§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts (1) if he will publish a list of existing staff by grade and members who have been offered employment in the South Bank concert halls following abolition of the Greater London council;
(2) how many staff to date in the South Bank concert halls have failed to secure employment in the halls following abolition of the Greater London council;
(3) if he will provide a breakdown by numbers and categories of the full-time staff to be employed by the South Bank board in the South Bank concert halls following abolition of the Greater London council;
(4) how many of the existing staff of the South Bank concert halls have been offered jobs by successful tenderers for contracted-out services.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on the future of the South Bank craft centre.
§ Mr. LuceIt is intended that the present operation will continue for the foreseeable future, essentially unchanged.
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§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts what progress has been made by the South Bank board with interested parties connected with the continuance of Thamesday, South Bank Weekend and the Children's Festival; who has been consulted; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuceA meeting has been arranged for 24 March, to be hosted by the South Bank board, and including representatives of:
- The London Council of Sport and Recreation
- The Corporation of London
- Westminster City Council
- The London Visitor and Conventions Bureau
- Thames Water Authority
- The Greater London Council
I am confident that events of this kind will have a fixed place in the future pattern of activities on the South Bank.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts how many of the existing staff currently employed in the South Bank concert halls and offered employment by the South Bank board do not qualify for financial detriment.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts if he will provide a breakdown of the expenses incurred by the executive chairman and members of the South Bank group and, since its formal constitution on 1 September 1985, the South Bank board to date.
§ Mr. LuceThe expenses are broken down as follows:
£ Travel 4,639 Subsistence 1,244 Other expenses 1,816 7,699
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts what is the amount budgeted by the South Bank board for expenses for 1986–87; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts, pursuant to his reply of 11 February, Official Report, column 429, what information was gathered by Mr. Pulford and Mr. Grierson from their fact-finding visits to the United States of America, Canada and Australia.
§ Mr. LuceA great deal of useful information was obtained about the organisation and operation of multipurpose arts centres.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts how the South Bank board intends to give more emphasis to literature in the South Bank centre; and what alternative locations for bookspace are being considered.
§ Mr. LuceThe South Bank board is considering the relocation on the South Bank of the Arts Council's poetry library, the greater use of the Purcell room for events with a literary content, and an extension of bookselling facilities. The board will be considering which will be the most appropriate spaces for literary purposes, once it has full access to the South Bank concert halls after 1 April.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts pursuant to his reply of 11 February, Official Report, 87W column 429, if he will provide a breakdown of the £8,024 paid by the Arts Council for the fact-finding visits to the United States of America, Canada and Australia by Mr. Pulford and Mr. Grierson.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts pursuant to his reply of 11 February, if he will provide details of the contract of employment between the general director (administration) and the South Bank board.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts pursuant to his answer on 11 February, Official Report, column 429, which arts organisations were visited in the United States of America, Canada and Australia by Mr. Pulford and Mr. Grierson.
§ Mr. Richard LuceThe information is as follows:
In the United States:
- The Lincoln Centre, New York
- Carnegie Hall, New York
- The Brooklyn Academy of Music
- The Kennedy Centre, Washington
- The Music Centre, Los Angeles
- The National Endowment for the Arts, Washington
- New York City Hall
In Canada
- Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
- O'Keefe Centre, Toronto
88 - Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
- St. Lawrence Centre, Toronto
- Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture
In Australia
- Sydney Opera House
- Brisbane Arts Centre
- Victoria Arts Centre, Melbourne
- The Australia Council
- Offices of the Ministers for the Arts, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts when the Arts Council will announce the level of funding of the South Bank board; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Minister for the Arts, pursuant to his reply of 10 February, Official Report, column 379, what progress has been made by the South Bank board in contracting out cleaning services, security and some maintenance; and if he will make a statement.