Voluntary Organisations: National Lottery

Mr. Mackay
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will make a statement on the impact of funding plans for the 2012 Olympics on lottery funding for voluntary sector organisations.

Hilary Armstrong
The Big Lottery Fund (BLF) is the main distributor of lottery funding to the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS). The BLF has committed to distributing 60-70 per cent. of its money to the voluntary sector and that commitment is based on the money the sector would have received without the Olympic transfer, not 60-70 per cent. of what is left. The commitment remains unchanged, and the NCVO has welcomed this. It will allow for the important work carried out by Third Sector organisations, for the benefit of individuals and communities, to continue.

The other lottery distributors are currently considering the specific impact of the Olympics funding on the VCS. However, lottery money will not be transferred to Olympic funding before 2009. This is in order to give the distributors the highest degree of certainty and the greatest possible time for planning. The other distributors are also concerned to ensure that support for small-scale and voluntary sector projects remains available.