§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will list the composition of the Ministerial Design Champions Group; and if she will make a statement; [41957]
(2) if she will publish the terms of reference of the Ministerial Design Champions Group and its status in Government; and if she will make a statement. [41956]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Ministerial Design Champions Group is an inter-departmental working group of Ministers chaired by my noble Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton on behalf of the Prime Minister. It comprises: Lord Falconer—Chair (DTLR; Baroness Blackstone (DCMS); Angela Eagle (Home Office); Elliot Morley (DEFRA); Brian Wilson (DTI); Malcolm Wicks (DWP); Andrew Smith (HM Treasury); Dr. Lewis Moonie (MOD); Baroness Ashton (DIES); Michael Wills (LCD); Lord Hunt (DOH); Denis MacShane (FCO); Chris Leslie (Cabinet Office), Mike Watson MSP (Scotland); Sue Essex AM (Wales); Dr. Sean Farren (NI); Sir Stuart Lipton (CABE).
Each Ministerial Design Champion is expected to:
(i) maintain a clear understanding of the extent and content of his/her Department's capital programme, including buildings and infrastructure; and the design implications of that programme in relation to the Government's wider objectives such as promotion of health, prevention of crime, urban regeneration and improvement of the environment;
(ii) personally sponsor at least two projects within his/her Departmental remit in order to ensure his/her understanding of the issues and to drive home the message by example to other project sponsors and programme managers;
(iii) oversee a departmental action plan to improve design quality across his/her department and sponsored bodies, ensuring that procedures encourage the 1283W achievement of high design quality and that sufficient resources are allocated to the production of the plan and the delivery of its conclusions;
(iv) encourage a commitment to Better Public Buildings by all Ministers, officials and others who have influence over building works under his/her Department's authority; and
(v) ensure that high quality design is part of an efficient and effective procurement process, under HM Treasury's Achieving Excellence initiative and DETR's Rethinking Construction initiative.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when the Ministerial Design Champions Group will next meet; and if she will make a statement; [41959]
(2) when the Ministerial Design Champions Group last met; and if she will make a statement. [41954]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Ministerial Design Champions Group last met on 17 January 2002; it will next meet on 22 May 2002.