§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) which of the agencies and NDPBs sponsored by her Department have a regional organisation; and if she will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in(a) 1997 and (b) 2002; [58939]
(2) what regional organisation her Department has; and if she will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002. [58938]
§ Dr. HowellsMy Department does not have its own regional organisation, but works with and through the Government offices for the regions. Since summer 1999, one member of staff with the responsibility for my Department's agenda, has been based in each of the nine regional Government offices.
In 1997, most regions had a gathering of cultural agencies such as arts, sport and heritage, but there was no forum which brought together wider cultural interests such as local government, regional development agencies and key cultural players. Since December 1999, each of 270W the eight regions outside London has had a regional cultural consortium, sponsored by my Department, which brings together representatives of all cultural sectors.
The following non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department have a regional organisation whose regional boundaries match those of the Government office regions: Sport England. English Heritage, Arts Council of England, New Opportunities Fund, The Community Fund and Awards for All—a joint lottery distributor programme. All have offices in each of the nine regions. In addition, the Film C uncil is in the process of bringing together regional screen organisations throughout England and they too will have an office in each region.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is in the process of opening up regional offices which should be operational by July. They will have an office in each region except that the south-east and London regions will both be based in the London office.
The Independent Television Commission has four regional offices. The regions covered by these offices are as follows: north of England (this covers the north-west, north-east and Yorkshire Government office regions); midlands and east of England (this covers the west midlands; east midlands and east of England Government office regions as well as parts of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire); south and south-west England and the Channel Islands (this covers the London, south-east and south-west Government office regions; excluding parts of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Somerset); Wales and the west of England (which includes parts of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset).
The English Tourism Council does not have a regional organisation of its own. However, much of its work is carried out by the 10 regional tourist boards, which are independent bodies. These are arranged as follows: Cumbria; east of England (this covers the east of England Government office region); heart of England (this covers the west midlands and east midlands Government office regions); London; Northumbria (this covers the north-east Government office region); north-west (this covers the north-west Government office regions except Cumbria); south-east of England (the counties of East and West Sussex, Kent and Surrey, and the unitary authorities of Brighton and Hove, and Medway); southern (the counties of Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, the unitary authorities of Bracknell Forest, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Milton Keynes, and East Dorset district); south-west (this covers the south-west Government office region, excluding the East Dorset district); Yorkshire (this covers the Yorkshire Government office region).
I am arranging for a list of the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002 to be placed in the House Library.