§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent per head of the population on subsidising the arts during the years 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979; and how these figures compare with those for France, Germany, Sweden, Italy and Denmark.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasCentral and local government expenditure on the arts, museums and libraries per head of the population of England and Wales in 1978–79 is estimated to have been of the order of £7 per head. Estimates for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I have sent the hon. Lady such information as is available to me concerning other countries, but reliable figures on a standardised basis which would permit comparison are not available.