§ 15. Mr. Jegerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will review the method of State patronage of the arts so as to provide an opportunity for appeals to be heard from those who are dissatisfied with decisions of the Arts Council.
§ Mr. BrookeNo, Sir. I do not think that it would be right to provide machinery for appeals against decisions of the Arts Council on the allocation of grants.
§ Mr. JegerDoes not the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that at the invitation of the Arts Council schemes of artistic merit are sometimes submitted and often turned down by the Council and that there is no appeal against the Council's decision? Is there any other authority dispensing public funds against whose decision there is no appeal? I refer the right hon. Gentleman to town planning and pensions, where in both cases there is an independent court of appeal. In this case there is not. Will the right hon. Gentleman reconsider this question in view of the large sums of public money which are being paid out without any responsibility to Parliament or any other authority?
§ Mr. BrookeWhat the hon. Gentleman is asking is whether there should be an Arts Council.
§ Mr. BrookeWe have an Arts Council because it has been considered by successive Governments that aesthetic judgments should be made by a body of people who are the best qualified we can find to make them and that Ministers are less well placed to decide "Yes" or "No." on purely aesthetic questions. I should be very reluctant indeed to take over that responsibility as an appellate authority from the Arts Council.