§ Nick HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received concerning the accountability of(a) the lottery distributing bodies and (b) their application processes to (i) applicants, (ii) the public and (iii) her Department; what assessment she has made of them; and if she will make a statement. [17948]
§ Mr. CabornMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has from time to time received representations about the accountability of the lottery distributors and their application processes. The accounting officer of a lottery distributor is accountable to both the Department's Permanent Secretary and to Parliament for the proper and prudent expenditure of funds, and distributors' activities are subject to external audit by the National Audit Office. As lottery proceeds allocated to distributors are public money, the general principles of Government Accounting must be applied in the design and implementation of systems for the distribution of that money.
§ Nick HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the variation in expenditure, relative to revenue received, of the lottery income distributing bodies; and if she will make a statement. [17947]
§ Mr. CabornLottery distributing bodies do not hold the same level of cash balances due to the differing nature of schemes or programmes operated. Funds are committed to a broad range of projects and money is drawn down when it is needed and not before, in compliance with Government Accounting procedures. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to work closely with the lottery distributors to ensure that people see the benefits of Lottery awards as quickly as possible.
§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how outdoor adventure facilities will be affected in the west midlands by the new opportunities for school and community sports lottery funds. [18339]
§ Mr. CabornThe new opportunities fund has informed local education authorities that it expects between 5 per cent. and 10 per cent. of allocations to be used to develop outdoor adventure facilities. On that basis, between £3,064,000 and £6.127,000 of funding will be used to modernise or build outdoor adventure facilities either in the west midlands or for use by young people from the west midlands.
§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has offered to education authorities regarding(a) who should be consulted in the west midlands regarding the spending of 967W funding allocations and (b) such spending, under new opportunities for schools and county sport lottery initiative. [18336]
§ Mr. CabornThe new opportunities fund has sent guidance materials to all local education authorities (LEAs) including advice on the range of organisations that should be consulted before applications are submitted. The fund would expect LEAs to consult, for example: other local authority departments; sports governing bodies; the NHS; primary care groups; and the voluntary sector. Where local strategic partnerships have been established, the fund expects that they will play a central role in strategic planning for grant schemes.
Workshops have been arranged in January 2002 to help LEAs develop applications in more detail. Sport England will offer advice and support to LEAs, where they request it, on sports development issues.
§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements she has made to monitor (1) the impact of the new opportunities for school and community sport lottery moneys on social exclusion; [18343]
(2) the positive impact of the new opportunities for school and community sport lottery funds on providing young people with a healthy lifestyle. [18344]
§ Mr. CabornThe new opportunities fund is currently developing proposals for the evaluation of the new opportunities for PE and sport programme. The impact of the programme in promoting social inclusion will form part of the evaluative work.
§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how she will monitor the provision of new opportunities for school and community sport in disadvantaged areas. [18340]
§ Mr. CabornAll applicants will be required to demonstrate how their proposed projects promote social inclusion. When local partnerships complete initial applications the fund will be able to assess how many projects are based in disadvantaged areas or meet the needs of disadvantaged children and communities.
§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the provision of sports facilities for children with disabilities under the new opportunities for school and community sport lottery funds. [18335]
§ Mr. CabornFacilities will be developed through the programme that encourage access by all groups in society, including young people with disabilities.
Applications will be assessed against the key aims of the programme, including the promotion of social inclusion through access to and use of sports facilities by all groups in society and innovation and best practice in the design and management of facilities.
§ Ms ShipleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how she will ensure that money from the new opportunities for school and community sport will provide more opportunities for young people from disadvantaged areas. [18341]
968W
§ Mr. CabornProvisional allocations of funding in each local area have been determined using the size of the school age population and the levels of deprivation. Fifty per cent. of the funds available in England has been allocated on the basis of levels of deprivation.