Poots Announces BIG Funding for the Future

Mary Bradley MLA asked the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure what assessment has been made of the possible impact of increased Big Lottery funding for the 2012 Olympics on potential funding applications from voluntary and community projects?

On 11 June 2007 in oral answers at the Assembly he said:

"The Big Lottery Fund has made a public commitment that provides forecasts of lottery income. Those forecasts are maintained. Current programmes will not be materially affected by the diversion of funds to the Olympics. The fund has advised that its undertaking to provide 60% to 70% of its funding to the voluntary and community sector will be unaffected."

"In Northern Ireland, the 60% to 70% commitment to the voluntary and community sector will mean that the Big Lottery Fund will invest a minimum of £60 million in the voluntary and community sector between 2006 and 2009. Furthermore, the Big Lottery Fund has committed to extending that undertaking to the period 2009-13 and will protect, in cash terms, the amount that would have been paid to the voluntary and community sector in that period at the levels of funding that the fund expected to deliver before the diversion in funding to the Olympics."

In response to the announcement, Neil Irwin Member Services Manager at NICVA has said:

"The Big Lottery Fund budget for 2006 to 2009 took account of the first diversion of funds for the London 2012 Olympics. Therefore, if the diversion had not taken place there would have been more than £60m available to the voluntary and community sector for this period."

"The announcement that funding from the Big Lottery Fund budget from 2009 to 2013 will not be further raided for the Olympics is very good news for many in the community and voluntary sector - however this will be at the expense of arts, heritage and indeed community sports organisations who have been unable to receive such assurances."

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