HC Deb 03 February 1997 vol 289 c490W
20. Mr. Jessel

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how the work of the Arts Council of England has been affected by the provision of funding from the national lottery. [12237]

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

The national lottery has more than doubled the funds available for distribution by the Arts Council of England, enabling a level of support for the country's arts facilities that has never been seen before. It has enabled the Arts Council to work with, and support, a far wider range of arts projects covering the whole spectrum of arts activity from amateur groups to the commercial sector.