Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to raise at (a) the UN and (b) UNESCO (i) the threat of destruction to the city of Palmyra in Syria from ISIS and (ii) ways in which the international community can intervene to protect valuable historical sites.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are deeply concerned about the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq, including the specific threat to Palmyra. The United Kingdom co-sponsored both UN Security Council Resolution 2199 (2015), which condemns the destruction of cultural heritage and requires member states to take measures to prevent the trade in looted antiquities, and UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/69/281 (28 May 2015), which expresses the outrage of the global community at attacks on cultural heritage as a tactic of war to spread terror and hatred. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr Hammond) discussed the protection of cultural heritage with his counterparts at the meeting of the Global Anti-ISIL Coalition Small Group in Paris on 2 June, at which UNESCO Director-General Ms Irina Bokova was present. Ultimately the only way of safeguarding these valuable historic sites is by defeating ISIL and establishing a lasting peace in both Syria and Iraq.
Asked by: Pamela Nash (Labour - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in his Department and its executive agencies and associated bodies were engaged off-payroll in each of the last five years up to the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Helen Grant
New tighter rules governing ‘off-payroll’ appointments in central government were established in May 2012 when the Chief Secretary to the Treasury published the Review of the Tax Arrangements of Public Sector Appointees.
The recommendations of the Review mean that the most senior staff must go on the payroll, and departments are now able to seek assurance in relation to the tax arrangements of their long-term, high paid contractors.
The Treasury has carried out two evaluations of compliance with the rules which were published on 11 March 2014 and 5 March 2015. The most recent review revealed that the large majority of central government departments are operating the rules effectively.
Off-payroll engagements for more than £220 per day and that last for longer than six months:
Department /ALB | 2013-14 | 2012-13 |
DCMS | 28 | 24 |
Ofcom | 25 | 1 |
Olympic Delivery Authority | 13 | 38 |
British Library | 7 | 9 |
Equality & Human Rights Commission | 7 | 15 |
Visit Britain | 6 | 0 |
British Museum | 5 | 0 |
British Film Institute | 3 | 0 |
Tate | 2 | 0 |
UK Sport | 2 | 0 |
V&A | 1 | 0 |
Arts Council England | 0 | 2 |
National Gallery | 0 | 3 |
Natural History Museum | 0 | 5 |
Sport England | 0 | 1 |
Data Source: DCMS Annual Reports 2012-13 and 2013-14
The following Arm’s Length bodies have not used off-payroll engagements for more than £220 per day and that last for longer than six months:
· Churches Conservation Trust |
· English Heritage |
· Gambling Commission |
· Geffrye Museum |
· Horniman |
· Horse race Betting Levy Board |
· Imperial War Museum |
· National Heritage Memorial Fund /Heritage Lottery Fund |
· National Museums Liverpool |
· National Portrait Gallery |
· Royal Armouries |
· Royal Museums Greenwich |
· Science Museum Group |
· Sir John Soane’s Museum |
· Sports Ground Safety Authority |
· The Royal Parks |
· Wallace |
For appointments prior to this and below this threshold, the cost to provide the numbers would be disproportionate.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to accede to the Hague Convention on Protection of Cultural Property in Time of War before 7 May 2015.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The legislative priorities for this session were set out in the Queen’s Speech in June. The Government remains committed to protecting cultural heritage and the Hague convention and its protocols already informs the Armed Forces’ law of armed conflict doctrine and training policy, particularly with regard to respect for cultural property, precautions in attack and recognition of the protective emblem.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to accede to the Hague Commission on Protection of Cultural Property in Time of War before 7 May 2015.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The legislative priorities for this session were set out in the Queen’s Speech in June. The Government remains committed to protecting cultural heritage and the Hague convention and its protocols already informs the Armed Forces’ law of armed conflict doctrine and training policy, particularly with regard to respect for cultural property, precautions in attack and recognition of the protective emblem.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on refurbishment projects and national events announced in 2012 to mark the centenary of the First World War.
Answered by Helen Grant
The DCMS leads the Government’s programme to mark the centenary of the First World War. We organised three major events on 4 August 2014: the Service for the Commonwealth at Glasgow Cathedral; an Act of Reconciliation at St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Mons, Belgium and a Service of Commemoration at Westminster Abbey.
We have recently announced our plans to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign on 24/25 April 2015. We are planning a further 4 national events to commemorate anniversaries: 31 May/1 June 2016 Battle of Jutland; 1 July 1916 Battle of the Somme; Summer 2017 Passchendaele and the end of the conflict.
In addition Government has:
· Helped fund the refurbishment of the Imperial War Museum London which opened its iconic new First World War Galleries in July 2014;
· Made funding available to restore the graves of Victoria Cross recipients buried in the UK and funding for restoration and repair of First World War Memorials and graves;
· Provided £1.6m for the restoration and enhancement of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme;
· Established a £20m First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund to ensure that these buildings are in good repair to play their significant role in the First World War Centenary commemorations;
· Developed a programme to lay Commemorative Paving Stones in the home localities of Victoria Cross recipients;
· Established 14-18 NOW, a three year cultural programme which will deliver UK wide events that has so far included Dazzle Ships and Lights Out on the 4 August 2014;
· Developed with the football authorities the Football Remembers education programme to commemorate the 1914 Christmas Truce;
· Created a £5.3m educational programme to send two pupils and a teacher from every maintained school in England to the battlefields of the Western Front; and
· Facilitated the British Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities to run a programme of activities to honour the contribution of troops from the Indian subcontinent, focusing on the centenary of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle.
In addition, The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded a £12.2m grant to conserve and interpret HMS Caroline, Britain’s last surviving warship that saw service at Jutland. This will be opened in time for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland in 2016. Since April 2010 HLF has also awarded over £60 million to more than 1000 projects to enable communities to mark the Centenary.
Asked by: Madeleine Moon (Labour - Bridgend)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what cultural, recreational, heritage and military sites were visited by Libyan trainees from Bassingbourn camp; what the date of each such visit was; how many trainees took part in each such visit; how many UK armed forces personnel took part in each such visit; how many Libyan National Support Element personnel took part in each such visit; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Francois
The Libyan General Purpose Force (GPF), accompanied by members of the training team and National Support Element visited the following Military Sites; Stanford Training Area, Salisbury Plain Training Area, Longmoor Training Area, Lydd Ranges, Sennybridge Training Area, Barton Road Ranges, and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Cultural visits to The Houses of Parliament, Wellington Barracks, Foot Guards Museum, Household Cavalry Museum, Downing Street, changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and Duxford Imperial War Museum also took place. The GPF were also escorted to shops in the local area, and Cambridge City Centre.
Asked by: Robin Walker (Conservative - Worcester)
Question
To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what grants the Church Commissioners have given to churches in (a) Worcester and (b) Worcestershire from the church roof repair fund in the last four years.
Answered by Tony Baldry
The Church Commissioners are grateful to the Treasury for making the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund available to its Cathedrals alongside extending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to include repairs to church roofs and rain water guttering.
(a) The Cathedral at Worcester has received a total of £330,000 toward to costs of restoring its east window and to replace and weather-proof the ceiling & roof of the cathedral’s ancient library. The Cathedral successfully entered the bids for funding in rounds 1 and 2 of the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund which has so far assisted 32 of the Church of England’s Cathedrals. There is one final round to which Cathedrals both Anglican and Catholic can enter bids before the fund closes, the Church Commissioners hope the last few Cathedrals with substantial works pending who are yet to submit a bid will consider putting applications forward.
(b) The fund which the Chancellor has made available within the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund has only been available since the 2014 Autumn Statement, no funding or grants for roof repairs have be available centrally prior to this. The Roof Repair Fund is not administered by the Church of England but by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, who will make decisions on grants given.
The Church of England has advised all Diocesan Advisory Commissions (who assist Parishes with advice on repairs and alterations to architecture and fabric of buildings) to encourage and assist with applications to the fund which closes on the 30th January 2015. From the Diocese of Worcester the Church of England understands 24 parish churches will apply, 7 parishes are currently on the English Heritage, ‘Heritage at Risk Register’ with a further 17 parishes in urgent need. These figures is based on initial responses, rather than formal expressions of interest. Not all parishes will be successful in their bids for assistance and each case will be judged on its merits. This fund like the WW1 Cathedrals Fund will enable the parishes to invest money into their wider community helping those in greatest need rather than spending money just keeping the building watertight.
Asked by: Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to grant official recognition to Captain Bruce Bairnsfather for the contribution of his cartoons to the morale of the men on the fighting front, the nation on the home front, and United Kingdom allies in the 1914–18 war.
Answered by Lord Astor of Hever
Captain Bairnsfather’s cartoons played a significant role in maintaining the morale of British troops during the First World War. It is therefore right that his contribution to the war effort is recognised. He is commemorated by the English Heritage Blue Plaque at 1 Sterling Street in Knightsbridge, London. The plaque was erected in 1981 to commemorate the site of one of his old studios. He is also commemorated by plaques at his former home in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Royal British Legion Club in Colwall, near Malvern in Worcestershire. The Ministry of Defence has no further plans to commemorate Captain Bairnsfather’s contribution.
Asked by: Lord Fearn (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance is available to communities that seek to improve their First and Second World War memorials.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The DCMS-run Memorial Grant Scheme can be used by charities and faith groups to reclaim the VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to war memorials.
War Memorials Trust website offers a wealth of information on available grants and advice for communities planning to repair and conserve their war memorials.
The Government has just announced that it will give the War Memorials Trust up to £3 million over the First World War centenary period to boost the funds available to local communities for the repair and conservation of war memorials. English Heritage, Imperial War Museums and Civic Voice will together be given £1.5 million over the same period to deliver better protection through Listing, a greater pool of specialist skills, a national register of war memorials, and a network of trained volunteers.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding his Department has allocated to the maintenance of war memorials in each of the next three years; what steps it takes to ensure that war memorials are maintained to a high standard; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The DCMS-run Memorial Grant Scheme has a budget of £543,000 for this financial year. Grants are available to charities and faith groups, and can be used to repair and maintain war memorials. The Government has today announced that it will give the War Memorials Trust up to £3 million over the First World War centenary period to boost the funds available to local communities for the repair and conservation of war memorials. English Heritage, Imperial War Museums and Civic Voice will together be given £1.5 million over the same period to deliver better protection through Listing, a greater pool of specialist skills, a national register of war memorials, and a network of trained volunteers.