Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Evans of Rainow Excerpts

Thursday 9th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Tracey Crouch]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on getting so many young children in his constituency engaged in celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta. This fantastic project has received more than £400,000-worth of investment through the Heritage Lottery Fund, while the cathedral itself has benefited from £600,000 from our first world war centenary cathedrals repair fund. Salisbury Cathedral will continue to be eligible to apply for further support from our listed places of worship grant scheme and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

[Graham Evans (Weaver Vale) (Con)]

8. What further steps his Department plans to take to commemorate the first world war.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr John Whittingdale)]

We will commemorate the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 2016 and the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 2016. We are in the early stages of planning appropriate events in 2017 and 2018.

[Graham Evans]

The Prime Minister Harold Wilson was severely wounded in 1915 at the Battle of Loos, which I understand will be commemorated in Scotland in September. Can my right hon. Friend assure us that when it comes to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, it will be commemorated in the great northern cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield, recognising the contribution of the northern pals?

[Mr Speaker]

Did the hon. Gentleman mean Macmillan?

[Graham Evans]

I did mean Macmillan, sorry.

[Mr Speaker]

We are grateful to the hon. Gentleman—and the Macmillan family, in particular, will be very grateful.