Advisory Bodies

HC Deb 17 October 1994 vol 248 cc11-2W

Mr. Kilfoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to publish their advice to Government.

Mr. Sproat

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1994,c. 179]: I regret to inform the House that the answer given was incorrect. The correct reply is as follows: the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art publishes an annual report which includes any advice given by the Committee to Government on matters connected with the export of cultural goods. Reports from the Library and Information Services Council may also include details of their advice to Government.

Mr. Kilfoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required to consult before legislation proposals; and in respect of which bodies the Government must publish their response to advice supplied by them.

Mr. Sproat

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1994,c. 179]: I regret to inform the House that the answer given was incorrect. The correct reply is as follows: the Government are not required to consult any of the advisory bodies for which my Department is responsible before legislation proposals, or to publish a response to their advice. However, my Department would normally consult an advisory body on policy matters which might affect it.

Mr. Kilfoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are required to lay their annual report before Parliament.

Mr. Sproat

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1994,c. 180]: I regret to inform the House that the answer given was incorrect. The correct reply is as follows: the Reviewing Committee on the Exports of Works of Art and the Library and Information Services Council are the only advisory bodies for which my Department is responsible which are required to report annually and whose reports are laid in Parliament. The Committee's report is presented as a Command Paper and the Council's report forms part of the Secretary of State's annual report on the public library service, published as a House of Commons Paper. Reports from the Royal Fine Art Commission are also presented to Parliament as Command Papers, although there is no requirement for it to report annually.

Mr. Kilfoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for National heritage if he will list his Department' advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to produce annual reports.

Mr. Sproat

[pursuant to his reply, 5 July 1994,c. 180]: I regret to inform the House that the answer given was incorrect. The correct reply is as follows: the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art, the Library and Information Services Council and the Theatres Trust are the only advisory bodies which are required to produce reports annually.

Mr. Kilfoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which have a statutory basis.

Mr. Sproat

[pursuant to his reply, 11 July 1994, c. 469]: I regret to inform the House that the answer given was incorrect. The correct reply is as follows: the Library and Information Services Council was established under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 and the Theatres Trust was established under the Theatres Trust Act 1976.