HC Deb 16 June 1986 vol 99 cc751-2
53. Mr. Key

asked the Minister for the Arts what he estimates the outturn expenditure of his office will be for the current year.

Mr. Luce

My cash limit for the administrative costs of running the Office of Arts and Libraries is £1.2 million in the current year. This is just a little over a third of 1 per cent. of my total programme of £321 million for the year. It is certainly my aim that the office should provide good value for money to the public and the arts.

Mr. Key

That is a substantial sum. Will my hon. Friend allay fears that the price of success in artistic and financial terms in the provincial theatre is a sudden cut in grant from the Arts Council? Will he come to Salisbury, to the Playhouse theatre, and see for himself the impact of his policy?

Mr. Luce

My hon. Friend might be interested to know that the deputy chairman of the Arts Council, Sir Kenneth Cork, is conducting a study on how to subsidise theatres and in the autumn will be producing recommendations on the policies that should be pursued. I can assure my hon. Friend that the Government's policy is to keep up overall funding for the arts.

I am aware of my hon. Friend's interest in the Salisbury Playhouse. I have visited it many times. I propose to go to Salisbury towards the end of J uly to visit the Playhouse.

Mr. Michael Marshall

Does my right hon. Friend anticipate that he may have a little more flexibility within his Department's overall expenditure as a result of the announcement made by our right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget?

Mr. Luce

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that point. The proposed Budget changes will provide a new era of opportunity for the arts world. It is for the arts organisations to take advantage of that. Clearly, they must be efficient in fund raising and as efficient as possible in marketing. I believe that the opportunity is now there.