National Lottery Mr. Whittingdale To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will place in the Library the business case for merging the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund; [105017](2) what estimate she has made of the administrative savings as a result of merging the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund. [105018] Tessa Jowell Merging the two bodies is expected to achieve administrative savings and allow better co-ordination of funding. The case for merger will be set out in a White Paper later this year following consultation with the voluntary sector. Bob Spink To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which parliamentary constituencies received less than (a) half and (b) a quarter of the median for lottery grant funding in the year for which latest figures are available. [105693] Mr. Caborn The following list, which is based upon information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the National Lottery awards database, shows (in alphabetical order) parliamentary constituencies which have received less than half and a quarter of the median for Lottery grant funding for the period 1 March 2002 to 28 February 2003. UK Constituencies less than.½ median Aldridge-BrownhillsBanff & BuchanBatley and SpenBlackburnBlaydonBosworthBracknellBristol SouthBuckinghamCarrick, Cumnock & Doon ValleyCarshalton and WallingtonChesham and AmershamCleethorpesClydebank & MilngavieColne ValleyCongletonCoventry North WestCrawleyCrosbyCroydon SouthCunninghame SouthDagenhamDartfordDenton and ReddishDerby NorthDewsburyDudley SouthDundee EastDunfermline EastEaling NorthEast DevonEast LothianEast SurreyEnfield, SouthgateEpping ForestEsher and WaltonFyldeGlasgow BailliestonGlasgow PollokGlasgow SpringburnGraveshamGuildfordHalesowen and Rowley RegisHamilton SouthHarrogate and KnaresboroughHazel GroveHenleyHyndburnLeeds North EastLewisham EastLichfieldLiverpool, GarstonLiverpool, West DerbyLoughboroughLudlowMacclesfieldMaidenheadMakerfieldMid Dorset and North PooleMid SussexMiddlesbrough South and East ClevelandMilton Keynes South WestMole ValleyNormantonNorth DorsetNorth East Milton KeynesNorth SwindonNorth TaysideNorth WiltshireOrpingtonPaisley SouthPerthPortsmouth NorthRochford and Southend EastRomseyRunnymede and WeybridgeScunthorpeSheffield, HallamSheffield, HeeleySheffield, HillsboroughSittingbourne and SheppeySolihullSouth RibbleSouth StaffordshireSouth West BedfordshireSouth West HertfordshireSouthend WestStoneStroudSurrey HeathTamworthTattonTewkesburyTonbridge and MallingUxbridgeVale of GlamorganWimbledonWokingham UK constituencies: less than ¼ median Aberdeen SouthAltrincham and Sale WestAlyn and DeesideBasingstokeBillericayBirmingham, ErdingtonBirmingham, Hall GreenBirmingham, Hodge HillBirmingham, NorthfieldBirmingham, YardleyBlabyBognor Regis and LittlehamptonBrent NorthBury SouthCheadleChingford and Woodford GreenChristchurchCorbyDon ValleyEast HampshireEast YorkshireEdinburgh WestElmetFolkestone and HytheGedlingGillinghamGlasgow AnnieslandGrantham and StamfordHarlowHarrow WestHavantHemel HempsteadHornchurchHorshamHoughton and Washington EastMorley and RothwellNewport EastNorth East CambridgeshireNorth East DerbyshireNorth WarwickshireNorth West CambridgeshireNorth West HampshireNorthampton NorthOchilRayleighReading WestRedditchRomfordRuislip-NorthwoodSaffron WaldenSouthportSpelthorneStoke-on-Trent NorthStoke-on-Trent SouthStrathkelvin and BearsdenSutton ColdfieldUpminsterWellingboroughWellsWest RenfrewshireWest SuffolkWirral WestWorsley Bob Spink To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) which 20 parliamentary constituencies made the greatest number of applications for lottery funding in the last year for which statistics are available; [106052](2) if she will list for the National Lottery Awards For All scheme (a) the average number of applications per constituency, (b) the average number of applications for each Eastern Area constituency and (c) the average number of applications for Castle Point, in each of the last three years for which statistics are held; [106050] (3) what the average number of applications for lottery grants for (a) all constituencies, (b) Eastern Area constituencies and (c) Castle Point was in the last year for which statistics exist. [106053] Mr. Caborn Comprehensive information on applications for lottery grants is not centrally held at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Bob Spink To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set out (a) the average grant given for all constituencies, (b) the average grant given for eastern area constituencies and (c) the average grant given for Castle Point under the National Lottery Awards For All scheme in each of the last three years for which statistics are held. [106051] Mr. Caborn The following table, which is based upon information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the National Lottery awards database, sets out the average grant given for all constituencies1, the average grant given for Eastern Area constituencies2 and the average award to Castle Point under the National Lottery Awards For All scheme over the last three years.----------------------------------------------------- | | ----------------------------------------------------- |Average grant given for all UK constituencies | ----------------------------------------------------- |Average grant given for eastern area constituencies| ----------------------------------------------------- |Average grant given for Castle Point | ----------------------------------------------------- 1 This has been calculated by taking the average grant for each UK constituency, and then identifying the median average of those averages. 2 We have defined the eastern area as the eastern region. Since regions are defined by local authorities not constituencies some constituencies may cross the regional boundary. This means that some awards will have been included because they are within a constituency, though the postcode may fall outside the region. Tim Loughton To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the policy of Sport England is on paying instalments of lottery grants directly to project contractors rather than via project trustees of the charities involved. [106582] Mr. Caborn As a Lottery award is a legally binding contract between Sport England and the applicant organisation, it is Sport England's policy to make payments only to the applicant.