§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to encourage the use of National Lottery funds to help(a) museums, (b) galleries and (c) libraries add to their collections. [72021]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 22 February 1999]The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has already contributed, and will continue to provide, a large amount of capital investment to museums, galleries and libraries. The HLF is currently preparing its strategic plan; funding for the addition of important collections or single objects to museum and gallery collections and the acquisition of library collections of heritage importance will continue to be a significant part of its overall support for the heritage.
The Government are committed to ensuring that every public library has access to the extensive resources of the National Grid for Learning. The New Opportunities Fund will be providing £70 million to assist in the development of new digital resources and the provision of relevant training for public library staff.
Number of press releases issued Year Department 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Treasury1 86 107 153 140 162 185 187 184 239 Inland Revenue 170 240 173 271 252 270 235 138 168 Customs and Excise 88 77 62 76 52 62 59 37 31 Office for National Statistics 181 181 193 193 285 308 282 372 441 Debt Management Office — — — — — — — — 231 National Savings 51 51 57 49 44 47 47 57 68 Royal Mint3 13 6 6 18 10 7 20 27 23 Valuation Office — — — — — — — — 413 Government Actuary's Department 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Registry5 5 6 9 10 11 18 9 17 6 National Investment and Loans Office 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1The numbers include press releases issued on Budget and Pre-Budget Report days. 2The Debt Management Office was launched on 1 April 1998. 3Includes only press releases issued in the UK. 4The Valuation Office started issuing its own press releases in April 1998. Before this they were issued by the Inland Revenue. 5Includes Building Societies Commission and Friendly Societies Commission.