§ 14. Mr. IllsleyTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to make the national lottery more responsive to the views of ordinary people. [374]
§ Mr. Chris SmithThe Government's proposals to reform the national lottery are specifically designed to meet the concerns of the public over the way it has worked to date. The new good causes are ones which have overwhelming public support and our plans to seek a not-for-profit operator will help maintain the public's faith in the lottery by maximising the amount going to the good causes.
§ 15. Mr. Bernard JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much lottery money he plans to divert to health and education. [375]
§ Mr. SmithWe intend to invest £1 billion between now and 2001 in health, education and establishing a national endowment for science and the arts, while maintaining our commitment to the existing good causes.
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§ 16. Ms Beverley HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the estimated amount that will be available for good causes in the current financial year from the national lottery. [376]
§ Mr. FisherIncome to the good causes depends on sales levels of national lottery tickets and other factors such as the interest gained by the good cause fund. We expect that between £1.6 billion and £1.8 billion will be raised for the good causes in this financial year.
§ 19. Mr. RammellTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on his proposals to use funds generated from the midweek lottery to finance health and education projects. [379]
§ Mr. SmithThe lottery reform Bill will allow lottery funds to make a greater impact than ever before on communities all over the country. The first areas to benefit will be: IT training for teachers, to give them the skills and the materials to exploit new technologies in schools; after-school clubs, to provide homework centres and extra-curricular opportunities in the arts and culture; and healthy living centres, to establish a national network of one-stop centres promoting health and fitness.
§ 20. Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when funds from the lottery will be diverted to educational projects. [380]
§ Mr. SmithThe Government will invest £1 billion between now and 2001 in spending on health and education projects and establishing a national endowment for science and the arts. The programme will start as soon as the necessary legislative changes have been made.
§ 24. Mr. HansonTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consultations he intends to undertake with health authorities requiring the use of lottery funds for health service expenditure. [386]
§ Mr. SmithWe will undertake wide consultation on our plans for the national lottery in the coming months and will publish a White Paper in the summer. We will make sure everyone with an interest in the national lottery, including health authorities, has an opportunity to present their views.
§ Miss Anne BeggTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has to restructure the national lottery. [363]
§ Mr. Tom ClarkeThe Bill to reform the lottery will widen access to the benefits of the lottery and introduce a more strategic and co-ordinated approach to distribution of the proceeds. We will also seek a competitive and efficient not-for-profit operator so that the maximum amount of money possible goes to the good causes.