asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what will the total grant to the English Sports Council be for the coming financial year;(2) in view of the importance of sport and recreation to the life of the community, if he will increase the grant paid to the English Sports Council to an amount equal to that paid to the Arts Council for expenditure in England.
Estimates for 1976–77 for the Sports Council—whose responsibilities are not confined to England—are at present being considered before submission to Parliament. The basis of the grant to be offered to the Arts Council is a matter for my hon.
| The Sports Council | The Scottish Sports Council | The Sports Council for Wales | Total | ||||
| £ million | £ million | £ million | £ million | ||||
| 1972–73 | … | … | … | 3·62 | 0·530 | 0·40 | 4·55 |
| 1973–74 | … | … | … | 5·0 | 0·870 | 0·57 | 6·44 |
| 1974–75 | … | … | … | 6·575 | 1·170 | 0·750 | 8·495 |
| 1975–76 | … | … | … | 8·175 | 1·41 | 0·91 | 10·225 |
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the expected level of Government grant to the Sports Council for 1976–77; and what priorities the Council has set for its work over the next financial year.
Estimates for 1976–77 are at present being considered with other departmental estimates before submission to Parliament. The White Paper on Sport and Recreation (Cmnd. 6200) published last August, outlined the Government's priorities and the Sports Council has taken account of them in preparing its estimates.