To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made in planning events for 2007 to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire; and how much the Government has allocated to supporting such events. (98869)

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Ms Butler) on 14 June 2006, Official Report, column 1222W. Since then English Heritage has announced its programme for 2007, which will include: researching for the first time connections between the transatlantic slave trade and properties in its care; and reviewing formal description of listed buildings to acknowledge historic links to transatlantic slavery and the abolitionist movement. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive are leading on plans for the bicentenary and they plan to devote a section of the One Scotland website to publicising bicentenary events.

To date, the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded funding of over £20 million to 48 slavery-related projects. It’s new web-feature—http://www.hlf.org.uk/hlf/themes/index.html—provides advice on funding for community groups. Organisations which have recently received funding from HLF for 2007-related projects are:

Adeoti Arts and Crafts

Archbishop’s Council

Black British Heritage Ltd

Bread Youth Project

British Empire and Commonwealth Museum (BECM)

Childrens and Parents Alliance

Connections Northamptonshire and Northamptonshire CC Youth Involvement Team

Development Education in Dorset

Leeds West Indian Centre

Mary Seacole Trust

ODAC UK

SCAWADI Sparbrook Caribbean and African Women’s Development Initiative

Splendid Things

The Equiano Society

Theatre Royal, Plymouth

Tyne and Wear Museums