What recent assessment his Department has made of the contribution that arts and sport can make to tackling social exclusion; and if he will make a statement. [110596]

My Department's report to the social exclusion unit, the policy action team 10 report "Arts and Sport", which was published in July 1999, set out the contribution of the arts and sport to tackling social exclusion. There have been a number of initiatives since its publication, all designed to enhance the contribution of sport and the arts to this important issue.

Does my hon. Friend agree that people living in areas of social exclusion and poverty often cannot participate in sport or afford to watch it? Is it not vital for lottery and Government funds to be used to aid projects such as the community project launched by Burnley football club, and, indeed, to descend to the grass roots in tackling the problem of those suffering social exclusion?

My hon. Friend is right. The lottery has a real role in the distribution of funds to sport, especially in getting money to where it is most needed. The announcement of the establishment of 12 sport action zones marked the beginning of the process, and we look forward to such zones being widespread throughout the country.

Sport England revealed today that 89 per cent. of six to-eight-year-olds and 79 per cent. of nine to-11-year-olds spend less than two hours a week in physical education lessons. What kind of social exclusion is that? Does not that shocking analysis confirm the depth of the crisis affecting sport in schools, which involves children from all backgrounds?

I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his post and look forward to a long, productive and constructive relationship with him. I know that we have things in common, which we will not go into at this stage.

When he proposes that the free television licence for those aged 75 years and over will start. [110597]

What is the starting date for the television licence concession for those aged 75 years and over; and if he will make a statement. [110598]

As I announced in my statement to the House on the future funding of the BBC on 21 February, free television licences for people aged 75 or over will come into force from 1 November this year.

Is not the issuing of free television licences for those aged 75 and over a good illustration of what we do in office and what the Tories refused to do—that is, try to help people? Is it not better to be motivated by the wish to help people than to be motivated by simple personal ambition—naming no names for the moment?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He has a long and honourable record of campaigning on the issue in the House. According to the figures from the latest census—which, unfortunately, was held nearly 10 years ago—there were 5,930 people aged over 75 in his constituency at that time. The number has almost certainly increased since then, and I am sure that many thousands of his constituents will be very pleased about what the Government are doing.

Meanwhile, 6,500 of my constituents will be celebrating the introduction of this hugely popular policy.

My hon. Friend should address part of his question to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. However, it should be pointed out that as pensioners reach a more advanced age they tend to become less mobile, to spend more time at home and, indeed, to spend more time watching television. At that point—the point at which they reach the age of 75—television becomes more important in their lives, which is why we thought it appropriate to take this step.

The Secretary of State is trying to pass the blame on to the Chancellor. Is it not the Secretary of State's responsibility that, from April, pensioners who are under the age of 75 will have to pay a television licence tax double the rate of inflation? Is that not totally unfair? Can he explain why he did not disclose the whole of the Pannell Kerr Forster report? Is not the truth that it was politically embarrassing and that is why the Government have not disclosed it? If it is so commercially sensitive, why is it that leaks can be put in The Sunday Times, for example, telling us that there are 200 profit centres within the BBC—information that is not available in the summary of the report, but which apparently is suitable for leaking?

No, I cannot accept any of that. The measures that we have put in place will, over the next six to seven years, provide the BBC with a modest and regular increase in its funding to enable it to maintain and improve its position as our premier public service broadcaster. That is one of the reasons I am encouraging the BBC to ensure, for example, that it makes more new programmes and broadcasts fewer repeats. That is one of the things that I expect to result from the measures that we have put in place.

At the risk of intruding on the Secretary of State's love-in with at least one of his Back Benchers, may I ask him to explain why he has done nothing to address the anomaly whereby people aged between 60 and 74 who are in sheltered accommodation receive concessions on what they have to pay for their television licences, and people of those ages who are not in sheltered accommodation do not? Does he not agree that the fact that people are in sheltered accommodation is no guarantee of what their income really is?

I hate to point out to the hon. Gentleman that, throughout the 18 years or more that the Conservatives were in government, they did absolutely nothing—not even the admirable measure that we are taking in relation to the over-75s. We looked carefully, as did the Davies committee, at the concession for people in sheltered accommodation. We thought it right to keep it in place because it would not be sensible to remove a concession that was already there, but we did not feel that it was appropriate at this stage to go further.

Will my right hon. Friend answer a query that has been raised by a number of pensioners in my constituency? Has he given any thought to what will happen to pensioners who have to renew their television licences just before the free licences come in? Will they be entitled to a rebate? If so, will the Government ensure that they are informed about how to apply to get their money refunded?

Yes. If the television licence of anyone who will be 75 or over on 1 November falls due after 1 April, they will be able to apply for a part-year licence up to 1 November so they do not have to purchase the entire year's licence. If anyone has already purchased a full year's licence, some of which will be unexpired on 1 November, they will be entitled to a refund. We will ensure that all the details of the scheme are made available directly to everyone who will qualify.

What assessment he has made of the current levels of exports of works of art from Great Britain. [110599]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art for the period 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999, which was published on 26 November 1999 and laid before Parliament, and provides information about the level of exports of works of art requiring individual export licences for that period.

I am grateful to the Minister for that reply, but is he proud of the fact that the committee's latest report shows that funding for the safeguarding of important national art treasures fell last year by 75 per cent., from £23 million to under £6 million? What plans does he have immediately to address that chronic decline? If the answer is none, will it not be best for him to export himself, if he is able to find a gullible enough buyer?

The hon. Gentleman makes a charming suggestion. I am pleased to tell him that our plans include more than doubling the funding available to the national heritage memorial fund. I am also pleased to say that the trustees of the heritage lottery fund have indicated that the money that they will allocate for the acquisition of works of art will be doubled. He will also have noted that, in the period shortly after publication of the report, the heritage lottery fund rose magnificently to the occasion, as did the national art collections fund, to enable the purchase by the national gallery of Scotland of Botticelli's "The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child".

May I associate myself with the remarks about Michael Colvin? Among his many other talents, he was a very accomplished artist, and he did a great deal of work on behalf of the arts, both locally and across the country. Hon. Members on both sides of the House will have their own memories of Michael. I came to know him best through his work for the arts. I am quite sure that the entire House will join me in sending our heartfelt sympathy to Michael and Nichola's family on this tragedy.

Before responding to the hon. Gentleman's question, I should like to say that I have the happiest of memories of a visit to York with Michael and Nichola Colvin, and with the hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Sir P. Cormack) who is in the Chamber. We went to look at the heritage in York, and it was a very happy day. Michael and Nichola were great lovers of heritage, and the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) was absolutely right to make that important point in the House on this particular day.

:If he will make a statement on the Millennium Commission funding for the dome. [110600]

The Millennium Commission is supporting the dome as the centrepiece of its UK-wide spectrum of millennium projects. In 1997, the commission agreed a grant of £449 million gross to the New Millennium Experience Company. In response to an application from NMEC, the commission has further agreed to provide a repayable grant of up to £60 million to assist the company with its cashflow, subject to detailed appraisal and to the company demonstrating clearly the need for those funds. To date, £32 million of the additional grant has been released by the commission after such appraisal.

I thank the Secretary of State for giving us the figures on Millennium Commission money that has gone into the dome. If those funds—which, on his own figures, amount to more than half a billion pounds—had not been spent on the dome, they would have gone into the lottery and to other good causes. Has he met anyone who would have preferred that money to go into the dome, rather than to be spent on a range of other public services—which, with that vast sum, could have been hugely improved?

The project has had cross-party support ever since its inception. It is remarkably well appreciated by those who go: indeed, The Sunday Times, hardly a known lover of the dome, published a poll in which 1,000 visitors to the dome were asked whether they enjoyed it and 85 per cent. said yes. Asked whether it was good value for money, 62 per cent. said yes. The most recent attendance figures bear that out. The dome has just had its best week ever. On every single one of the nine days from Friday 18 February, more than 24,500 people visited it. The best day ever was Monday 21 February, with 27,621 visitors. That, of course, was the day when the Tories presciently chose to have a debate in which they roundly attacked the dome.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that yesterday, with a guest from overseas, I was one of many thousands of people who had a great time at the dome, not only enjoying the zones and the show but appreciating the excellent and courteous service from all the staff? Is not it about time that the Tory party and the chattering classes abandoned their snobbish sniping at a project that has a great potential for success if given a chance?

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right, especially about the courteous and expert way in which the staff deal with visitors, which has been widely appreciated. It is not absolutely everyone in the Tory party who takes a negative view, however. The former Deputy Prime Minister, the right hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Heseltine), in last Monday's debate, strongly said:

The dome is a national project … We must be seen to support it and give it every chance to be the success that I have always believed, and still believe, it will prove to be.—[Official Report, 21 February 2000; Vol. 344, c. 1320–21.]

In respect of dome funding, why, almost two years to the week after BSkyB said that it would sponsor the dome, has it yet to sign on the dotted line? What is the hold-up? We have never had an explanation. What conditions does the company want to attach to its sponsorship? Should not those who want to use the dome mark cough up the dome cash?

The details of those arrangements are matters for the New Millennium Experience Company, not for me. As far as I am aware, the discussion is simply over minor details and there is still a clear commitment on the part of BSkyB to sign the contract and deliver the money that it has promised.

Will my right hon. Friend pass on my deep appreciation to Lord Falconer for his intervention last Thursday in response to specific requests from the children of Alkrington county primary school, who visited the dome and had a tremendous time? I visited it yesterday with my two grandsons and we enjoyed it immensely. It is no wonder that the dome is proving highly popular, despite the Tory party's efforts to undermine it.

I will indeed pass on those welcome remarks to my noble Friend. Such admirable assistance would probably be condemned by Opposition Front Benchers as meddling.

When the £32 million is repaid, what will the Millennium Commission spend it on?

The commission's programme of work for capital projects, the millennium festival and the millennium awards is well in place. Clear priorities are set out, as the right hon. Gentleman will know, and the money is destined for valuable projects throughout the country.

Does my right hon. Friend recall that many of us in Birmingham and the west midlands felt cheated when the previous Government changed the rules to get the millennium exhibition on a bend in the river in the furthest reaches of east London? That said, we welcome the success that the dome now promises to be and we are glad that so many people enjoy it. Will he invite the Opposition and most of the national media to admit that they have got this wrong?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his generous approach to the issue. One reason why Greenwich was chosen as the location for the exhibition was the regeneration impact that the dome will have on a deprived part of south-east London, with the creation of many jobs and a specific tourism effect. I very much endorse his comment that it is time that the Conservatives got behind the project and helped to make it the real national success—without political partisanship—that I believe it can and should be.

I do not know how many times I have to tell the right hon. Gentleman that the Conservatives want the dome to be a success. As I have told him many times before, not least in the debate last week, we wish P-Y well. However, we do not support the Government's atrocious handling of the project. What guarantee can he give that the dome will not be back for more money before the end of the year? What estimate has he made of the cost to the commission and to taxpayers of his Government's decision to keep the dome in place after the exhibition closes?

Adopting the language that the hon. Gentleman has used on occasions over the past two months is a strange way of hoping that the dome will be a success. The legacy competition is in place. We anticipate that funds will be coming back into English Partnerships and the New Millennium Experience Company—and through them to the Millennium Commission—because of our decision to continue the life of the dome beyond the end of this year.

What action he is taking to simplify the application process for lottery grants. [110601]

My Department is working with distributors to ensure that the lottery application process is as simple and user-friendly as possible, and that forms are written in plain language. The quality, efficiency and standards team, which I established last year, is looking at how the costs of making a lottery application can be reduced. Lottery distributors already have in place the awards for all scheme, which is a straightforward way for community groups to apply for grants of £500 to £5,000. One simple application form covers charities, arts, sport and heritage groups.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Conservatives have pledged to withdraw national lottery money from schools and hospitals, despite overwhelming public support for such projects?

We are a little unclear about what the Conservatives would do. They specifically said at their party conference that health and education projects such as those supported by the new opportunities fund were not the sort of things that they believed that lottery money should be spent on. I believe that in that they differ from the vast majority of people in this country.

When the Secretary of State is considering simplifying the application process for lottery grants, will he bear in mind the fact that some small clubs, particularly sports clubs, struggle with the complexity of existing forms because they do not have the necessary expertise to fill them in? Of course the overall checking of any application has to be rigorous, but perhaps the initial form could be simple and straightforward, particularly for small clubs, and the more rigorous checking could happen later in the process, once the application is being proceeded with.

The hon. Gentleman asks a perceptive and constructive question, as he often does. Sport England and the heritage lottery fund already have a two-stage mechanism along the lines that he has outlined. I am also pleased to say that last month all the distributors attended a presentation by the Plain English Campaign and are considering how to make the best use of its services to ensure that the initial application process is easy to understand and that applications can easily be made by community groups, which may not have professional advisers ready to hand.

I am getting slightly tired of the Secretary of State traducing my opinions. I hope that he will answer a straight question. However simple the lottery application forms become, do not the Government's actions mean that sport, the arts and charities stand a lesser chance of benefiting from the lottery than previously, and that the biggest lottery winner is the Chancellor of the Exchequer?

No. By the end of the current franchise period, the sport, arts, heritage and charities strands of the lottery will have received more than £1.9 billion each. That is more than was originally anticipated, even after the new opportunities fund was established to ensure that additional funds raised from the lottery could be made available to projects related to health, education and the environment.

What proposals he has received from train and bus operating companies in Wales for special ticket and travel arrangements for the millennium dome. [110602]

I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his first Culture, Media and Sport Question Time. We look forward to debating with him in the future.

I thank the Minister for that reply. However, there is little evidence that people in Wales are availing themselves of the millennium dome. Indeed, the Minister's Department was unable to give me any figures relating to ticket sales in Wales. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the loans recently made available for the dome would have met the deficit in NHS spending in Wales. Will the Minister assure the House that, in future, ticket sales alone will determine the dome's success or failure, and that more effort will be made to allow people in Wales to go to the dome without being penalised by distance?

I can say only that, during half-term week, no fewer than 178,000 people visited the dome. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State mentioned earlier, attendance at the dome so far has totalled 872,367 people. Those figures speak for themselves, but I understand that the hon. Gentleman's constituency has its day at the dome tomorrow—[Interruption.] If the hon. Gentleman had taken more interest in the dome's activities, he might have known that. I urge him to get down to the dome tomorrow and join his constituents.

I assure my hon. Friend the Minister that the people of Monmouthshire will be delighted to participate in cheap package trips to see the wonderful entertainment at the dome. Last Thursday was Monmouthshire day there, and I watched a wonderful performance by young people associated with Gwent theatre from my constituency and the constituencies of my hon. Friends the Members for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) and for Newport, East (Mr. Howarth). My only regret about that day was that no bus load of people from the Arts Council of Wales came to see the wonderful work of Gwent theatre. The council recently decided to end the theatre's franchise for next year. That decision has now been overturned, thanks to the wonderful campaign on Gwent theatre's behalf.

My hon. Friend is right, and he gives a much more accurate and knowledgeable account of the interest of the people of Wales in the dome. If I may, I shall quote from the Daily Post report published after Gwynedd had its day in the dome in 18 February. It stated:

The young people of Gwynedd descended on the Millennium Dome yesterday …and they admitted they were "gobsmacked" by the building. John Meadows, of Barmouth, said last night, "We came down here with the criticism it has had in recent weeks in mind, but it is absolutely fantastic. I'm gobsmacked, it absolutely blew me away."

What plans he has for community sport activity to help combat social exclusion; and if he will make a statement. [110603]

The Government are determined to ensure that all sections of society have access to sporting opportunities and that community sport activities help to combat social exclusion.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer and for what she said earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) about targeting lottery funding. However, does she agree that successful community sports schemes can still have difficulties with day-to-day running costs? Because lottery funding and much other funding is project-oriented, there can still be a problem with core running costs. Will my hon. Friend look at what the Government can do to assist community sports schemes in that situation and at what can be done to encourage local authorities to assist them?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right; sport and recreational activity can make a real contribution to all aspects of neighbourhood renewal and can improve the whole area of young people's activities, including their attitude to health, employment, education and the reduction of crime. I know that he has an interest in the Leyton Orient community sports programme. It is a very good project, providing a real opportunity for young people to get involved in the football club, and the football club puts something back into the local community. I hope that my hon. Friend will convey to Leyton Orient our thanks for what the club is doing. Those are precisely the kind of joint initiatives and partnerships that will be necessary, because local authorities cannot do everything on their own.

If he will make a statement on the gender balance relating to participation in sports and on funding to encourage greater participation by girls. [110606]

Sport England provides more than £6 million of Exchequer funding to sports governing bodies, and all are required to ensure that they have proposals for the development of women and girls sport as part of the condition of funding. It also funds activities specifically designed to encourage more young women and girls to take up sport.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. During the excellent Adjournment debate on 14 December 1999, she said that she was studying recent research into what turns young girls off physical education and sport. Does she agree that many young girls are not excited by competitive sport but, because they are image-conscious, they are interested in activities such as dance, aerobics and gym-style workouts? What is she doing to transform our teenage girls from a generation of couch potatoes to young fit women with high self-esteem and confidence? Is she aware that many women look to her, as a woman, to take a lead on this important issue?

My hon. Friend will be aware of two recent reports into the kind of physical education and sporting activities in which young girls are likely to be interested. One, a very important joint initiative by Nike and the Youth Sport Trust, proposed a range of new, innovative ways of encouraging young girls to stay interested in physical education and sport.

Does the Minister agree that trends of sports participation at schools are in the wrong direction for both girls and boys, and that £6 million is a hopelessly inadequate amount of money from the Sports Council to promote sport in schools?

One of the most interesting things to emerge from the young people in sport national survey conducted by Sport England was that more young people are taking part in sport, not necessarily in school, but after school and linked to school. Again, schools cannot do everything. They are the bedrock and the foundation, but the link between what happens in school and after school is important. That is why so much more support is being given to after-school activities that are sport-oriented.

Is my hon. Friend aware that one issue highlighted by the Sport England report is that many schools lack the best facilities for sport on site? As a result, many children have to travel much further off-site to participate in sports, thus reducing the time available. Does she agree that, in this case, joined-up government between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Employment really would make things work?

My hon. Friend is right. Departments on their own cannot deliver good quality physical education and sport in schools. We need that joined-up thinking. That is why we made the joint appointment of Sue Campbell from the Youth Sport Trust to work across Departments—between my Department and the Department for Education and Employment. That is joined-up thinking. There are many imaginative ways to make resources go further and to do things differently; that needs joined-up thinking and that is what we are determined to do.

Does the Minister agree that when her hon. Friend the Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Charlotte Atkins) dismisses a whole generation of girls as couch potatoes, she does not help to advance the provision of facilities for the young? It must primarily be the responsibility of the girls' schools—especially in deprived areas—not only to provide facilities and opportunities for sport, but to give the Government better statistics than they seem to have at present.

It is important that the figures for the participation of young girls are right. In many schools, participation is as high as it has ever been. A good, high-quality physical education teacher and programme play an important role and do much to ensure that young girls and young boys receive an introduction to sport that will last them through life.

If he will make a statement on progress on the review of national art collections to identify art that may have been looted from victims of Nazi persecution. [110607]

The national museums directors conference will be holding a news conference tomorrow to make a first report of the results of research into provenance during the period 1933–45. I understand that the findings will be published on the internet.

I welcome my hon. Friend's answer, which shows, with the panel that was announced last week, a clear recognition of the need to make restitution to the victims of the Nazis—a need that was badly neglected by the previous Conservative Government. There is some concern, especially in the Jewish community, as to the need for further consultation over the membership and terms of reference of the panel. Will he tell us what powers the panel will have if there is a dispute between the rightful owner of a looted work of art, who wants it back, and an institution that does not want to give it up?

Of course, I have held consultations and continue to do so. Last year, I offered organisations representing Jewish people, or acting on behalf of Jewish claimants, the opportunity to meet senior officials in my Department. The Holocaust Educational Trust and the European Commission on Looted Art availed themselves of that opportunity; the Board of Deputies of British Jews did not do so. However, I was pleased to meet representatives of all three organisations before publishing our proposals for the terms of reference of the spoliation advisory panel, which are, of course, consultative.

What support he has provided to those responsible for the development of dance to ensure that those involved in the training, particularly of children, have appropriate qualifications and expertise. [110608]

Much dance teacher training is provided by private sector bodies, which run training and provide qualifications which are recognised by the Council for Dance Education and Training as of a high quality and as examples of appropriate practice within the sector. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is currently engaged in accrediting qualifications submitted by awarding bodies who wish to have them placed within the national qualifications framework.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Is he aware that, although the Government have found substantial extra funds for arts and sports bodies, an activity such as dance—which is a hybrid of sport and art—may not receive its proper share of resources? Is he also aware that, as a result, more than half the children and people learning dance are taught by people with absolutely no qualifications to support them? Dance is particularly important for young girls as it motivates them and makes them active. Therefore, will my hon. Friend consider ways in which the dance authorities can offer their expertise to those teachers who are currently operating without qualifications?

My hon. Friend will be mindful that Emma Goldman once said to Lenin, "If I can't dance, I do not want to be part of your revolution." That is something that new Labour should not forget.

Does the Minister recall making, through his Department, the announcement in the late summer of last year that grants to dance students would be substantially changed, making it possible for the first time for pupils of minimal means to be able to undertake dance studies? Does he realise how high the hopes of young dance students were raised only for those hopes to be dashed when they discovered that the grant system had become far more niggardly? It caused many of them to wonder whether they would be able to continue with their studies. Will he apologise to those dance students who, until that system of niggardly grants was improved and rectified, thought that they would have to give up their dance studies?

No, I will not apologise. I am rather proud of what we have been able to do. It was something that has needed to be done for many years. We have introduced a far more generous system of support for students of dance and drama. It is not the case that every school that offers to teach dance will qualify to be part of the system. We should concentrate resources—and increasingly so—on the schools that are centres of excellence.

In what ways he expects children to benefit from the green spaces initiative funded by the new opportunities fund. [110609]

The new opportunities fund launched the green spaces and sustainable communities initiative in January, having consulted extensively on the scope of the programme in the autumn of last year. It is envisaged that projects involving opportunities for children's play, organised and informal sport, playing fields, access to the countryside and creating safer routes to school will be eligible, among others. Such projects will greatly benefit the health, happiness, safety and social well-being of children, particularly in areas of multiple deprivation.

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Many inner-city areas are concrete jungles; there are 32 tower blocks in my constituency. The previous Tory Government sold off 5,000 playing fields, leaving many of our schools with no green space on which children can play. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that money from the green spaces initiative will be targeted specifically at cities, such as mine, where children need green spaces to play?

Yes, indeed. My hon. Friend rightly identifies the importance—especially, but not exclusively, in inner-city areas—of the creation of green spaces where children can play and where an oasis of greenery in the midst of concrete can be created. The new opportunities fund will seek to apply its funds primarily to areas of deprivation and it will look for good applications. I hope that my hon. Friend will encourage her constituents to come forward with precisely such applications.

What support and assistance he (a) has given and (b) intends to give, to the Rugby Football League with regard to promoting the forthcoming rugby league world cup in the UK. [110610]

I am delighted that the rugby league world cup is being hosted in the UK this year, with the final being played at Old Trafford in November. As with all major events being staged in this country, we are ready to offer promotional and diplomatic support to assist the organisers in the delivery of a successful event, and I am pleased that UK Sport has agreed support in principle of £350,000 towards the cost of staging the rugby league world cup.

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer, but will she also ensure that discrimination against rugby league will be ended and that it will be included as one of the nine specialist sports to receive special funding from Sport England?

As my hon. Friend will know, I am meeting the all-party rugby league group this week to discuss precisely that issue. That decision would be historical, and I should like Sport England to look at the matter again.

What arrangements are in place for insurance of churches in remote locations against theft of their fabric. [110626]

It is the responsibility of the individual church, that is to say its parochial church council, to arrange and finance its own insurance of the church building and its contents.

That is a very disappointing reply. We could equalise premiums across the country so that parishes would not pay more if their churches were vulnerable to theft and vandalism. People in my constituency are absolutely fed up to the back teeth of historic artefacts being stripped from churches. Not long ago, the entire stone tiling from the mediaeval parish church at Gill was stripped; it disappeared down the M1 and is probably in a garden in Islington as I speak. I want my hon. Friend to speak to the Home Secretary about that and perhaps to designate police officers responsible for stolen stones, as Skipton does.

My hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) has the next question, and he may be better able to answer questions about the whereabouts of artefacts. I am saddened to tell the House that the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group confirmed that in 1998 it paid more than 4,000 claims as a result of attacks against churches, including theft, vandalism and arson. Ten churches are attacked every day, and one in four can expect to be the victim of crime every year. As insurers, the group views that high level of crime as completely unacceptable—and on that point, I agree entirely with my hon. Friend—and it works with the Church, wherever possible, to help to combat the rising number of attacks on its people and property.

What is the policy of the commissioners in respect of the use of redundant churches for socially useful purposes. [110627]

Significantly more than half the redundant churches have been appropriated to new uses—that is 880 in all—and continue to serve the community by providing facilities for worship, social and educational opportunities or low cost housing.

Will the representative of the Church Commissioners join me in expressing the hope that nobody in Islington is furnishing their garden with stolen church property brought down the M1 or along any other motorway, because such behaviour would be outrageous and deplorable?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for helping me define the term "socially useful". It covers use for a wide variety of civic, community and social activities, worship by other Christian bodies, arts, crafts, music and drama centres, workshops, shops, museums and sports halls and the provision of low-cost housing. The point of selling on from those who take over such property is a matter of concern. My hon. Friend has reflected that, and I shall be glad to take it up with the commissioners.

Would it not be better to try to ensure that churches do not become redundant? Will the hon. Gentleman ask the Church Commissioners to talk to the dioceses about providing grants for further community uses of churches, so that they do not become redundant?

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question. Some 1,500 churches have been made redundant and current guidelines recommend that use for worship by adherents of a non-Christian faith is not to be regarded as eminently suitable. That is to say, we are not in the business of turning over our redundant churches to other faiths. I shall be happy to take up on his behalf the point about whether grants should be made available to keep churches going.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the National Audit Office. [110628]

With permission, I shall reply on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon), the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, to whom I am sure the whole House will want to send good wishes for a speedy recovery.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his reply and echo what he has said about the distinguished Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission. The whole House wishes him a full and speedy recovery and looks forward to the display of his talents in the Chamber as soon as possible.

First, I thank the hon. Gentleman for his gracious comments, which I shall obviously pass on to my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-underLyne.

I associate myself with my right hon. Friend's comments about my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon), the Chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee.

My hon. Friend and I have served with my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne on the Public Accounts Committee, and I thank him for his kind comments.

I join others in expressing hopes for the rapid return of the right hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Mr. Sheldon). I received a letter from him today, in which he said he was feeling very fit and looking forward to being back with us very soon.

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his comments. I know that he visited my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashton-under-Lyne the day after he was taken ill and that the visit was much appreciated by my right hon. Friend and his wife.