§ 42. Mr. Grahamasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what the grant to the Arts Council in 1975 would be if it were to reflect the real value of the grant in 1970.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThe arts do not necessarily follow the same indices of price as other goods and services, and there is no specialised cost index which can with confidence be applied to them. However, on the basis of indices of the internal purchasing power of the pound386W the grant in aid to the Arts Council for 1970–71, which was £9.3 million, would be £14.85 million in terms of March 1975 prices. As my hon. Friend will know, the current grant in aid to the Arts Council for 1975–76 is £26.15 million.