§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the current National Lottery surplus; and if he will make a statement. [62634]
§ Mr. BanksThe National Lottery has so far raised £6.6 billion for Good Causes. £5.6 billion has been awarded to projects across the UK of which £2.99 billion has already been paid out. The remaining £1 billion is yet to be committed to projects. Any money held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund earns (tax free) interest for the good causes.
The recent changes to the Lottery will allow a more flexible approach to distributing Lottery money. The shift in emphasis from buildings to people should mean that more money will be distributed more quickly across the country.