§ Mr. Joplingasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in pursuance of his policy of giving priority to the arts in the regions, he will make available extra money through the Arts Council so that those regions furthest from London receive a remoteness bonus to compensate them for lack of access to national artistic institutions in the Metropolis.
§ Miss Jennie LeeIt is for the Arts Council to decide how to spend any extra money they may receive. In making their allocations, they bear in mind the needs of remote areas. For example, the Arts Council estimate that Westmorland benefited last year, directly or indirectly, to the extent of about £13,000. On a population basis, this was well above the118W average for Great Britain even if the Arts Council's grants to the four national companies are included in their total expenditure.
§ Mr. Joplingasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has studied the latest annual report of the Northern Arts Association, a copy of which has been sent to him, which shows that whilst the Arts Council spends 3s. per head in England, 2s. 5d. per head in Scotland, and 3s. 7d. in Wales, the North and Midlands only gets 1s. 1d. per head; and whether he will make a statement on his future policy with a view to rectifying this imbalance.
§ Miss Jennie LeeThe Arts Council support bodies of artistic achievement and potential wherever they may be. At the same time they try to ensure a fair balance between different parts of the country. This is a difficult and delicate task and expenditure per head of population cannot be used as the sole criterion.
The Northern Arts Association is receiving a grant from the Arts Council of £75,000 five times as much as any other Regional Arts Association.