Heritage Green Paper (Hansard, 14 October 1996)

§ 6. Dr. Twinn
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on progress on consultation on the heritage Green Paper. [37927]

§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
The closing date for response to the consultation paper "Protecting our Heritage" was 30 September. A substantial number of comments have been received. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I are studying them carefully.

§ Dr. Twinn
I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer and for the money from the Millennium Commission that has already been given to enhance our architectural heritage through the Church Floodlighting Trust. Has my right hon. Friend had any consultations about the importance of our historic churches and chapels? Does she agree that they often represent the most significant part of our local architectural heritage? Will she support them in order to maintain that heritage for the future?

§ Mrs. Bottomley
I can indeed give my hon. Friend great encouragement. Apart from the Millennium Commission funding for church projects, the heritage lottery fund has already made 104 awards. Later this week, English Heritage, together with the heritage lottery fund, will announce an extremely welcome further initiative to streamline assistance for churches and to add significantly to the resources available for that. I think churches are part of our national heritage and that that announcement will be an extremely popular further development.

§ Mr. Dalyell
Could the House have a rather less frivolous answer to the first important question asked by my right hon. Friend the Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham)? If there is to be consultation, are we to assume that those who pay £500, or whatever, for breakfast, or whatever, are entitled to privileged access over those who take part in the established civil service 450 view of consultation—the kind of precedent that has been set hitherto by the civil service in serious consultations? Is money going to buy the Minister's ear?

§ Mrs. Bottomley
The right hon. Member for Copeland had a very serious answer from me: I am available at virtually every major tourist event and I am only too happy to hear directly from people about their concerns and about the real issues. I find that a great number of people are extremely worried about Labour's tourism taxes and the threat that they would pose to a very important industry. A great number of new jobs are expected to be created in that industry, but they would be jeopardised by the minimum wage and the social chapter. It is quite simple: the Conservative party, like the Labour party, and even like the Liberal party, organises a number of events that are sponsored. A sponsored event is such that the meeting is open to anyone who wants to pay £7.50 for breakfast.

§ Sir Patrick Cormack
Is my right hon. Friend aware that, welcome as her answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Edmonton (Dr. Twinn) was, the fact remains that churches are paying more in value added tax than they receive in grants from English Heritage, important as those grants are? Will my right hon. Friend talk to her Treasury colleagues in the next few weeks to try to ensure that something is done to put that right?

§ Mrs. Bottomley
I find myself having many close discussions with the Treasury at this time of year and I shall seek to ensure that my hon. Friend's comments are added to them. My hon. Friend has made a crucial contribution to the step change in the amount of money available to churches. Many congregations feel that they would rather raise money for the poor and any number of other good causes and are worried about the amount of money that goes into preserving their buildings. The initiative will be a proper and popular use of lottery money.