§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to make funds available to Newcastle under Lyme borough council for Newcastle recreational project 1746/88 and to finance similar projects in operation throughout the United Kingdom now and in the future; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierGovernment money specifically allocated to sport and recreation is channelled through the Sports Council. The council dispenses these funds in accordance with its own policies on a regional and national basis. Priority is given to projects which provide sport and recreation opportunities for areas and groups of special need including the unemployed. I understand that the council's west midlands region provided some financial support last year for the Newcastle recreation project and that similar projects in other regions are also assisted by the council. The Government fully support the Sports Council's "areas of special need" policies and increased the council's grant by over £2 million for this purpose in 1988–89, to a total of £39 million.