HC Deb 17 December 1990 vol 183 cc15-6
28. Mr. Bowis

To ask the Minister for the Arts what support he provides to encourage young musicians.

Mr. Renton

I understand that the Arts Council, through which Government funds are channelled, supports a number of schemes such as Music for Small Groups to help young musicians, and Youth and Music to encourage young people to attend concerts.

Mr. Bowis

May I, too, congratulate my right hon. Friend on escaping to the best possible job in the "House of Cards"? Has he had a chance to look at the quality of music in Britain and the standard of our young musicians, not least on those excellent occasions, the schools proms? Does he recognise that there is some anxiety in that world as a result of the problems in peripatetic music teaching? Will he take an early opportunity to discuss the matter with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science?

Mr. Renton

1 thank my hon. Friend for his kind remarks. I am advised that in view of the slightly open-ended ending of the fourth episode of "House of Cards" the BBC is planning a sequel. However, I do not yet know whether the BBC intends to entitle it "Minister for the Arts". I warmly applaud the schools proms season. I hope that that excellent season, organised by Music for Youth, will continue. It is an organisation funded by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science. As my hon. Friend clearly knows, it gives schoolchildren a chance to play in the best concert halls up and down the land.

I see no reason why the peripatetic music service to schools should suffer. I hope that valuable positions of that nature will not be threatened if local education authorities decide to delegate funds to schools. Schools might even choose to enhance music provision from their budgets—a move which I would support.

Mr. Tony Banks

I, too, congratulate the right hon. Gentleman. I hope that he manages to last at least until his next Question Time. He is welcome to come to Newham to see what we are doing. We have the Newham Academy of Music, which the local authority supports. I read in the newspapers that the Minister was looking carefully at local authority expenditure on the arts. Will he be prepared to talk to the Department of the Environment to make sure that adequate resources are put at the disposal of local authorities so that they can continue to give the support to the arts which the arts merit?

Mr. Renton

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's question. He will realise, probably better than I do, that local authorities' arts spending is discretionary, not mandatory. Certainly, if I received strong evidence that arts budgets were being cut wholly disproportionately, although I have no statutory powers I would seek to discuss the matter with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to see whether he could bring to bear any gentle persuasion.

The hon. Gentleman's first point was his hope that I might be here for a long time. I remind him of the Latin tag, vita brevis est ars longa. I realise that my turbulent life as Chief Whip was short and I hope that with his help my life as Minister for the Arts will be longer.