HC Deb 10 February 1971 vol 811 cc203-5W
Mr. Money

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether, with regard to the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70 and before making further grants to the Arts Council, she will now satisfy herself that it has established[...] or is in the course of establishing, a system of financial control to enable it in future to estimate effectively the scale of resources required in each of its fields of grant;

(2) whether, in the light of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70 and before making further grants to the Arts Council, she will satisfy herself that it has evolved, or is in the process of evolving, an early warning system to enable it to detect and act upon the financial difficulties of its clients in good time, and before they have accumulated unmanageable deficits;

(3) whether, in the light of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70 and before making further grants to the Arts Council, she will satisfy herself that the Council has established, or is in the course of establishing, a system whereby its grants to clients will be conditional upon their undertaking to meet the requirements of its system of financial control, and of their accepting the principles of this system;

(4) whether, in the light of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70 and before making further grants to the Arts Council, she will satisfy herself as to its future policy for forward financial planning by institutions which receive Arts Council subsidies;

(5) whether, in the light of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70 and before making further grants to the Arts Council, she will satisfy herself that the Council is prepared not to undertake in future any assurances of financial support to organisations that may represent commitments in excess of its entitlement;

(6) whether, in the light of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70 and before making further grants to the Arts Council, she will satisfy herself that the Council is willing to undertake that it will not be ready to generate claims and expectations from organisations which in the aggregate may be incompatible with the resources likely to be available;

(7) whether, in the light of the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70, she will now make a statement with regard to financial control of future grants in aid to the Arts Council.

Mrs. Thatcher

The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General has been referred to the Public Accounts Committee. I cannot anticipate the examination of the Report by the Committee.

Mr. Money

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when she expects to receive from the Arts Council the report from a firm of chartered accountants, referred to in the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Civil Appropriation Accounts for 1969–70, regarding financial aspects of the major London institutions receiving Arts Council subsidies.

Mrs. Thatcher

I understand that the Arts Council who commissioned this report, expect to receive it by the autumn of 1971.