§ 4. Mr. Gareth R. Thomas (Harrow, West)What account his Department takes of the range of ticket prices for theatre, opera and ballet in London in its funding policies. [98970]
§ The Minister for the Arts (Mr. Alan Howarth)The Government want to ensure that everyone in England has an opportunity to experience the superb range of arts that we have in this country. With the Arts Council of England and the London Arts Board, we encourage companies in 329 London to ensure the widest possible access to performances, including through-ticket pricing, touring and promotional activity.
§ Mr. ThomasI am grateful for that reply, and hope that my hon. Friend will now make it a priority to introduce a strategy genuinely to deliver cheaper and increased access to the arts for those on low incomes. Does he agree that if Michael Portillo is elected this week, Labour Members will have excellent access to ringside seats for yet another Tory party performance of "Julius Caesar"?
§ Mr. HowarthOur policy is to balance excellence with access, and we write those objectives into the funding agreements that we negotiate with the bodies that we fund. Those objectives are further expressed in the funding agreements negotiated between funding councils and the bodies that they fund.
On my hon. Friend's tempting point, I simply say that, after Michael Portillo has—unfortunately for him—been unsuccessful in his campaign in Kensington, he will probably have more time to enjoy the remarkable performances that will be available from next week at the Royal Opera house, and at prices that he will be able to afford.
§ Mr. John Randall (Uxbridge)I am sure that the Minister will join me in congratulating the Royal Opera house on allowing disabled people to take full advantage of the full range of ticket prices. However, is it not a shame that, although good access will be provided for disabled people within the opera house, there is no provision for parking outside the opera house? Is there anything that the Department can do about that?
§ Mr. HowarthI appreciate that the hon. Gentleman expresses that concern. I am quite certain that, when we have a new Labour mayor for London, with his responsibilities for transport, he will be concerned to ensure that parking arrangements and facilities not only at the Royal Opera house, but at all theatres and cultural venues, will be such as to better assist disabled people to have access to those cultural activities.
§ Ms Claire Ward (Watford)Does my hon. Friend agree that increasing access is not only about charging cheaper prices for tickets to places such as the Royal Opera house, but about changing cultural attitudes, particularly among young people and children? Would not such change be in line with the Government's policy to make such access available to the many, not only the few?
§ Mr. HowarthOf course, my hon. Friend is right. Access is not only about ticket prices, but about outreach policies and education policies, and finding imaginative ways of encouraging people who have not hitherto perceived themselves as the types of people who might go to the opera, theatre, museums or galleries to begin to realise that that is their entitlement and a source of enormous pleasure to them.
The balance between excellence and access will be magnificently exemplified at the Royal Opera house—which is about to reopen with a clean balance sheet, its new theatre the best in the world for opera and ballet, a full programme of the highest artistic quality, and its productions accessible to people as they never were in the 330 past. Ticket prices for ballet will begin at £2 and for opera at £6. I very warmly congratulate Sir Colin Southgate, Michael Kaiser and all those who have contributed to the renaissance at the Royal Opera house.