Charles Dickens: Bicentenary

Lord Alton of Liverpool Excerpts

Thursday 9th February 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Harrison]

My Lords—

[Lord Alton of Liverpool]

My Lords, does the Minister recall that I raised the issue with her a few weeks ago that, in this Diamond Jubilee year, it would be appropriate for a gift of a Dickens novel to be given to children throughout the country? When I subsequently wrote to her and had a brief conversation, she said that she would look at ways of trying to promote private sponsorship of such a project. Has she been able to make any progress in that regard?

[Baroness Rawlings]

I have not actually heard back recently from DCMS on that very interesting suggestion, but I will write to the noble Lord on it.