National Lottery Bill

Before the right reverend Prelate responds, let me say that I yield to no one in this House in my admiration for the Minister in charge of this Bill and the soothing way in which he handles it. He has a superb bedside manner. In the context of what he just said, however, I thought that he was being over-soothing. If it is true that the National Audit Office has calculated that the clause as it now stands would have reduced the Heritage Lottery Fund’s income by £15.7 million in 2003–04, that figure exceeds the total amount that English Heritage gives to the churches in a given year. That is not small change. If that is the effect of the clause, the Minister is being somewhat over-sanguine about what the consequences will be.