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Mr. William O'Brien: I am grateful for the Minister's comment, because my constituency is one of the few that have received very little lottery funding. I believe that we are third or fourth from the bottom of the list. I hope that it will not be too long before the information is circulated so that my constituents and organisations in my constituency--I referred to the problems with smaller charities--will be able to take up the offer of improved distribution of lottery resources.
Mr. Sproat: The hon. Gentleman has taken a long and admirable interest in the matter and, indeed, in the effect on charities. I will try to remember to send him a special copy of the leaflet. If he wishes, we could discuss how best to ensure that those who can benefit from the advice therein can be helped by him to make their applications so that his area gets its fair share of lottery awards.
In its first two and a half years of operation, the lottery has already made a remarkable difference to the capital infrastructure of good cause areas. Nevertheless, my Department is continuously reviewing the way in which the lottery works so as to achieve the best effect. After only approximately two years since the first awards were made, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has issued new policy directions to allow sports councils, arts councils and the heritage lottery fund greater flexibility in what they fund.
The sports councils have already launched revenue schemes under those new directions, which will provide support for our most talented athletes and attract and stage major international events in the United Kingdom. Further programmes to be announced later this year will provide community sports coaches and assist in identifying and developing talent in schools and sports clubs.
The arts councils have also launched revenue programmes under the new directions. The Arts Council of England has launched a two-stream revenue programme, "Arts For Everyone", aimed at established arts organisations--professional and amateur, youth or voluntary groups--putting together their first creative project, and at small professional arts organisations.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex will be interested to know that the first arts revenue awards under the new directions were announced today by the Arts Council of Wales. They include grants of £5,000 to the Abergavenny arts festival towards the running costs of a small literature festival and workshops for teenagers and £1,758 to Llandysul primary school--I apologise to the Welsh for not, I dare say, pronouncing that properly--to stage the musical show "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in Welsh.
On 8 August 1996, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State issued another new direction to the Arts Council of England, allowing it to fund a stabilisation programme for arts organisations. The purpose of the programme is to help arts organisations to gain long-term financial
viability and to improve and secure management skills in those organisations. The programme will help organisations to consider and perhaps change their mission and the markets in which they operate, to inject new skills to help to achieve that mission, to provide balance sheet stability, and to deliver better value for money. The first successful applicants under the pilot stabilisation programme were announced in January.
The National Heritage Act 1997 will enable the heritage lottery fund to support a wider range of projects to provide greater public access to our heritage, support for education and youth-oriented projects and for information technology initiatives, and to preserve--
It being Two o'clock, the motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.
Sitting suspended, pursuant to Standing Order No. 10 (Wednesday sittings), till half-past Two o'clock.
1. Mr. Battle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current political situation in Sri Lanka. [18294]
8. Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement. [18303]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Dr. Liam Fox):
We believe that the tragic ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka can be resolved only through peaceful negotiation. We continue to support the Sri Lankan Government's efforts to find a solution and we have called on the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to reach a negotiated settlement.
Mr. Battle:
In view of the continuing and escalating oppression of the Tamil people, particularly in the Jaffna province, may I urge the Minister to suggest to the United Nations that, in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict, it involves the world solidarity forum for justice and peace in Sri Lanka, which seeks to give a hearing to, among others, the more moderate Tamil voice in Sri Lanka. The forum is a well-respected body with international support. It is supported in my constituency by the Bishop and diocese of Ripon, who have had a long-standing relationship with Sri Lanka and are anxious that urgent action be taken to resolve this conflict and to achieve a peaceful resolution.
Dr. Fox:
The situation in Sri Lanka is complex, but the political parties there, which already cover a wide spectrum of Sri Lankan society, are increasingly aware of the need for a negotiated settlement. To that end, it is important that they achieve in the first instance a negotiated devolution package, which they are working on at present. The House will no doubt wish all politicians in Sri Lanka well on that matter.
Mr. Gerrard:
I welcome what the Minister has said, but he obviously appreciates that there is still a civil war in Sri Lanka and that Tamils from the north of the country particularly are trapped, effectively, between two warring armies and have no internal route of escape. He has said that the British Government are calling on both sides in the conflict to negotiate a settlement. Does he agree that there may potentially be a role for the British Government to do more than simply call for a settlement, and that, if the opportunity arose, the Government would be prepared to facilitate--and, if necessary, even mediate in--reaching a settlement, while accepting that, obviously, we cannot possibly impose a settlement from outside the country?
Dr. Fox:
It is self-evident that the UK would neither be able nor would wish to impose any settlement on another democratic Commonwealth member. There are two parts
On mediation and facilitation, we have always made it clear that our good offices are there should two parties in any dispute seek to use them, but both parties would need to do so and, at present, there is no sign that that will happen.
2. Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new proposals he has to improve relations between the United Kingdom and Romania. [18295]
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Malcolm Rifkind):
We are very keen to build on our excellent relations with Romania, which I recently visited. We have offered every assistance to the Romanian Government's ambitious reform programme. Later this week, my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the hon. Member for Upminster (Sir N. Bonsor) plans to lead a trade mission there.
Mr. Flynn:
Is the Secretary of State aware of the grave danger in the well-meaning donations of drugs to Romania by almost 700 charities in the United Kingdom? Has he heard that more than 60 children were killed in Haiti this year by a contaminated type of paracetamol which was donated by a major country? That incident is similar to one that occurred in Nigeria, in 1991, in which 100 children were killed. Has he read about the tragedy in Lithuania in which seven pregnant women were blinded by a drug intended for animal use, because they could not read the instructions, which were in English?
Is he aware that many companies in other countries gain tax and other financial advantages by not dumping drugs in their own country and instead sending them overseas? What will he do to reduce the number of deaths? Those very well-meant drug donations are leading to drug deaths.
Mr. Rifkind:
The hon. Gentleman is making some serious allegations. I think that we all wish to praise those charities and individuals who are trying to help Romania receive the drugs and other medical supplies that it urgently needs. Efforts must of course be made to ensure that there is no abuse in such arrangements. If he has evidence suggesting that there is a serious problem of the type that he mentioned in Romania, he should make it available so that the case can be properly investigated.
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