HC Deb 11 April 2003 vol 403 cc418-9W
Mr. Simon

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the Review of Lottery Funding consultation paper launched last year. [108212]

Tessa Jowell

We received over 400 substantive responses from a wide range of people including local authorities, charities, voluntary groups, individual members of the public and of course Lottery distributors. An analysis of the responses can be found on the Department's website at www.culture.gov.uk/lottery and we are using them to help develop specific proposals which we intend to publish this summer.

Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set up a system to report the proportion of Lottery funds which are spent on projects that previously would have competed for central government funding. [108473]

Mr. Caborn

We have no plans to set up a system on this basis. It is the Government's policy that Lottery funding should be additional to, rather than substitute for, Government spending.

Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the good causes Lottery money was distributed via the(a) Community Fund and (b) New Opportunities Fund in 2002–03; and what her estimate is of these proportions in the next two years. [108477]

Mr. Caborn

Of all the money entering the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) in 2002–03, one sixth was allocated for distribution by the Community Fund and one third by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF). I have guaranteed the share passing to the charitable good cause until 2009. Currently this is distributed solely by the Community Fund. There are no plans at present to change the share passing to the NOF, which distributes funds for health, education and environment good causes.

Interest accruing on the balance held in the NLDF passes to the distributors in proportion to their share of the overall balance.