§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the statutory councils, such as the Arts Council, the Schools Council, &c., within his responsibility, showing the authority by which they are constituted, the average number of members, the selection procedure for members, the scope of their work and how they are compensated.
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§ Mr. MulleyNumbers and procedures for the appointment of members and the activities of the five research councils within my responsibility and designated or established under the Science and Technology Act 1965 are determined by their Royal Charters.
The Library Advisory Councils for England and Wales presently have 20 and 13 members respectively and the scope of their work and the procedure for appointing members are determined by the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.
The two bodies mentioned by the hon. Member are non-statutory, but similar information is provided in the Royal Charter of the Arts Council and the Constitution of the Schools Council. I have arranged for copies of the Royal Charter of the Arts Council and the Constitution of the Schools Council to be placed in the Library, which already contains the other documents to which I have referred.
The pay of the part-time Chairman of the Natural Environment and Social Science Research Councils and of the full-time Chairman of the Science Research Council was determined in relation to the Civil Service Deputy Secretary rate. The annual fee for the Chairmen of the Agricultural and Medical Research Councils is £1,000, and for most other members, £750. The Chairmen and other Members of the Library Advisory Councils and Arts Councils are unpaid. The members and present Chairman of the Schools Council receive no fees. Members of these Councils may claim the usual allowances for travelling and subsistence.