To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 26 February 1998, Official Report, column 322, what were (a) the level of membership of each of the shooting organisations listed and (b) the level of public funding in each of the last three years; and what is the projected funding for the next three years. [33543]
The relevant governing body for England is the English Shooting Council (ESC) whose approximate 1997 membership stands at 18,000 and consists of 4 member organisations: the English Pistol Association; English XX(2) Club; the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association; and the English Small Bore Shooting Union.The UK-wide body is the Great Britain Target Shooting Federation (GBTSF), whose approximate 1997 membership is broken down as follows:
| Clubs | Members | |
| National Pistol Association | 500 | 100,000 |
| National Rifle Association | 1,000 | 57,000 |
| British International Clay Target Shooting Federation | 700 | 28,000 |
| National Small Bore Rifle Association | 18,000 | 296,000 |
| £ | |||
| English Shooting Council | GB Target Shooting Federation | ||
| 1995–96 | 11,000 | 240,785 | |
| 1996–97 | 10,000 | 330,215 | |
| 1997–98 | 18,000 | 288,120 | |
| 1998–99 | 6,500 | 1239,370 | |
| 1999–002 | 16,500 | not yet available | |
| 2000–012 | 4,500 | not yet available | |
| 1 Planning figure subject to further discussion with the Federation. | |||
| 2 No firm projections can be made beyond 1998–99. The level of funding is subject to review. | |||