§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what powers the Scottish Parliament will have to(a) alter policy priorities in Scotland for the New Opportunities Fund and (b) increase the proportion of New Opportunities Fund money which goes to the Scottish Land Fund; [67421]
(2) if he will make a statement on the powers of the (a) Scottish Parliament, (b) Welsh assembly and (c) Northern Ireland assembly to direct or alter the distribution of lottery funds by each of the lottery distribution bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; [67419]
(3) if he will make a statement outlining the mechanism under which payments will be made to the proposed Scottish Land Fund from the New Opportunities Fund; and who will decide the level of payments made from the New Opportunities Fund into the proposed Scottish Land Fund. [67420]
261W
§ Mr. Banks[holding answer 26 January 1999]: The power currently held by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland to issue policy directions to Scottish sports and arts Lottery distributors will be transferred to Ministers of the Scottish Parliament. In relation to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Lottery Charities Board and the New Opportunities Fund (NOF), whose operations range across the UK, Scottish Ministers will be able to make directions which require distributors to take into account for their activities in Scotland the desirability of achieving particular objectives for devolved policy areas including giving priority to particular kinds of recipients, or recipients in particular parts of Scotland. In the case of a NOF initiative applying only in Scotland, Scottish Ministers will after consultation with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport be able to make the order specifying the initiative, and to issue directions on any matter except the amount of funding to be allocated to the initiative. Powers in relation to the Millennium Commission will remain unchanged since most of its work is now complete. Scottish Ministers will not be able to make directions relating to the allocation of resources between Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom, or those relating to the administration of Lottery funding, regardless of the purposes to be achieved by particular projects. Scottish Ministers will however be consulted on these matters as they affect Scotland.
Similar arrangements will apply to the National Assembly for Wales, although any order specifying a Wales only initiative of the New Opportunities Fund would be made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with the agreement of the Assembly. The details of these arrangements, including their application to a Northern Ireland Assembly, are still under consideration. Concordats being drawn up between my department and home country departments will set out how the new arrangements will work.
There has been widespread public consultation on the three new NOF initiatives, which include one on green spaces and sustainable communities which could in Scotland constitute a Scottish Land Fund. Consultation on this initiative closed on 15 January and no decisions have yet been made regarding the final form of the initiatives or the financial allocations. After consultation with Scottish Ministers, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will decide the level of funding each initiative will receive and has the power to direct that a percentage of this amount be used in Scotland. NOF will administer the grant-giving process, taking into account the directions they have been given and decide which applicants should be supported.