HC Deb 09 December 1985 vol 88 cc621-2
33. Mr. Chapman

asked the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on progress on the encouragement of private sponsorship of the arts, including the business sponsorship incentive scheme.

Mr. Luce

Business sponsorship of the arts has risen rapidly from £½ million in 1976 to around £20 million this year, including £4 million in new sponsorship under the Government's business sponsorship incentive scheme. Because of the success of the scheme, I have recently transferred another £¼ million to it for this year, and I shall shortly be announcing the amount for 1986–97.

Mr. Chapman

I welcome the progress that has been made and I applaud the initiatives that have been taken. However, does my hon. Friend think that civic leaders could do much more to promote local business sponsorship of local arts? Does he applaud the initiative taken to that end by the mayor of Barnet earlier this year?

Mr. Luce

I do indeed. I have noted that my hon. Friend, the mayor of Barnet and others have been involved in an exercise that has been undertaken by Barnet to raise with industry the question of sponsorship of the arts. I must congratulate the borough on winning a business sponsorship incentive scheme award of £1,700 for the sponsorship of its arts programme. That should be an example to other boroughs and authorities.

Mr. Tony Banks

May I assure the Minister that the GLC has never been reluctant to take capitalist gold for arts funding? As the hon. Gentleman pins so much faith on raising money for the arts from business, will he explain what steps he is taking to ensure that the arts sponsor and fund new arts, new plays and new music instead of living off the past to entertain their clients?

Mr. Luce

If the hon. Gentleman examines the analysis of all the awards that have been given during the first year of the scheme—it must be remembered that it has operated for only one year—he will find that the support that is given by business and commerce is extremely wide, and certainly includes the live arts in all the regions. Three quarters of the schemes are outside London.

Mr Cormack

Is my hon. Friend aware that the capitalist gold to which the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) referred would be increased and his ambitions fulfilled if only he would adopt the proposals that are set out in the report of the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Arts, which are designed to provide wider and greater tax inducements to individuals and companies to give to the arts?

Mr. Luce

I know that my hon. Friend played an extremely prominent part in the Select Committee's report. I am studying the report with the greatest care, and I note what he has said in his supplementary question, that our objective must be to create an environment in which people are encouraged to give to the arts.

Mr. Heffer

Has the Minister had the opportunity to see the excellent film entitled "Letter to Brezhnev", which had a budget of £50,000, raised by private enterprise? Would it not be a good thing if the Government and local authorities, with Government money, were prepared to give assistance to ordinary people to produce films that would be of the greatest interest to the mass of British people? These productions would have a real significance as films as well as containing a political message.

Mr. Luce

I wish that I had time to see all the excellent films that are available. I believe that the British Film Institute does an excellent job. It has a production unit which is there to help people of modest means produce their own films. That is something that should be encouraged.