HC Deb 12 June 1969 vol 784 cc282-3W
Mr. Charles Morrison

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table giving the number of applications for grant under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937, in each of the financial years from 1964 to 1969, inclusive, indicating separately how many of the applications were approved, how many were refused and how many were postponed.

Mr. Denis Howell

The numbers of applications for capital grant received from local voluntary organisations in England and Wales were as follows:

1964–65 564
1965–66 499
1966–67 435
1967–68 595
1968–69 722

The following table gives the total offers made, the number of applications refused and the number withdrawn in each financial year:

Offers made Amount of grant paid Applications refused Applications withdrawn
£m.
1964–65 410 0.26 67 9
1965–66 274 0.55 63 24
1966–67 409 0.55 58 29
1967–68 324 0.74 64 55
1968–69 242 0.78 179* 87
* 101 of these relate to applications which were not awarded sufficient priority by Regional Sports Councils to be considered further under a priority procedure introduced in 1968–69.

Mr. Charles Morrison

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the criteria laid down for approval to grants under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937, and how priorities for the allocation of grants are decided.

Mr. Denis Howell

The principle administrative requirements for capital grant to local voluntary organisations under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937 are that the applicant body should be nonprofit-making and have an open membership and the cost to the individual should be reasonable. In all cases the applicants have to prove financial need and demonstrate their ability to maintain the new facilities.

Priorities for applications are determined by regional sports councils and each council determines its own criteria for assessing priorities in the light of any special circumstances of its region.