§ 2. Mr. CongdonTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many good causes in London have been awarded funds from the national lottery. [21893]
§ The Secretary of State for National Heritage (Mrs. Virginia Bottomley)Awards totalling £315 million have been made to 444 projects in London.
§ Mr. CongdonI thank my right hon. Friend for that announcement, and in particular for the major flagship projects in London that have benefited. Will she pay tribute to the many small organisations that have benefited from the national lottery, in particular the Croydon victim support scheme and the Croydon refugee project? Do not those projects show the lottery's value to a variety of good causes, not only in London but throughout the country?
§ Mrs. BottomleyI pay a special tribute to the National Lottery Charities Board, which has done a magnificent job in a very short space of time in providing grants to organisations involved in care in the community. In London, the board has provided around 225 grants, concerned with old people's welfare, volunteer bureaux, Mencap, toy libraries, under-fives projects and all manner of schemes to help support others in the community.
§ Mr. Simon HughesThe Secretary of State is aware of the apparent regional competition for the allocation of lottery money. Will she consider doing two things to ensure that the situation is understood? First, will she allow the provision of formalised regional figures that would compare a region's allocations with its population? Secondly, and more important, will she allow the identification of grants that are clearly for local projects—such as those mentioned by the hon. Member for Croydon, North-East (Mr. Congdon)—and those which are clearly for national projects, such as money for the Tate or the Earth centre in Doncaster, which are located in one region, but are for national and general benefit?
§ Mrs. BottomleyThe hon. Gentleman is aware that there are some myths and misunderstandings about distribution of lottery money. Nine out of 10 awards have been outside London and four out of five awards have been for amounts less than £100,000. Frequently, large flagship projects draw attention and give a somewhat misleading impression but, as the hon. Gentleman will know, some flagship projects in London are leading to major opportunities in regeneration. Certainly the projects in his constituency—the £50 million Bankside project, the Globe theatre and others—mean that we can hope for a cultural quarter in London such as they have in Paris.