Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to discuss with the National Lottery Community Fund ways to assist small sports clubs with fundraising events after the COVID-19 lockdowns.

HMG have worked closely with the Fundraising Regulator and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to produce guidance to support safe and effective fundraising, in line with restrictions under each step of the COVID-19 roadmap. Current guidance is available on the Fundraising Regulator’s website.

The National Lottery Community Fund is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), which means that it operates at ‘arm’s length’ from government. As a distributor of Lottery money, rather than of government funds, it makes its individual funding decisions independently, within the framework of the policy directions set by the Secretary of State for DCMS. The government cannot, therefore, intervene in or influence the Fund’s decision-making process or support individual applications for funding.