§ 2.35 p.m.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make a progress report of the work of the Advisory Committee concerned with the applications from governing bodies of sport asking for grant-aid for teams competing in amateur international sports events overseas.]
THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGH)My Lords, to date 21 applications have been received. In 2 cases a grant has been approved. Several other cases have progressed to the stage when it is hoped that a decision will not be long delayed. The remainder are under consideration.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, without wishing to look the smallest gift horse in the mouth, 2 I would inform the noble Earl that when I was at school we had a slow bicycle race and the person who came in last won, and I wonder whether the noble Earl would agree that this Committee would have won all the time? May I ask him, arising from that, whether he himself does not consider that, for 2 out of 21 cases to have been decided over a period of seven months from the date when I first put down a Question on this matter, is to have taken a rather long time?
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, I think that when the noble Baroness put down her first Question the applications had not yet been received. I can assure the noble Baroness that there is no delay whatever in dealing with these applications, and that no one is going to suffer as a result of the time taken in considering the applications. This work is reasonably well advanced.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, may I ask the noble Earl a further question? Can he give the House any information as to the proportion of grant made in so far as money is concerned in respect of the two applications which have been approved?
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, I can inform your Lordships that in fact a very substantial part of the money sought by these sporting organisations has been granted in so far as travelling expenses are concerned.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYYes, my Lords, but can the noble Earl be a little more specific, because that really does not help us very much?
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot be more specific as each case varies to some extent, but I know that the requests have been very largely met.