AN MP has urged the government to hand over hundreds of millions of pounds in unclaimed National Lottery prizes to the hospice movement.

Lindsay Hoyle claimed this would be a massive boost to a vital service provided by institutions such as Derian House and St Catherine's in his Chorley constituency and which serve East Lancashire. The Labour backbencher is a strong campaigner both for the two hospices and the movement nationally.

Culture Minister Estelle Morris revealed that the total value of unclaimed prizes up to the week ending December 13, 2003 was £597.2million. The largest unclaimed prize was £3,011,065. She said there was a special procedure to allocate the unclaimed prizes to worthy charities.

But Mr Hoyle asked her in the Commons: "Would it not be better if all unclaimed prizes went to the hospice movement, and then all communities would benefit?"

Miss Morris said: "I am sure that the hospice movement can apply for lottery funds in the same way as others can."

She said that they could not simply give the money to hospices because other organisations would believe they had an equal claim to it.

Afterwards Mr Hoyle said: "I think the current procedure is too complicated. I think no-one would disagree with all this unclaimed money going to the hospice movement so it could grow and develop."