Drama Schools: Funding (Hansard, 12 April 1994)

§ The Minister of State, Department for Education (Baroness Blatch)
My Lords, we consider it desirable that there should be a range of public and private education and training provision designed to meet the needs of students. Drama schools have an important role to play nationally in providing diversity and choice, as do the music conservatoires and visual arts institutions.

§ Lord Archer of Weston-Super-Mare
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that reply. Is she aware that 1382 several leading members of the theatrical profession are concerned about the discretionary awards system? Does she feel that some local authorities could be doing more to help?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I can say to my noble friend that I am aware of that. Indeed, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State was visited by a number of very distinguished people, including the noble Lord, Lord Attenborough, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. They had a very constructive meeting. My right honourable friend explained that he wished to give close consideration to the findings of the Gulbenkian survey which has recently been published, and that he would look at their representation in that context.
As to the other part of my noble friend's question, it is for local education authorities to determine their own priorities. But we are aware of anxieties about the decline in local authority discretionary awards for drama students in particular. Again, my right honourable friend will take that into account when he looks at the Gulbenkian survey. We hope that the local authorities will take note of it as well.

§ Lord Judd
My Lords, is the Minister aware that in 1987, 83 per cent. of local authorities made full discretionary awards, whereas last year the proportion had fallen to 39 per cent? Will the Minister agree that drama is one of the richest heritages of this country? It is a sphere of our national life for which we are held in very special esteem in the international community. Will she give an undertaking to the House that she will do everything within her power to ensure that all those students of calibre who want to attend drama school are able to do so?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I have said that it is a matter for local authorities to determine their own priorities. But I can also say that both the numbers of awards and the expenditure on awards have risen. In 1990–91 it was £209 million; in 1991–92 it was £239 million. Although there has been a slight drop by just over £1 million—it was £238 million in 1992–93, the latest year for which we have figures—that means that while the rise in the number of awards and the overall expenditure peaked in 1991–92, the amount of money that is spent is still higher overall than the amount that was spent in 1990–91. Whether it is a question of drama, music, catering, or any other subject, it must be a matter for local authorities to determine how to spend their money.

§ Lord Renton
My Lords, I am encouraged by what my noble friend said earlier. But how does she justify a situation whereby those students who are in music conservatoires get funding from central government and a great deal of certainty in that way, whereas students at drama school are dependent upon the uncertainty of local government discretionary awards?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, my noble friend raises an important point. The music conservatoires and the visual arts schools have a history of public funding. I believe that my noble friend may already know that. With present constraints on higher education student 1383 numbers and resources, there is no prospect of additional public funds for private drama schools. While any institution can apply to be publicly funded, we would certainly need some convincing at this time in regard to even more new applications from private establishments either for incorporation into further education or for designation into higher education. More fundable institutions would mean spreading more thinly the resources that are presently available to the funding councils.

§ Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
My Lords, following the point that was made by the noble Lord, Lord Judd, will my noble friend agree that the provincial repertory theatre provides the cradle of experience from which so much of our great acting talent is both derived and developed?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, that is a little wide of the Question. I cannot argue with the point made by my noble friend. The repertory companies on which I certainly cut my teeth—not as a performer but as a participating member of the audience—are very important to the world of theatre.

§ Lord Annan
My Lords, the discretionary awards from local authorities have fallen off in respect of drama schools. Does the Minister agree that one of the reasons may be that, while in musical conservatoires there are certain obvious attainments which students have to reach before they can be accepted, in drama schools there may be no such tests available at all? Is it possible that local authorities have in mind the advice given by Noel Coward some time ago: "Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs. Worthington"?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, the noble Lord makes a very important point. I have sat on a discretionary awards committee in my own local authority. I know from the numbers of students who came forward for music awards and those who came forward for drama awards that it was much more obvious that there was recordable, measurable talent on the part of the music applicants than necessarily appeared on the part of drama applicants. That is not to say that people would not make very good use of the places. To put the matter in context, both discretionary and mandatory awards are being made to people studying drama, particularly vocational drama—performing arts. They are there in some numbers. We are talking here about additional and mostly private institutions to be added to the list.

§ Lord Geddes
My Lords, I have noted the wonderfully high standard displayed during the "Young Musician of the Year" award. Would my noble friend give an assurance to the House that musical education will continue to have the highest priority in her department?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I can give an absolute assurance on that point to my noble friend. This Government have made music a central subject in the national curriculum. We shall continue to support it as a compulsory subject in the national curriculum.

§ Lord Rix
My Lords, will the Minister be kind enough to explain what she means by "private" establishments for training in drama? Does she agree that the majority of drama schools could be classified as private?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, the definition would be "that not provided by the state". There are many drama and performing arts departments in our universities and colleges which are state funded. I make the distinction between those and the privately funded establishments to which sometimes financially assisted students are referred.

§ Lord Rix
My Lords, perhaps I may ask a further question. Does the Minister agree that the majority of people who go to university to study drama are studying the theatre, whereas the majority of people who go to drama schools are studying to be actors? Does she further agree that it is the acting side of the profession which is worrying noble Lords in regard to discretionary grants?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, that is an important distinction to make when talking about acting. I am talking about the performing arts, which is an umbrella for music, dance and acting as well. But the private institutions often are vocational and about the craft of acting.