HC Deb 13 July 1981 vol 8 cc797-800
25. Mr. Mellor

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how money was given by the Arts Council to support the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House in the last full year for which figures are available.

Mr. Channon

In 1980–81, the Royal Opera House received from the Arts Council a revenue grant of some £7.8 million; the National Theatre received some £5.2 million. The Royal Opera House also received a contribution of £350,000 towards its Development Appeal.

Mr. Mellor

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Red Guards of the GLC are planning a cultural revolution which involves withdrawing the very substantial sums that the GLC devotes to these two institutions and spending them instead on polluting the streets of London with street theatres of assorted weirdos and Lefties? Does my right hon. Friend agree that it would be utterly unacceptable to the people of Britain as a whole that this should go on, that there is no scope, having regard to the size of the Arts Council's present grant to these institutions, for that to be increased further to cover the loss attributed to the withdrawal of the GLC's contribution, and that everything possible should be done by people of good will—I hope on both sides of the House—to persuade these Marxists to think again?

Mr. Channon

I understand that the GLC's arts and recreation committee has yet to consider its future policy, and I note what my hon. Friend says. It is very important that all of these national and regional centres of excellence should be preserved, and I am sure that that is the wish of the overwhelming number of people in London. I suspect that most right hon. and hon. Members are very pleased that the GLC has decided to continue the amount of money that it promised originally to the development appeal.

Mr. Freud

Is there not a very strong argument for separating the support of these two organisations and debiting the Department of Trade for them so that Arts Council grants can go towards the genuine theatre, even if it is performed by weirdos and Lefties, and help the community to have arts, rather than so large a proportion of the whole grant going to so small a sector, which is mainly done for the tourists, anyway?

Mr. Channon

I am not sure that I agree entirely with the hon. Gentleman. In my view it is very important, in a capital city of this size, to have these centres of excellence, and it is right that the Arts Council should support them. I do not believe that it would be quite right to debit the cost to the Department of Trade. There is common ground amongst most right hon. and hon. Members that we should continue supporting these national institutions and that transient political changes should not affect the basic structure of enterprises which inevitably have to plan for several years ahead.

Mr. Robert Sheldon

Will the right hon. Gentleman take up again with the Arts Council the funding of D'Oyle Carte? He said that he would be examining this. The Arts Council has in its power the means of doing a great deal of good to people who are only in the initial stages of appreciating opera, especially in the North. Thais is a matter of great concern there.

Mr. Channon

I understand the right hon. Gentleman entirely. The Arts Council has considered this matter on a number of occasions. It felt that it was unable to support the D'Oyly Carte company, which has never had an Arts Council grant. I hope that the D'Oyly Carte appeal goes well and is successful. But what I cannot do, and what no Minister has ever done, is compel the Arts Council to make a grant when it thinks that it is wrong to do so.

Mr. Jessell

Has my right hon. Friend seen the result of some recent market research commissioned by London theatre managers which showed that theatre and opera in London basically were very popular but that the travel costs and travel inconvenience were greater deterrents to attendance than the price of tickets? Will he comment on that, and does he think that anything can be done about it?

Mr. Channon

I have seen that report, which is extremely interesting. I should like, as an initial move, to talk to those who commissioned it to see what action they would like me to take if there is anything that I can do to help.

Mr. Faulds

Will the right hon. Gentleman accept that there is all-party support for the maintenance of such centres of excellence as Covent Garden Opera and the National Theatre and that although the Opposition welcome—I make that point clear—an extension of community arts and more expenditure on them, we intend to see that those national centres of excellence are maintained among the best in the world?

Mr. Channon

In that case, I think that we can say that we are on common ground, and that is a very happy position.

Mr. Blackburn

Will my right hon. Friend outline the assurance which I hope he is about to give on the future of the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House and, especially, the London Symphony Orchestra? I am sure that the entire House will wish to know the attitude of the Greater London Council so that there may be continuity and planning of productions.

Mr. Channon

I am sure that everyone in the House hopes that these institutions will continue. However, some hon. Members may not know that the GLC never gave a revenue grant to the Royal Opera House. There was only a once-for-all development appeal. Discussions concerning the National Theatre and the London Symphony Orchestra are taking place between the Arts Council and the GLC. I hope that there will be a satisfactory outcome, because it has been made clear this afternoon that all hon. Members want both these organisations to continue and go from strength to strength.