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National Lottery Bill

Before the Minister replies, I apologise for not being here at the start of the Committee. As a relatively new boy, I miscalculated the length of time that the previous business would take. I add to what my noble friend Lord Astor and the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, have said. What the Minister is telling us is a major change in direction, and I want to be sure that I am reading that correctly. I take one small passage from the policy directions for the financial year ending 31 March 2005. On page 31 of 37 pages, paragraph 9.2, under ““Transforming Communities””, reads:"““The Fund shall, by 2006, commit funds to projects that are designed to develop renewable electricity generation””—" that is environmental, and it is obviously a good cause—"““Of this £50 million, at least £33 million should be committed to developing renewable electricity generation by building generating capacity for electricity from energy crops, at least £10 million should be committed to building offshore wind electricity generation projects and at least £3 million to small-scale biomass heat/combined heat and power projects””." That is prescription; I cannot give it any other label. It is incredibly detailed. If you go down to £3 million in a fund that is disbursing £600 million a year, you must be micromanaging. That is a written, clear policy direction. So the Minister is saying that we face a major change in direction and my noble friend Lord Astor is certainly entitled to a fuller explanation of what that change in direction is and how it will operate.