Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport occupies one building that is owned or part-owned privately.The total rent per annum is £718,500 and is paid to Lazai Investment Ltd.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which recruitment agencies have received the five largest allocations of funding from (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and associated bodies since 2010.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The table below provides the figures for part (a).
Supplier | Net | VAT | Total |
Capita Resourcing Ltd | 7,879,982.33 | 1,575,996.74 | 9,455,979.07 |
Capita Business Services | 2,722,035.33 | 544,407.34 | 3,266,442.67 |
Russam GMS LTD | 2,085,959.37 | 399,737.43 | 2,485,696.80 |
Brook Street ( UK ) Ltd | 1,661,134.77 | 327,478.03 | 1,988,612.80 |
LA International | 866,235.52 | 166,055.80 | 1,032,291.32 |
Alpine Consortium | 756,847.36 | 135,878.71 | 892,726.07 |
(b) This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
All of the space in the Department's offices is in regular use.
It would not be in the public interest to disclose any specific retail or real estate valuation information, as this information is commercially sensitive and any disclosure could adversely affect the Government’s future ability to negotiate efficiencies and achieve value for money to the taxpayer.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of fibre-optic broadband businesses in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency, (b) Tameside local authority area, (c) Stockport local authority area and (d) the North West.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Current superfast broadband coverage is over 80% of UK premises and the Government remains committed to providing 95% coverage to homes and businesses by December 2017. This is an increase from 45% coverage in 2010.
The Department deposited data in the House of Commons Library which estimates commercial coverage and coverage supported by public investment in constituencies by the end of 2017. The table can be found here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/deposited-papers/?house=1&search_term=Department+for+Culture%2c+Media+and+Sport&itemId=122028#toggle-163
In Denton and Reddish commercial broadband delivery is expected to cover 97% of homes and businesses. By the end of the Greater Manchester broadband project in March 2017, coverage is expected to have increased to near 99% of premises. Over 1,000 homes and businesses will benefit in Denton and Reddish from this public investment, and over 750 of these are already able to access better broadband due to the project.
As of 11 June 2015, 29 cabinets had been upgraded in Tameside under the Greater Manchester project, bringing access to fibre broadband to over 2,500 homes and businesses of the planned 5,900 in the project. At the same date 30 cabinets had been upgraded in Stockport, bringing access to fibre to over 2,000 homes and businesses of the planned 4,700 in the project.
Projects with Government funding have provided coverage of superfast broadband to over 263,000 homes and businesses in the North West to date.
Small and medium sized enterprises in 50 UK cities are eligible for a grant of up to £3,000 under the Government’s Broadband Connection Voucher scheme to help pay for the connection costs to faster and better broadband.
To date 3,549 businesses in Greater Manchester and 4,282 businesses in the North West have benefited from the voucher scheme.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which arts (a) organisations and (b) events in Greater Manchester he has visited in an official capacity since his appointment.
Answered by Helen Grant
Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Departmental website: