Adrian the dash is usually lit by globes. More common than blown ones is unseated - check behind the dash to make sure they haven't fallen out of their ports and the globes aren't blown.
EDIT: Apparently not for the high-vis VR4 dash - see Wes's post below
hey guys i have had my dash out already as i had a sticky needle, when i took it out the needles themselves have probes that plug in to give contact.
i dont know its hard to explain, but basically the light is in the needle itself, the pins plug into the power on the panel itself.
i know what you guys mean by lighting being in the back of the dash but these are different well mine was anyway.
mine is a 97 prefacelift with hi vis dash
if you pull out the dash and pull the needles off you will see what i mean, i did it on mine and all still seems to be working fine still i thnik my speedo still reads correctly etc.
make sure the pins are inserted correctly into their insertion point etc maybe swap the 2 larger needles if one is still working.
if you want any more info call me
0428160286 and i will see if i can describe it better.
the speedo and tach are linked in series, if one is disconnected, neither will work. I had this exact problem when I was building my 260kmh speedo.
The contacts that go from the pcb to the needles were the problem for me. Basically you need to remove the cluster and do continuity checks with a multimeter to see which one isn't touching, and then bend the end of the screw into place. It is something that happens every so often unfortunately.