§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on the major achievements of his Department in the last four years.
§ Mr. Luce[holding answer 11 June 1990]: The Government's achievements in the arts in the last four years have been numerous and varied. Among the most important I would list the following:
The maintenance of central Government support for arts activities, and the introduction of measures to encourage greater self-reliance among arts institutions—the arts budget for this financial year stands at £494 million, and will rise by 22 per cent. by 1992–93.
The establishment of a three-year programme of funding for the arts, to give arts bodies a firmer base from which to plan their activities.
The introduction of corporate planning for the national museums and galleries and other non-departmental bodies, linked to the three-year funding programme.
The major expansion schemes at some national museums and galleries, including the Clore gallery at the Tate, the new Tate gallery in Liverpool, the redevelopment of the imperial war museum, and the opening of the Victoria and Albert museum's theatre museum at Covent Garden. The building and maintenance grants to the national museums and galleries have increased by 15 per cent. in real terms over the past four years, and in December 1989 an incentive funding initiative was launched to help these institutions get their fabric into prime condition by the year 2000.
The participation of over 2,000 museums in the Museums Year celebrations in 1989, with visitor numbers reaching over 100 million in that year.
The Government's support for the development strategies designed to give the regions a larger share of arts spending facilities and to increase access to the arts.
New initiatives to encourage arts bodies to market themselves more professionally and to improve the quality of their management.
The significant and continuing upsurge in business sponsorship of the arts, encouraged by the business sponsorship incentive scheme through which nearly £33 million of new money for the arts has been raised.
The development of incentive funding schemes for the performing arts and for public libraries, designed to encourage subsidised bodies to become more self-reliant in their development and growth.
The maintaining of the public lending right scheme introduced in 1981, by which authors are paid for the borrowing of their books from public libraries. This year, the PLR provision is £3.5 million, and it will rise to £4.5 million in 1991–92.
186WThe very substantial progress that has been made with the British Library's St. Pancras project, the first phase of which is on schedule for completion in 1993, still within its budget of £300 million. This will bring together most of the Library's London-based collections and reading rooms on a single site, and provide much-improved storage conditions.
The publication of the consultative paper "Financing the Public Library Service: Four subjects for debate" prompting possibly the widest debate on the service this century, and resulting in the protection of the core of the free public library service, through the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
The continuing commitment to preserving the nation's heritage. Over £105 million of public money has gone into the national heritage memorial fund since it was established in 1980.
The growth in the use of the acceptance in lieu of tax provisions. In 1989–90, a record level of tax was satisfied in this way, with over £11.5 million satisfied by 14 offers.