§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost to public funds of the poetry competition for educational and other organisations conducted to mark the coming into force of the Human Rights Act 1998; how many institutions and organisations were asked to submit poems; how many persons in total are enrolled at the institutions and organisations contacted; how many poems were submitted; what the cost the public funds was of the advertisements containing the winning poems; and if he will make a statement. [134868]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe competition invited young people to explore the underlying principles of the Human Rights Act 1998 through the creative medium of their choice. It was managed on our behalf by the Citizenship Foundation, at a cost of £23,113. A total of 7,234 schools and youth groups were invited to participate, all of whom received an information pack about the competition and the Human Rights Act. 280 formal entries, involving over 1,000 young people, were received. These included poetry, drama, posters, collages, songs, board games and websites. The advertisements that used the winning poem cost £307,103 which also resulted in additional coverage by the media of the Human Rights Act launch. The standard of competition entries was high, and showed an impressive understanding by young people of the rights and responsibilities culture the Human Rights Act will help to develop. The competition as a whole played a valuable and successful part in our work to raise awareness of the Human Rights Act.