§ 13. Mr. Pendryasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times the Minister responsible for sport in Northern Ireland met the Sports Council for Northern Ireland before 16 June.
§ Mr. GoodhartMy noble Friend Lord Elton met members of the Sports Council formally on two occasions before 16 June.
§ Mr. PendryDoes the Minister accept that one meeting was at the request of the Sports Council? Does he further accept that at the meeting on 16 June the Sports Council was told that, following a review in which it was not invited to participate, its executive functions were to be axed? Does he agree that not only does that cut across the findings of the review body on non-departmental bodies, but, more importantly, the Conservative Party's election manifesto commitment on page 292, paragraph 4?
§ Mr. GoodhartIt does not cut across any commitments. Apart from the two formal meetings held with my noble Friend, there were many informal discussions.
§ Mr. StrawIs the Minister aware that it is accepted on both sides of the House that that body has been pursuing a valuable, non-sectarian role under difficult circumstances? If the Government are saying that the administrative costs are too high, why has there been no serious attempt made by the Minister and his empire-building Department of Education to reduce the administrative costs, rather than wipe out that valuable body altogether?
§ Mr. GoodhartMore than 41 per cent. of the money made available to the 746 Sports Council was spent on administrative costs. That is excessive by any standards. Beyond that, there were further claims to increase substantially the administrative staff of the Sports Council. That was clearly not acceptable.