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Millennium Commissioners
5. Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to increase the number of Millennium Commissioners. [364]
Mr. Chris Smith: The National Lottery etc. Act 1993 provides that there shall be nine members of the Millennium Commission, appointed by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. There are no plans to increase the number of commissioners.
Mr. Vaz: May I add my congratulations to the Secretary of State on his outstanding start? Does he agree that it is essential that the Millennium Commission be representative of the community? As constituted, it is not representative. I tried for four months to have a meeting with my right hon. Friend's predecessor to discuss these very issues, but she was not able to find time to see me and community representatives at such a meeting.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is important to look again at the membership of the commission? It would be quite easy to introduce a small Act of Parliament to change the composition of the commission to allow for more commissioners who are representative and to deal with the backlog of assessments.
Mr. Smith:
I should be only too delighted--unlike my predecessor, perhaps--to meet my hon. Friend to discuss these matters. Under the legislation, six of the nine members of the Millennium Commission are in place until 31 December 2000. Three members of the commission change with the change of Government and I am delighted to say that I am taking up the post of chairman. Of course, the decisions that the commission takes must reflect the needs of the community as a whole, including all parts of the community--all races, all ages, both genders and all regions of the country. Those are firm principles which must guide the considerations of the commissioners.
6. Mr. Skinner:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps he is taking to ensure a fairer distribution of lottery proceeds to regions. [365]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for National Heritage (Mr. Mark Fisher):
It is clear that some areas of the country have benefited a great deal more from the lottery than others. Our policy is based on
Mr. Skinner:
I hope that the review will not be dragged out. We have been the party of protest for 18 years and now we are the party of power. Now that we are in government, let us transform all our wonderful ideas from our time in opposition and bring about some changes.
Is my hon. Friend aware that the Bolsover area--a string of pit villages with no jobs left--has fared badly in respect of the lottery? We have no major towns or cities, no opera houses and none of the fancy areas that have been getting money hand over fist. In future, let us make sure of a fair redistribution to those who contribute to the lottery in those mining villages, so as to restore some balance.
Mr. Fisher:
My hon. Friend is quite right: the east midlands has received only 4 per cent. of awards and grants, and has benefited the least in per capita terms--£29 per head--of any part of the country, so my hon. Friend's grievance is well put. I should point out, however, that there have been 10 awards worth £400,000 in Bolsover and brass bands--a subject dear to my hon. Friend's heart--have benefited by more than £3 million so far. Nevertheless, my hon. Friend is right to say that areas such as the east midlands have fared badly. We were shocked to find that the former Government gave no leadership and offered no strategy on this, and we are determined to see that the lottery boards give priority to a better geographical distribution and to all types and ranges of project.
Mr. Butterfill:
When considering how to allocate money to the arts, will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind the fact that such money should not go only to the major cities, even though many of them may be represented by his party, but should also benefit towns and villages that might not otherwise have a chance to see the arts? The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that I am thinking of touring companies such as the Bournemouth symphony orchestra and the Bournemouth symphonietta which tour the country bringing their contribution to the arts to a much wider public.
Mr. Fisher:
It is strange to find the hon. Gentleman agreeing with my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) that small villages in rural areas should benefit, but I agree with both of them: it is right that rural areas and small towns and cities should benefit as well. That is why our review will look at geographic distribution and ensure that not only London and large metropolitan areas benefit from the lottery.
7. Mrs. Gordon:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to increase the number of listed sporting events on television. [366]
Mr. Fisher:
As promised in our manifesto, the Government will carry out a review of the listed events.
Mrs. Gordon:
Does my hon. Friend agree with the popular demand from my constituents in Romford that
Mr. Fisher:
I congratulate my hon. Friend on her successful election campaign and welcome her to this place. What she says about the world cup matches is well taken; that is why they are included in the listed events. My hon. Friend speaks for many people in wishing to see a wider range of key events listed and protected from privileged viewing. We shall therefore conduct an urgent review, starting this week, in which we shall consult sports bodies, broadcasters and the public to ensure that the greatest number of people can see the events that they want to see.
Mr. Hawkins:
Will the urgent new review include an investigation into the secret deal between the Prime Minister and Rupert Murdoch on Cayman Island? In the light of reports over the weekend that Murdoch now intends to do further deals for pay per view with cable television, is it not clear that the only way in which sport will be seen by the majority of people is if the link is broken between the Prime Minister and Rupert Murdoch?
Mr. Fisher:
The hon. Gentleman makes a puerile and ridiculous point. The review is about which sporting events should be available to everybody, regardless of whether they have satellite or any other broadcasting facility. That is the basis on which we have been elected--to ensure that the good things in this country are available to everyone, unlike the situation under the previous Government. Our review will ensure that good sporting events are available in that way.
8. Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to alter the way in which funds raised by the national lottery are used. [367]
Mr. Chris Smith:
The Government's plans will widen access to the benefits of the lottery by extending the range of initiatives that can receive lottery funding. The creation of a national endowment for science and the arts, in particular, is an imaginative proposal for investment in youth, in talent and in the future.
Mr. Rendel:
May I add the congratulations of Liberal Democrat Members to the Secretary of State and his team on their appointment? Does the Secretary of State agree that his response makes the bid for the restoration of Shaw House school even more important, as it is not only probably the second most important historic building in Berkshire but it comes within the scope of his new funds for matters on the periphery of the educational establishment?
Mr. Smith:
The hon. Gentleman will know that it is not up to me to make a decision on that application, but I have no doubt whatever that he will vigorously promote the interests of his constituents in that regard. However, our proposal for the use of lottery money for the national endowment for science and the arts and for education and
Mr. Cohen:
I offer my congratulations and commiserations to my right hon. Friend--congratulations on his appointment, and commiserations because it presumably means that he will have to sit through the Eurovision song contest next year. On the use of lottery funds, will he specifically allow local authority schools and nurseries to bid for money for projects dear to their hearts?
Mr. Smith:
On my hon. Friend's first point, if we have such a landslide victory again in the Eurovision song contest it will be a pleasure to sit through it. On his second point, there is a wide range of projects coming from all sources, including those closely related to schools and education, to which we shall want lottery money to be allocated. Precisely to assist that process, we intend to reform the lottery by means of the amendment Bill later this year.
Mr. Fabricant:
It may be the people's lottery, but will not the people will be rather confused since the right hon. Gentleman said today that the principle of additionality would be adhered to but he also said that plans such as those for the training of teachers in information technology would be funded out of the national lottery? The two do not agree.
Mr. Smith:
I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is mistaken. The two do agree. We intend to hold to the proposal that we announced during the election campaign because we intend to hold to everything that we said during the election campaign--unlike a certain other party elected five years ago. The proposal in relation to IT training for teachers is to ensure, as a one-off exercise, that existing teachers can develop the skills in teaching and using information technology that many of them do not currently have. I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is not interested in ensuring that the school pupils of this country can learn properly from their teachers about the use of new technology.
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