§ 29. Mr. Freudasked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what is the per capita Arts Council grant for Eastern Arts; and how this compares with funding for other regional arts associations.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe figure is 14.9p, compared with an average of 27.7p for other regions of England.
§ Mr. FreudIn view of those figures, will the Minister attempt to encourage the Arts Council to place demographic criteria high on its list of priorities when deciding future levels of funding for the eastern region?
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe hon. Gentleman is a formidable lobbyist for his region, but I always have to give the same answer. The Arts Council funds projects it considers worthy of funding. It does not try to spread money on a demographic basis. However, I will once again draw to the attention of the Arts Council what the hon. Gentleman has said.