Wales Office has not been approached directly, the coalition Government regularly receive representations from right hon. and hon. Members, representative organisations and members of the public about anti-Semitism. The coalition Government also receive regular updates from the Community Security Trust on incidents of anti-Semitism and, through the cross-Government working group to tackle anti-Semitism, meets representatives of the Community Security Trust, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council on a quarterly basis. The coalition Government’s approach to tackling anti-Semitism across the United Kingdom can be found in the “Three Years on Progress Report” which can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/antisemitismresponse
House of Commons Commission
Charities
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Service gave to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much it plans to allocate in funding to each such charity in each of the next five years. [48514]
John Thurso: The House of Commons Commission does not generally fund charitable activities. There are some instances though where services are delivered through organisations which are registered charities. The Commons share of parliamentary support has been:
| £000 | |||||
|
|
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| (1) The CPA was funded by HM Treasury prior to 2008-09. | |||||
|
|
Hansard Society Ltd (£000) |
| (1) Not available | |
Some charitable bodies also receive income indirectly from the House of Commons. These include The Speaker's Art Fund which receives a proportion of the surplus income generated from the sale of souvenirs, and The House of Commons Heritage and Works of Art Trust which receives income derived from filming rights.
Grant in aid payments in future years will be fixed annually, after taking account of existing sources of income and agreed levels of activity.
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Location
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the location is of each unit of accommodation on the House of Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate which is adapted for overnight sleeping. [48579]
John Thurso: Overnight sleeping accommodation on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate is located at 1, 2 and 3 Parliament street, 2a, 2b and 4 Canon Row and at Speaker's House and in the Ways and Means Corridor in the Palace of Westminster.
Work-based Stress
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what arrangements are in place in the House of Commons Service to (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress. [48201]
John Thurso: Staff who have a mental health issue can self-refer or be referred by their manager to the Parliamentary Safety, Health and Wellbeing Service, whose focus is on facilitating physical and mental health by promoting healthy behaviour, and by providing training, a good physical working environment and support for employees with mental health problems. Services available to House staff who may be experiencing stress include access to welfare officers for counselling, and referral to the in-house occupational health physician or psychiatrist. Training on coping with pressure and mental health awareness are available, as are self-help courses such as postural and relaxation classes and yoga. Information is available about external support such as from MIND and Rethink. There were 17 referrals to the service in 2009-10.
Deputy Prime Minister
Departmental Manpower
Mr Dodds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent staff employed by the Cabinet Office work on the administration of the electoral system. [49560]
Mr Harper: The Elections and Democracy Division in the Cabinet Office is responsible for policy and legislation on the conduct of UK-wide statutory elections and referendums and for local elections in England and Wales, including electoral registration and the franchise; law and policy on the setting of parliamentary boundaries (including sponsorship of the Parliamentary Boundary Commissions for England and Wales); and law and policy on the financing of political parties and candidates. In addition, the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme, established following the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009, is tasked with delivering the transition to individual electoral registration.
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There are the equivalent of 25 full-time staff in the Elections and Democracy Division, and 15 in the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme.
Electoral Register
Mr Crausby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to (a) encourage and (b) increase levels of electoral registration in Great Britain. [49134]
Mr Harper: Maintaining a complete and accurate electoral register is the responsibility of electoral registration officers (EROs) in accordance with their duties under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983. EROs are appointed by, but independent of, local authorities. In carrying out this responsibility, as with other aspects of their role, EROs are monitored by the Electoral Commission, which sets performance standards and provides guidance on the performance of their duties.
In addition, the Electoral Commission runs campaigns to encourage voter registration and provide information on elections as part of its duty under section 13 (1) (a) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
The Government have announced their plans to speed up the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration in 2014 and is committed to looking at how we can use this opportunity to improve electoral registration. This year we are trialling data matching—comparing the electoral register with other public databases to identify people missing from the register. If successful, we will consider roiling this out across the country.
Fixed-term Parliaments Bill
Mr Dodds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on the provisions of the Fixed-term Parliaments Bill. [49561]
Mr Harper: The Government are committed to working constructively with all of the devolved Administrations. The Minister of State for Northern Ireland, the right hon. Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) wrote to party leaders in Northern Ireland on this issue last year following which the Government concluded that it would be better to await the outcome of the combined polls scheduled for May 2011 before taking a decision on whether special provision would be needed for Northern Ireland to deal with the coincidence of elections in 2015.
Voting
Mr Dodds: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on reform of (a) postal and (b) proxy voting; and what plans he has to bring forward proposals for such reform. [48821]
Mr Harper:
The Government have received representations from the Electoral Commission (EC), Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for changes to be made to some of the existing postal and proxy voting processes. For example, both the EC and AEA
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have asked the Government to consider extending the current emergency proxy arrangements to include other ‘emergencies’ or circumstances that might prevent an elector from voting in person.
We have also received a range of correspondence on the existing absent voting arrangements. This has included requests both for greater restrictions to be placed on postal and proxy voting and for all-postal ballots to be used for the referendum on the voting system and other statutory polls.
The Government will consider these issues after the referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons, alongside the changes to the electoral process required to implement individual elector registration.
Voting Rights: Prisoners
Priti Patel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what decisions were reached at the 1108th meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers relating the UK and prisoner voting; if he will publish all documents sent to the Council of Europe from the Government in relation to this matter; who represented the UK Government at this meeting; when he expects the UK’s position on prisoner votes next to be discussed by the Committee of Ministers; and if he will make a statement. [48393]
Mr Harper: The Committee of Ministers publishes on their website the decisions reached at each of their meetings and copies of any documents submitted by member states’ governments. The relevant decision and documents for the 1108th meeting can be found at:
https://wcd.coe.int/wcd/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1718797&Site =CM&BackColorInternet=C3C3C3&BackColor Intranet=EDB021& BackColorLogged=F5D383
The Government are represented at meetings of the Committee of Ministers by the United Kingdom Delegation to the Council of Europe.
The Committee of Ministers decided to resume consideration of prisoner voting rights in the UK once the Government’s request to refer the recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the “Greens and MT” case to the Grand Chamber of the Court has been considered.
Priti Patel: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has notified the Council of Europe of the outcome of Division No. 199 on 10 February 2011, Official Report, columns 584-6; and if he will make a statement. [48394]
Mr Harper: The Government notified the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers of the outcome of the recent Back-Benchers’ debate on prisoner voting rights in an Information Note provided ahead of the 1108th meeting. The Information Note is available on the Committee of Ministers' website at:
https://wcd.coe.int/wcd/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1753877&Site= CM&BackColorInternet=C3C3C3&BackColorIntranet=EDB021& BackColorLogged=F5D383
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Cabinet Office
Absent Voting
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to bring forward legislation to facilitate the reform of the postal voting system for local, national and European elections; and if he will make a statement. [49112]
Mr Harper: The Government will consider these issues after the referendum on the voting system for the House of Commons, alongside the changes to the electoral process required to implement individual elector registration.
Departmental Hospitality
Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on the contents of ministerial drinks cabinets since 12 May 2010. [48412]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office does not have ministerial drinks cabinets.
All Cabinet Office expenditure on official hospitality including alcohol is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on “Regularity & Propriety”.
Big Society Initiative
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings on the Big Society with (a) hon. Members and (b) representatives of the voluntary sector organised by his Department have been held on the parliamentary estate since May 2010. [40333]
Mr Hurd: Both I and my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office have held regular meetings with representatives of the voluntary sector on the subject of the Big Society since May 2010. These meetings are held in a variety of locations within Whitehall, the parliamentary estate and on the premises of external organisations.
Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis; details can be accessed at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
Boarding Schools
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department provides financial assistance to his officials for boarding school fees for their children. [48516]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office does not provide financial assistance to officials for boarding school fees.
Census
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will request the Office for National Statistics to publish its contract with Lockheed Martin UK in respect of the 2011 census. [46276]
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Mr Maude: Considerable information on the census contract with Lockheed Martin has already been published by the Office for National Statistics. This includes the list of subcontractors involved and the additional contractual constraints to ensure data security, confidentiality of census information and to guarantee that the United States Patriot Act could not be used to gain access to personal census data. The contract contains commercially sensitive and confidential information and so would not be appropriate for publication.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which companies were shortlisted to carry out the 2011 Census; what criteria were used during the selection process; and if he will make a statement. [47804]
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 March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking (i) which companies were shortlisted to carry out the 2011 Census; and (ii) what criteria were used during the selection process. (47804)
(i) I should firstly like to clarify that it is ONS, as the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority which is carrying out the 2011 Census in England and Wales.
As was the case with the 2001 Census, there are some parts of the census operation which have been contracted out to a number of companies. During the procurement many suppliers were shortlisted and over 30 were awarded contracts. The main contracts were awarded to the following suppliers:-
Capita Business Services for field staff recruitment, training and payment administration;
Royal Mail for postal delivery and collection services;
Lockheed Martin UK for management of operational services; and
3M for the provision of supplies to field staff and requests for materials from the field staff and the public
(ii) With over 35 contracts awarded there were a variety of evaluation criterion used for each. In general there were 6 main over-arching evaluation criteria that were used to determine the chosen suppliers. They were:-
compliance with mandatory requirements i.e. all requirements listed in the statement of requirements marked as mandatory
understanding of the business needs
technical capability of the proposed solution
legal/contractual assessment
risks, and
value for money
Jeremy Corbyn:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which companies were considered to undertake
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data processing for the 2011 census prior to the award of the contract. [48387]
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 March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking which companies were considered to undertake data processing for the 2011 Census prior to the award of the contract (48387).
Data processing is a part of the contract to provide operational services for the 2011 Census. A number of expressions of interest were received with BT, CMC Limited, Lockheed Martin UK Limited and T-Systems Limited passing pre-qualification. Subsequently Lockheed Martin UK provided the best technical solutions offering overall best value for money for the taxpayer.
Under the Lockheed Martin UK contract, data processing services have been subcontracted to UK Data Capture which is running the data processing operation at a specially commissioned site in Manchester.
ONS carried out a fully compliant procurement in accordance with the requirements of European law and the European Union Procurement Directives, which have been incorporated into English law. The foundations of the rules are fairness and transparency. Any organisation with the correct technical capability, financial stability and experience therefore has the opportunity to compete openly for Government business throughout the European Union without discrimination.
Charities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rate of (a) registration and (b) closure of charities was in each of the last five years. [48508]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. I have asked the Commission to reply.
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 22 March 2011:
As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question, what the rate of (a) registration and (b) closure of charities was in each of the last five years [48508].
The number of newly registered charities in each of the years for which figures are available is as follows:
|
|
Number |
The number of charities that ceased to operate in each of the years for which figures are available is shown in the table below:
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Between 2008/09 and 2009/10, there was an increase in the number of charities removed because they were identified as dormant or for other reasons. This was due to our strategy of maintaining a more accurate Register of Charities by proactively removing those which had ceased to exist.
I hope this information is helpful.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many registered charities ceased operation in each of the last five years; and what his policy is on monitoring the rate of such closures in the next five years. [48509]
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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. I have asked the commission to reply.
Letter from Sam Younger, dated 22 March 2011:
As the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, I have been asked to respond to your written Parliamentary Question, how many registered charities ceased operation in each of the last five years; and what his policy is on monitoring the rate of such closures in the next five years. [48509]
The number of charities that ceased to operate in each of the years for which figures are available is shown in the table below:
Between 2008/09 and 2009/10, there was an increase in the number of charities removed because they were identified as dormant or for other reasons. This was due to our strategy of maintaining a more accurate Register of Charities by proactively removing those that had ceased to exist.
The Charity Commission continues to fulfil its statutory duty to maintain an accurate and up-to-date Register of Charities.
I hope this information is helpful.
Departmental Local Government Finance
Mr Betts: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much each local authority received from each (a) revenue and (b) capital funding stream from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how much funding his Department allocated from each such stream in each year; and what the change was in the level of funding in each such stream between those years in (A) cash and (B) real terms. [49255]
Mr Maude: Figures for 2010-11 will be available when the Cabinet Office accounts have been audited, and will be published as part of the 2010-11 Cabinet Office Resource Accounts.
It is not possible to provide details of the funding for 2011-12 because the Cabinet Office has not yet finalised unit budgets for 2011-12.
Departmental Plants
Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment. [48429]
Mr Maude: The cost of providing indoor and outdoor plants and trees forms part of the Total Facilities Management (FM) contract which the Cabinet Office has with its FM provider, EcovertFM. Within the contract, there are separate charges for ‘soft landscaping’ and expenditure on indoor and outdoor plants and trees would be included in that category, and only be available at disproportionate cost. However, the amount spent on soft landscaping is less than 1% of the total FM contract, and the provision in the contract for indoor plants was cancelled in the summer of 2009.
Public Bodies Reform Programme
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Main Honours Advisory Committee. [48726]
Mr Maude: Over the spending review period, no savings would accrue from the abolition of the Main Honours Advisory Committee as the functions of the Committee are administered from within the Cabinet Office.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Government Strategic Marketing Advisory Board. [48727]
Mr Maude: Over the spending review period I anticipate the level of net overall administrative savings to accrue from the structural reform of the Government Strategic Marketing Advisory Body to be £0.02 million.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Commission for the Compact. [48728]
Mr Maude: Over the spending review period I anticipate the level of net overall administrative savings to accrue from the structural reform of the Commission for the Compact to be £0.26 million.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of Capacitybuilders. [48729]
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Mr Maude: Over the spending review period I anticipate the level of net overall administrative savings to accrue from the structural reform of Capacitybuilders to be £2.1 million.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Security Commission. [48756]
Mr Maude: Over the spending review period I anticipate the level of net overall administrative savings to accrue from the structural reform of the Security Commission to be £4,000.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the Office for Civil Society Advisory Body. [48757]
Mr Maude: Over the spending review period I anticipate the level of net overall administrative savings to accrue from the structural reform of the Office for Civil Society Advisory Body to be £0.04 million.
Tessa Jowell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the level of savings which will accrue from the abolition of the National School of Government. [48758]
Mr Maude: Over the spending review period I anticipate the level of net overall administrative savings to accrue from current plans for the reform of the National School of Government to be £5.4 million.
Emergencies
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on increasing liaison between blue-light services for the purposes of improving response to civil contingency emergencies; and if he will make a statement. [48503]
Mr Maude: In approving the Strategic Defence and Security Review published in October last year(1) and subsequently, the National Security Council has endorsed the importance of improving cooperation between the blue light services as a means of enhancing arrangements for emergency response and crisis management. Cabinet Office officials are involved in discussions on a number of programmes to enhance cooperation, including making best use of the Airwave radio network and other means of communication to enhance information sharing in a crisis, and the development of tactics for joint operation of the police, fire and ambulance forces and other emergency responders.
Cross-government ministerial oversight of this work at a national level is provided through the National Security Council and its sub-committees.
(1 )www.direct.gov.uk/sdsr
Government Departments: Recruitment
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants have been recruited during the period of the Civil Service recruitment freeze. [48699]
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Mr Maude [holding answer 24 March 2011]: The latest period for which data is available indicates that civil service recruitment has fallen by around 80% compared to the same period in 2009. Between 24 May 2010 to 31 December 2010, the total number of civil servants recruited was 4,535, as measured by the number of exceptions to the recruitment freeze approved by Departments (out of a total headcount of 482,000, excluding the Scottish and Welsh Assembly Governments). For the same period in 2009, a total of around 27,000 people were recruited into the civil service.
Life Expectancy: Wolverhampton
Mr McFadden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average life expectancy was for (a) men and (b) women in Wolverhampton South East constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available. [48887]
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 March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average life expectancy was for (a) men and (b) women in Wolverhampton South East constituency in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available (48887).
Life expectancy figures at parliamentary constituency level are not readily available. However, figures are available for Wolverhampton metropolitan district which contains Wolverhampton South East constituency.
Life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. Table 1 provides the period life expectancy at birth for (a) males and (b) females for (i) 1996-98 and (ii) 2007-09 (the latest figures available).
Period life expectancies at birth for (a) males and (b) females for all local authority districts and unitary authorities in England and Wales, for rolling three-year periods from 1991-93 to 2007-09, are published on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8841
| Table 1: Period life expectancy at birth (1) , Wolverhampton metropolitan district (2) ,1996-98 and 2007-09 (3) | ||
| Years of life | ||
|
|
Males | Females |
| (1) Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area’s age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2) Using boundaries as of 2010 for all the years shown. (3) Three year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. | ||
Mutual Societies
Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when his Department plans to issue the invitation to tender for the Mutual Support Programme; [47977]
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(2) what estimate he has made of the likely number of bidders to operate the Mutual Support Programme; [48053]
(3) whether he plans to release funding in addition to the initial proposed expenditure on the Mutual Support Programme; [48054]
(4) what role he expects the Mutual Support Programme to play in supporting mutual pathfinders; [48055]
(5) what proportion of callers to the Mutual Information Service were from (a) public and (b) private sector bodies in the latest period for which figures are available. [48056]
Mr Hurd: The Prime Minister has recently appointed Julian Le Grand to chair a Mutuals Taskforce. The Taskforce will drive forward the development of mutuals and is currently considering a variety of options.
The Mutuals Support Programme is currently being considered. The potential provider market (i.e. likely number of bidders) will be reviewed in this process.
The link between the Mutuals Support Programme and the Pathfinder programme will be clarified when a decision is made.
There are currently no plans to release funding in addition to the initial proposed expenditure on the Mutual Support Programme.
Between 17 November 2010 and 31 January 2011, the Mutuals Information Service received 91% of inquires from public sector employees and 9% from support providers and mentors. Please note information on the nature (i.e. public sector or private sector) of the support providers and mentors are not available.
Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office by what date he expects the Mutual Support Programme tender process to be completed. [49125]
Mr Hurd: Options for the Mutuals Support Programme are currently being considered. Further information will be available shortly.
Significant work is currently being undertaken to develop the Right to Provide across public services areas and to address cross cutting barriers to the take up of this Right.
Office for Civil Society: Community Matters
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has for the future of Community Matters in the Office for Civil Society strategic partners programme. [49633]
Mr Hurd: Community Matters submitted an application to the Office for Civil Society (OCS) Strategic Partners Transition programme but was not successful.
The focus of the programme is on providing representation and ‘voice’ for the VCSE sector to feed into Government. As a smaller, more focussed programme than the previous OCS Strategic Partners programme, this was a highly competitive process.
There will be opportunities to build strong relationships with Government whether or not funded through this programme and I expect OCS to continue to have a good relationship with Community Matters in the future.
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Parental Responsibility
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of children in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland are in families where one parent is not the child's natural parent. [48251]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of children in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland are in families where one parent is not the child's natural parent. (48251)
The 2001 Census provides the most comprehensive estimate of the number of dependent step-children. It is not possible to readily identify dependent step-children from more recent sources. Dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and either (a) aged under 16, or (b) aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, excluding children aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household. A child will be defined as a step-child in the Census if the person completing the Census form ticks 'step-child' as the relationship between that child and an adult in the household, in most cases this adult would be married to, or cohabiting with one of the child's natural parents.
Table 1 shows the number of dependent step-children as a percentage of all dependent children living in households in 2001.
| Table 1: Percentage of dependent children living in households that are step-children, 2001 | |
| English region / UK country | Percentage |
Unemployment: Sevenoaks
Michael Fallon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged 16 to 24 years were out of work for more than 12 months in Sevenoaks constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [49249]
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 March 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people aged 16-24 years were out of work for more than 12 months in Sevenoaks constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. (49249)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
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However, due to sample size estimates of unemployment for the requested duration and geography are not available. As an alternative we have provided the number of persons claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for the Sevenoaks constituency.
There were 15 people aged 16-24 resident in Sevenoaks constituency in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance for over 12 months in February 2011.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has for future funding of (a) the vinvolved team Tees Valley, (b) Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency and (c) youth volunteering nationally. [48826]
Mr Hurd: Funding for the vinvolved programme comes to an end on 31 March 2011.
New measures to support volunteering were announced in the recent “Giving Green Paper”. New funding streams will provide vital support to both volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations alike.
We are providing support to young people to become involved in volunteering through National Citizen Service. The pilot delivery areas for NCS have been announced and further details can be found on Directgov webpages at:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/Workandcareers/Workexperienceandvolunteering/NationalCitizenService/DG_WP194525
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council England: Finance
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding the 20 largest regularly-funded organisations received from Arts Council England in 2009-10. [48272]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England has supplied the following table showing the 20 largest regularly funded organisations that received funding in 2009-10:
|
|
Organisation | 2009-10 (£) |
28 Mar 2011 : Column 24W
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding Arts Council England allocated per head of population in the London borough of Bexley in the last period for which figures are available. [48596]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England estimates spend at £0.38 per head in the London borough of Bexley, from £33,440 in grants for the arts awards in 2009-10.
Additionally, a number of organisations funded by the Arts Council tour their work in the constituency, though their funding is not represented in the figure above.
Arts: Public Expenditure
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the change in the level of funds received by (a) arts, (b) sport and (c) heritage causes as a result of the implementation of his planned changes to the distribution of National Lottery funds over the comprehensive spending review period. [49212]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: The first phase of the Lottery Share change takes effect on 1 April 2011, when the shares for arts, heritage and sport will increase from the current 16.66% of new income each to 18%. This should mean that there will be approximately £20 million of additional income for each of the arts, sports and heritage good causes for that year.
In April 2012 the arts, heritage and sport shares will increase to 20%, meaning that they should all each receive about £50 million a year as shown in the following table.
| £ million | |||
|
|
Arts | Heritage | Sport |
These figures are based on the latest (September 2010) lottery income projections and are not guaranteed.
Big Lottery Fund
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what data his Department collects in respect of the geographic diversity of Big Lottery Fund applicants. [48598]
John Penrose:
The Department does not collect any data relating to applications received by the Big Lottery Fund or any other Lottery distributing body. The Lottery distributors make their funding decisions independently
28 Mar 2011 : Column 25W
of the Department and Government and against their own published criteria for Lottery funding programmes and projects.
British Film Industry
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the commercial production sector to the British film industry. [48830]
Mr Vaizey: The Government have not made a recent assessment of the contribution of the commercial production sector to the British Film Industry. However, as the Executive body for film in the UK, the UK Film Council has assessed the contribution of inward investment feature films to the UK economy as being £752.7 million in 2009.
BSkyB and News Corporation
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he has received notification of any proposed application for judicial review of his decision not to refer the proposed News Corporation acquisition of BSkyB to the Competition Commission. [49511]
Mr Jeremy Hunt:
I have not yet made a final decision on whether or not to refer the proposed News Corporation acquisition of BSkyB to the Competition Commission. I am currently considering the responses to the consultation on the Undertakings offered by News Corporation
28 Mar 2011 : Column 26W
which closed on 21 March, and will make a statement in due course. At this stage, I have received no such notification.
Broadband
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will estimate the likely extent of broadband coverage in the UK in each of the next 10 years. [48009]
Mr Vaizey: The coalition Government are committed to facilitate universal broadband access of at least 2Mbps and achieve the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015; £530 million has been allocated by the Government to support these efforts.
Charities
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department provided to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years. [48288]
John Penrose: The Department provides regular funding to its arm’s length bodies registered as charities or exempt charities through grant in aid and strategic commissioning.
Payments made to these bodies in financial years 2009-10 and 2010-11 and funding allocated to these bodies for the next four years are set out in the table.
| £000 | ||||||
| Funding allocated | Plans | |||||
|
|
2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
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The figures allocated to these bodies for the next four years are fixed. Funding after 2014-15 has not yet been determined.
Payments made to these bodies in financial years 2006-07 to 2008-09 can be found in the Department’s published resource accounts at the following link:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_us/our_annual_report/6253.aspx
Data exclude one-off grants under grant programmes for which both charitable and non-charitable bodies are eligible.
Copyright
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what account he took of the requirements of the Authorisation Directive before laying before Parliament the Online Infringement of Copyright (Initial Obligations) (Sharing of Cost) Order 2011. [49507]
Mr Vaizey: The Government took care to ensure that the statutory instrument properly complied with all relevant legislation, both European and domestic, before it was laid. There has been an exchange of correspondence with the European Commission on how the instrument sits with the Authorisation Directive, and we remain confident that full account has been taken of the UK’s obligations under the directive.
Departmental Domestic Visits
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many events and visits outside London (a) he and (b) each Minister in his Department has undertaken in an official capacity in each region since his appointment. [48797]
Mr Jeremy Hunt [holding answer 24 March 2011]: The number of events and visits in regions outside of London each Minister and I have taken in an official capacity can be found in the following table.
|
|
Secretary of State | Minister for Sports and Olympics | Minister for Tourism and Heritage | Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries |
Departmental Public Appointments
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what non-executive appointments he has made to his Department’s board since May 2010; and what the selection process was for each such appointment. [49211]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: I have made the following non-executive appointments to the Departmental Board since May: David Verey (the lead non-Executive) and Peter Bazalgette. Lord Coe is invited to attend DCMS Board meetings in his position as Chair of LOCOG.
David Verey was appointed following a cross-Whitehall exercise run by Lord Browne’s team in Cabinet Office.
Peter Bazalgette was appointed in January 2011 by me, following an open process (job advert, shortlist and interview) run by DCMS.
Dr Tracy Long continues her appointment as a Non-Executive member; she was appointed in September 2009 following an open process run by DCMS.
Film
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of the filmed commercial production sector. [48831]
Mr Vaizey: The closest assessment we have related to this question comes from the Oxford Economics 2010 report, which states that overall, the core UK film industry contributed over £4.5 billion to UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009, taking into account its multiplier impacts, and over £1.2 billion to the Exchequer (gross of tax relief and other fiscal support).
Olympic Delivery Authority: Enforcement Officers
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many enforcement officers have been designated by the Olympic Delivery
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Authority in each of the last four years; what his estimate is of the number to be so designated; and if he will make a statement. [48526]
Hugh Robertson [holding answer 23 March 2011]: To date no enforcement officers have been designated by the Olympic Delivery Authority to enforce the advertising and trading regulations. The requirements are still being determined as the detailed planning continues to take place.
Work-based Stress
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what arrangements are in place in his Department to (a) reduce levels of work-based stress and (b) provide assistance to staff diagnosed with such stress. [48213]
John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recognises workplace stress as a health and safety issue and acknowledges the importance of identifying and reducing workplace stressors. The Department has a stress management policy in place which aims to ensure that all our staff and managers are provided with guidance on managing stress effectively. To support this policy, the Department also has an employee assistance programme which provides 24 hour telephone support and face to face counselling. In addition we also have an Occupational Health Provider that provides support and advice to the Department and staff on all health matters, including stress.
Television
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he plans to announce the preferred candidate to provide the new national spine for local television. [49213]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: In response to the Local Media Action Plan Consultation which closes on 13 April 2011, over 20 expressions of interest to run a new network channel to support local services have been received. We are currently considering all responses to the Local Media Action Plan to help inform the final model for local TV. The formal award process is expected to begin this summer, supported by the necessary legislative changes.
Departmental Theft
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what items with a value of over £100 have been taken without authorisation from his Department since his appointment; and what steps have been taken to recover such items. [48447]
John Penrose: The following items, with a value of over £100 and owned by the Department, have been taken without authorisation:
1 x Mobile Phone
2 x BlackBerry
All these items were reported stolen by members of staff, who were asked to report the theft to police in line with departmental policy.
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All lost or stolen mobile phones or BlackBerry devices are disabled remotely.