§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts what information the Minister for the Arts has as to the current arts budget of the Greater London Council and how this is broken down by sector, and by capital and revenue, respectively; and on what assumptions as to the proportion of each category of expenditure that would be transferred in the event of the abolition of the Greater London council (a) to direct or indirect central Government funding and (b) to the London boroughs, his present policy is based.
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§ Mr. Waldegrave[pursuant to his reply, 14 November 1983, c. 312]: My noble Friend the Minster for the Arts understands that the Greater London council is budgeting to spend £19,612,000 gross on the arts in 1983–84, as follows:
1983–84 £000s (Budget estimates) Revenue Capital Museums and Historic Houses 3,428 686 South Bank facilities 7,103 611 Contributions to cultural bodies 7,784 — The amounts which might be spent on these categories after the abolition of the Greater London council in 1986, by centrally funded bodies or by London boroughs, will depend on a number of factors, including the outcome of the present consultations, the needs of the activities at the time, and the decisions of the London boroughs. However, based on this year's budget, and assuming that the consultative document recommendations were accepted, the proportion falling to the boroughs would be about one-sixth.