Tories would abolish Big Lottery Fund and give money only to charities, not pet projects

David Cameron has attacked Labour for diverting cash to help fund its pet projects.

Pledging to bring back 'integrity' to lottery funding, the Tories said the original four good causes - arts, sports, heritage and communities - will be restored.

New laws would also ban ministers raiding the lottery 'piggy bank', as they have to help pay for the 2012 Olympics.

'One of the most important ambitions of the next Conservative Government will be to expand the role and influence of charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations in our society,' Mr Cameron said. 'They are the engines of future social progress.'

Conservative Leader David Cameron makes a speech at the launch of the Voluntary Action Green Paper in Kent on Tuesday

Critics claim that hundreds of millions of pounds in National Lottery cash is being siphoned off every year to schemes which should instead be funded by taxes, such as in health, education and transport.

Examples include, £45million used to fund part of a £281million package to improve school meals after a campaign by Jamie Oliver, £500,000 for cycle and footpaths and more than £200,000 to cover library costs.

So far, £675million has been diverted to fund elements of the London Olympics, which will cost voluntary groups in the arts, heritage and sports more than £100million.

Ensuring all funds went to the original good causes could mean an extra 74 new swimming pools or 173 athletics tracks a year, the Tories claim.

'Funds will be devoted in their entirety to voluntary and community organisations; there will be no diversion of funds to public sector projects,' according to the green paper which was launched to coincide with National Volunteering Week. 'There will be more grants for local charities and community groups.'

It adds: 'All existing commitments will be honoured but for the future we will legislate a complete ban on Government raids on lottery resources.'

Other proposals outlined in the policy document include civil servants being given eight hours a year off work to take on voluntary roles and charities which help solve social problems being paid by results so that they can reinvest money into successful programmes.

It could be you: Cameron pledges to make sure all charity money goes to good causes

Currently, they are not allowed to turn a 'profit' and the best they can hope for is to have their costs reimbursed.

'We believe that a successful that a successful project should earn a competitive return on investment,' the green paper says.

'More than anything else, this approach can unlock the potential of the sector to innovate and replicate successful projects rapidly across the country.'

Tories accept that a day off a year is only a first step and that most volunteering, such as being a scout leader or home help, will still be done in a Government employee's own time.

However, shadow charities minister Greg Clark said: 'Having the right to this time off should encourage people to think about doing something.'

Mr Cameron has already pledged that one of his Government's first acts would be a National Lottery Independence Bill.

But charities minister Phil Hope claimed that more than half the pledges in the green paper are already Labour government policy. 'The Tory attitude towards the third sector is patronising and dangerous,' he said.

'David Cameron's real agenda is about delivering services more cheaply by placing the burden on the voluntary sector.'

In a speech to launch the paper - A Stronger Society: Voluntary Action in the 21st Century - Mr Cameron also clarified false claims attributed to Margaret Thatcher that there was no such thing as society.

'There is such a thing as society,' he said. 'It is just not the same thing as the state. Conservatives have always been clear that a strong society depends on each other - we truly are all in this together.'