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Amateur Football Clubs

24. Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Football Association on promoting the establishment of new amateur football clubs in England. [34253]

Mr. Caborn: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor I have discussed the promotion of new amateur clubs with the Football Association, though I have discussed the issue of funding support for existing amateur clubs with the Association. Both new and established clubs may apply for funding to the Football Foundation's Grass Roots Advisory Panel or, where appropriate, to the Community and Education Fund.

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to encourage amateur football clubs. [34240]

Mr. Caborn: The importance of amateur clubs to the health of football at all levels is recognised by the Government and the Football Foundation. With the Football Association and the FA Premier League, the Government continue to fully support the Foundation's work in funding the development of the sport at the grass roots.

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Sport Development

26. Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to improve the development of sport at grassroots level in areas of deprivation. [34255]

Mr. Caborn: "A Sporting Future for All" (Department for Culture, Media and Sport, April 2000) set out the Government's strategy for sport, and formed the basis for the subsequent "Government's Plan for Sport". The strategy addresses all levels of sport, including the grassroots level, and both documents explore how sport can promote the social, economic and environmental well-being of communities. More specifically, Sport England have launched a number of Sport Action Zones (SAZs) which, with assistance from lottery funding, are aiming to improve sports provision in deprived areas. To date £1.6 million has been invested in sport from partner funding as a result of SAZ initiatives. In addition, Sport England's Space for Sport and Arts programme is providing £130 million for new of modernised sport and arts facilities in 300 primary schools across the most deprived areas of 65 LEAs, and the level of multiple deprivation index accounted for 50 per cent. of the weighting when the New Opportunities Fund allocated its £581 million for new opportunities for PE and school sport to LEAs across England.

National Lottery

27. Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many lottery applications have been made in Wales by parliamentary constituency (a) since its inception and (b) since January 2001. [34256]

Tessa Jowell: Comprehensive information on applications for lottery grants is not centrally held at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

30. Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress being made to improve distribution of lottery funds. [34259]

Mr. Caborn: Reforms introduced under the 1998 National Lottery Act, revised policy directions issued to lottery distributors in the same year, and targeted programmes introduced by distributors are designed to improve the distribution of funds and our data show that there has been some improvement. We recognise, however, that there is still more to be done and that is why I have announced a new £150 million initiative to target funds at some 50 areas which are both deprived and have received less lottery funding than other parts of the country. The scheme, which is UK wide, will begin later this year.

31. Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many lottery tickets have been purchased; and what the value is of grant made in Wythenshawe and Sale, East since November 1994. [34260]

Tessa Jowell: National Lottery tickets sales total just over £35 billion. Since the start of the lottery, 75 awards have been made to Wythenshawe and Sale, East worth just over £5.4 million.

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Court Cases (Children)

28. Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the media on their treatment of children in court cases. [34257]

Tessa Jowell: None.

Orchestras

29. Mr. Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's financial support for orchestras. [34258]

Tessa Jowell: This is a matter for the Arts Council of England and the regional arts boards. As well as increasing the core grant-in-aid to each of the regional orchestras, awards of nearly £27 million have been made from the Arts Council's Stabilisation programme to help secure orchestral provision across the country.

National Football Stadium

32. Ms Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has had with Mr. Patrick Carter, the Football Association and other interested parties regarding the new national football stadium. [34261]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met Patrick Carter on 13 February 2002 and the Football Association's Communication Director on 4 February 2002, where discussion included the National Football Stadium.

In addition we are receiving regular updates and briefings from our officials who are working closely with the FA, Sport England and others to help them resolve the issues we have asked to be addressed before we can give our final commitment to the FA's plans.

Golden Jubilee

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much financial and administrative support her Department has allocated to the Golden Jubilee events. [34237]

Mr. Caborn: £10.5 million over three years was transferred to my Department by the Home Office from their existing vote. There was therefore no additional call on the exchequer. The sum includes the cost of the 21 staff of the Golden Jubilee office.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the Golden Jubilee celebrations; and if she will make a statement. [34238]

Tessa Jowell: During the last month I have received letters and questions from hon. Members and the public about the regulations governing street parties and the exclusion of various groups from the criteria for the award of the Golden Jubilee medal.

Wembley Stadium

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her statement of 19 December 2001, Official Report, columns 291–93, if she will require Wembley National Stadium Ltd. to

25 Feb 2002 : Column 712W

publish the findings of the report into its relationship with Multiplex as a condition of the Government's continuing support for the development of the national football stadium at Wembley. [35571]

Tessa Jowell [holding answer 13 February 2002]: As I explained in my statement, the disclosure of the report produced for the Wembley National Stadium Ltd. Board into the procurement processes relating to the National Stadium project is affected by issues of legal professional privilege and confidentiality. I have asked the Football Association and WNSL to publish it, but because of these issues they are unwilling to do so. The Government do not intend to make its publication a requirement of the Government's support for the project but I will not grant ultimate support unless I am fully assured that the concerns highlighted by the David James/Berwin Leighton Paisner report have been satisfactorily addressed.

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected increased costs are for a proposed new Wembley Stadium; and how much extra funding the Government will be required to contribute. [37561]

Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out the Government's position on the Football Association's national stadium project to the House on 19 December 2001, Official Report, columns 291–303. My right hon. Friend also laid before the House on that day the interim report of the English National Stadium Review Team which set out the costs of the revised World Stadium Team design at £715 million including sunk costs. The interim report also set out how these costs would be funded including a Government contribution of up to £20 million for non-stadium infrastructure costs.

Museums and Galleries (North-west)

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to support the creation of a regional hub for museums and galleries in the north-west. [34245]

Tessa Jowell: My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for the Arts announced on 22 January the timetable for the selection of regional hubs in accordance with the recommendations of the Regional Museums Task Force as set out in the report "Renaissance in the Regions: a new vision for England's museums" which was published last October. Resource: the Council for Museums, Libraries and Archives have subsequently published draft criteria for the selection of regional hubs. It is for the museums in each region, including the north-west, to determine the nature of the application to resource to form a hub.

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