HC Deb 13 April 1999 vol 329 cc81-3W
Mr. Maclean

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list for(a) small and medium enterprises and (b) larger companies (i) all licences and permits issued by his Department and its agencies to companies permitting them to carry out their business, (ii) the cost of each such licence or permit in

Name Nature of business
New Shakespeare Company Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
The Zoological Society of London Regent's Park Zoo
Kook Fang Won Chinese Restaurant Access to floating restaurant, Regent's Park
British Waterways Board Access to Grand Union Canal
Serpentine Gallery Art gallery, Kensington Gardens
Hampton pool Ltd. Swimming Pool, Bushy Park
Royal Collection Enterprises Buckingham Palace Ticket Office
Mrs. A.M. Collins Flower seller, Bushy Park
Cavan Bakery Baker's, Bushy Park
Hearsum Family Ltd. Catering, Penbroke Lodge Richmond Park
Golf Course Management Ltd. Management of Richmond Park Golf Course
Original Bike Hire Bike Hire Richmond Park
Crown Catering Group Hyde Park Deli cafeteria
Golf Learning Centres Regent's Park Golf and Tennis School
Said Lakhdar Kensington Gardens kiosk catering
Park Café (formerly Kessler's Plc) Catering in Greenwich Park, Regent's Park Rose Garden and the Lido Pavilion; managing the Greenwich Park Visitor Centre; managing the Royal Parks' deckchair concession
Sterling Food Services Mobile catering facilities in St. James's Park, Hyde Park and Bushy Park; the sports facilities in Hyde Park

(A) 1997–98 and (B) 1999–2000 and (iii) the current number of companies which are in receipt of each such licence or permit. [76849]

Mr. Chris Smith

[holding answer 16 March 1999]My Department has issued the following licences and permits:

Seventy-five permits for filming and photo shoots in Trafalgar Square were issued in 1997-98 at a total cost of £ 12,620. The permits are for one-off events for various organisations using Trafalgar Square for a day or part of a day for filming purposes. No permits have yet been issued for 1999–2000.

Eighty-nine media passes for news broadcasts on Trafalgar Square—these are issued free of charge.

A pigeon feed licence on Trafalgar Square in 1995 on a three year basis to BPR Investments—the value of which is commercial in confidence. This was renewed in December 1998 for a further six months.

Licences are also issued to named individuals to carry out activities on designated wreck sites. They are not issued to businesses or companies and are issued free of charge.

My Department's agency, the Royal Parks Agency, issued 362 still photography permits and 310 film licences in 1997–98 for a total of –128,000. The majority of these licences are issued to small enterprises or to individuals for such things as wedding photographs, fashion and other commercial advertisements. The majority of these licences are issued on an ad hoc basis and no figures are available centrally for 1999–2000. The licence fees are charged by the individual parks and the amount depends on the number of people and vehicles involved in the filming and the time spent in the park.

The Royal Parks Agency also currently licenses 22 businesses to operate in the Royal Parks. Fees are classified as commercial in confidence and the majority are based on a percentage of the income generated by the business. They are issued following tender auction and are issued to established business on a term basis, usually between 3 and 7 years. The majority were issued before 1997–98 and are scheduled to run beyond 1999–2000.

The details are as follows:

Name Nature of business
Miss T. Rumsey Bushy Park mobile catering
EC Soft Ice Mobile catering Victoria Tower Gardens
Any Time Any Place Ltd. Catering, Richmond Park
Bluebird Boats Ltd. Boating concession in Hyde park and Greenwith park
Park Boats Ltd. Boating and catering concessions in Regent's Park