Mr Iain Sproat: We will give every possible promotional help to the FA or to the other football authorities in the United Kingdom, to help them bring the World cup here. In the past few days, I had a discussion with Mr. David Davis about that matter, and we have arranged to hold a further meeting, at which I and other members of the FA can decide what best may be done.
Mr Iain Sproat: The total number of book loans in English public libraries was 450.5 million in 1994ߝ95, the latest year for which confirmed figures are available.
Mr Iain Sproat: Yes. It was very disappointing indeed that that was done, not least because the amount that is spent on libraries throughout England—about £500 million— has actually increased by 2 per cent. in real terms on average in the country as a whole, so it was a pity that Essex was not able to follow what other authorities apparently were doing. However, I pay tribute to the efficiency and...
Mr Iain Sproat: None as yet. The Sports Council has recently undertaken a nationwide consultation exercise to help it determine and develop the proposed schemes and priorities It will announce the new arrangements shortly.
Mr Iain Sproat: My hon. Friend has been in touch with me about both his constituents. I congratulate him on his assiduity. We shall have to wait until the Sports Council makes its announcement about how much money will be spent, but I expect about £10 million to £15 million to be set aside to help young sportsmen and women.
Mr Iain Sproat: Yes, I certainly can. This might be a suitable occasion on which to say that the young sportswoman about whom we corresponded, Miss Caroline Ellis, had great success. I congratulate the hon. and learned Gentleman on the assiduity with which he carried that matter, through. I confirm that athletes with disabilities will be eligible for the revenue funding that we shall announce shortly.
Mr Iain Sproat: It is a genuine announcement. In case my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr. Luff) does not catch your eye on this matter, Madam Speaker, may I thank him for all the help that he has given on this matter? Some £15 million will come from the lottery and some £10 million will come through the Department for Education and Employment, so it is not temporary in the sense that it is here...
Mr Iain Sproat: The United Kingdom has a flourishing cultural sector. Its artists, actors, musicians and performers demonstrate throughout the year that they can compete with the best in the world.
Mr Iain Sproat: Xenophobia has no place in the Department of National Heritage. My hon. Friend asked for a specific example. Fair enough. I can tell him that 10 British applicants have won funds under the Kaleidoscope programme of the European Union to promote artistic and cultural activities with a European dimension. I congratulate them on that, which is exactly the sort of thing that my hon. Friend wants.
Mr Iain Sproat: I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his command of recondite figures, but I cannot give him the assurance that he seeks. He must wait until the Budget, like the rest of us. He is right to say that the role of the arts is important in tourism. I was near his constituency— in Harrogate—the other day to address the Museums Association. Some 62 per cent. of visitors to museums are foreign...
Mr Iain Sproat: With the leave of the House, I should like to respond in the few minutes remaining to as many points as possible. The hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael) said that we were "celebrating" the voluntary sector. The word was well chosen, and I concur with his sentiment. My hon. Friend the Member for North Thanet (Mr. Gale) said he welcomed the debate as a chance to say thank...
Mr Iain Sproat: I am pleased to respond to the motion and to set out the Government's policies in relation to the voluntary sector, just as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I are pleased to have taken on responsibility recently for Government policy on volunteering, the voluntary sector, the National Lottery Charities Board, charities legislation and community development. The themes that I...
Mr Iain Sproat: The hon. Gentleman makes an interesting point. It is certainly one that my Department will be considering in the context of the Deakin report. I shall be mentioning gift aid and payroll giving, which I take seriously. I was saying that both large traditional organisations and small informal groups are targets in encouraging volunteering. By way of example, my Department funds the Women's...
Mr Iain Sproat: My hon. Friend is certainly not out of date. He has raised a matter that we shall be considering closely. The Deakin report, to which I shall come, provides us with an opportunity to consider a range of interlocking subjects applying to charitable giving and volunteering in general. Another element of our work is the ministerial group on volunteering and the voluntary sector, which is...
Mr Iain Sproat: I was sad to see that Lieutenant Colonel Colin Mitchell, a former Member of the House, died at the weekend. I am sure that the whole House would wish to join in the hon. Gentleman's tribute, or implied tribute. As for meeting the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, I cannot give any commitment on behalf of my right hon. Friend, but the hon. Gentleman makes a reasonable request,...
Mr Iain Sproat: That is an extremely important issue. It applies to charities and small sports organisations which may wish to fund the purchase of kit and so on. Again, we shall consider that in the context of the Deakin report, but we are also considering it with regard to all the distributors of lottery funds. It is certain that the national lottery has made a very positive contribution to the income of...
Mr Iain Sproat: It is. We should face that fact squarely. The Conservative party has no interest in pretending that things are other than they are—nor, I am sure, do the Opposition. That is matter that we must consider. It was extremely difficult to gauge the effect in advance. The House realised that there was a serious problem here. It was decided that part of the lottery moneys should be given to...
Mr Iain Sproat: The hon. Lady reinforces the main point that I was trying to make: although we take surveys as evidence, we build into our calculations the fact that those surveys are not always set up to calculate the amount, as the hon. Lady quite rightly said of the family expenditure survey, and in other surveys people remember giving more or less to charities, which then turns out not to be apparent...
Mr Iain Sproat: Certainly. The hon. Gentleman is quite right. The whole concept of the concordat is central to one of the passages in Deakin, but we would like to consider it in more detail, for the simple reason that it is a very important recommendation. It is also a very difficult recommendation. It is one thing to say that the Government must sign, but with whom in the voluntary and charitable sector...
Mr Iain Sproat: The Government started off by saying that there should be a cut-off point—and, as the hon. Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) will know, his noble Friends in the other place also reached that conclusion—whether it be 15 per cent., 20 per cent. or 25 per cent. The Labour party now suggests that there should not be a percentage, but that there should be some other test. We looked at what other...
