§ 41. Mr. Powellasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now further extend the scope of the tax relief scheme administered since 1948 by the Crafts Centre of Great Britain, to include pottery figurines.
Mr. StraussNo, Sir. The number of crafts which can be covered by the Assistance to Craftsmen Scheme is inevitably limited by the amount of funds available.
§ Mr. PowellDoes my hon. and learned Friend recognise that, in its nature, this scheme applies only to very few craftsmen of outstanding merit, and that the loss to the Exchequer is therefore negligible? Will he accompany me to Wolverhampton to see very able work of this sort being done by craftsmen there?
Mr. StraussI thank my hon. Friend for that offer. He may like to observe that this is not necessarily the only relief which can be obtained. There may be some relief under Section 23 of the Finance Act (No. 2) of 1940.