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Olympic Games: Greater London

Volume 460: debated on Monday 14 May 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation given by KPMG on 28 November 2005 to update the Olympic cost review steering group members on progress of the study. (133636)

There is no copy of the presentation given by KPMG. This was an oral report, as is recorded in the minutes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who the members are of the Olympic Board, referred to in Note 3 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 28 November 2005. (133643)

The members of the Olympic Board on 28 of November 2005 were the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Lord Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the draft report that was produced by KPMG referred to in point four of the minutes of the first meeting of the Olympic cost review steering group held on 31 October 2005. (133644)

No draft report was produced as KPMG's role was changed at that time to one of providing ongoing advice to the Department as part of the more detailed cost review that we were undertaking.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will place in the Library a copy of the briefing notes provided to the Treasury as referred to in Note 2 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 14 November 2005; (133663)

(2) for what purpose the Treasury needed the briefing referred to in Note 2 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 14 November 2005.

As there was no briefing to the Olympic board steering group on 22 Dec 2005, no briefing was provided to the Treasury on this matter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) dates and (b) ministerial attendees were for each meeting held to brief the Treasury on the findings of the cost review. (133664)

The dates of meetings were 20 July and 21 September 2006. The Ministers attending were as follows:

On 20 July—the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the Minister for Sport and myself.

On 21 September—I met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many compulsory purchase orders the Government have made for land to be used for the 2012 Olympic Games. (134584)

Two compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) have been made by the London Development Agency (LDA) to secure the delivery of the land required for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the long-term regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley.

The Undergrounding of Powerlines, Lower Lea Valley CPO 2005 enables the 52 pylons that lie within the Lower Lea Valley to be removed and the electricity powerlines that they currently carry across the park to be buried.

The Lower Lea Valley, Olympic and Legacy CPO 2005 was made to ensure that the LDA is able to meet its commitment to assemble all of the land required for the long-term cohesive and sustainable regeneration of the area.

Following public inquiries in 2006, the LDA has now had its compulsory purchase powers for both CPOs confirmed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proportion of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s construction work which will quality for Industrial Buildings Allowance. (135569)

[holding answer 3 May 2007]: According to the current legislation industrial buildings allowances (IBA) can be applied for by the person with a relevant interest who incurs expenditure on the construction of an industrial building once it is brought into use for the purposes of a qualifying trade. The main qualifying trades are manufacturing, processing, certain storage businesses and transport undertakings. However, as announced in this year’s Budget this particular allowance is to be phased out by 1 April 2011. As a result, it will not have any potential application to the construction and legacy use of the Olympic Park.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what value of Lottery funds she estimates will be diverted from good causes in Northern Ireland as a result of the increase in the estimated cost of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (136027)

Of the additional £675 million I announced on 15 March, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland will contribute £2.5 million and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland £2.3 million.

Of the relevant UK-wide distributing bodies, Heritage Lottery Fund will make a contribution towards the additional £675 million of £90.2 million and Big Lottery Fund will make a contribution of £425 million. It is for these distributors to determine the proportion of their funding which goes to Northern Ireland.

Grants already made need not be affected and we have agreed with the Big Lottery Fund that resources for the voluntary and community sector will be protected. The sector will still receive at least the amount implied by Big’s earlier commitment, that is, around £2 billion.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the total budget for the London Olympics in 2012 set aside for direct funding of cultural events which are part of the cultural Olympiad is for (a) mandatory ceremonies, (b) bid projects and signature events and (c) UK cultural festivals. (136605)

The mandatory ceremonies will be directly funded from the London 2012 Organising Committee's budget for the 2012 games. It is confident that the mandatory ceremonies will be funded within its £2 billion revenue budget. The bid projects and signature events and the UK-wide cultural festival will be delivered and funded in partnership with a range of public and private partners.