HL Deb 17 December 1984 vol 458 cc529-32WA
Baroness Gardner of Parkes

asked Her Majesty's Government:

If they are in a position to announce the allocation of the arts and libraries expenditure programme for 1985–86.

The Earl of Gowrie

The central government element of the arts and libraries programme has been set at £272 million for 1985–86, an increase of 5.8 per cent. in cash over the corresponding provision for 1984–85. Subject to parliamentary approval of the Supply Estimates, I propose the main 1985–86 allocations listed below. For most areas of recurrent funding, this will be a tight settlement. While it will allow present levels of activity to be broadly maintained, the need to provide room for some modest new developments has made it necessary to restrict the underlying baseline increase to 3 per cent. in cash above 1984–85 levels.

The Arts Council's grant will be £105 million, representing a total increase of 5 per cent. over 1984–85. This, however, includes £2 million extra money towards implementation of its regional development strategy, some additional help for the Scottish national companies, advance preparations for taking over the South Bank, and other special needs. The total provision for the British Film Institute will represent a 4¾ per cent. increase, for the Crafts Council a 5.8 per cent. increase, and for the National Film and Television School a 13 per cent. increase, including in each case additional sums for special needs. Following the successful launch of the Business Sponsorship Incentive Scheme, for which £½ million has been set aside this year, I am providing £1 million for its continuation in 1985–86. I am contributing another £¼ million towards the Royal Academy's building and endowment appeal fund, with the aim also of stimulating further private donations.

For the museums and galleries, the 1985–86 settlement continues the shift in emphasis towards the better conservation and maintenance of existing collections and buildings, as compared with new acquisition and construction.

The total net provision for national museums' and galleries' general running costs will be increased by 4.6 per cent. after allowing for higher estimated receipts and for revoted surplus income from previous years. The Government's review of the net vote/revote system is still in progress and the existing arrangements will therefore have to continue during 1985–86. However, I aim to introduce the improvements in 1986–87 designed to give museums a greater incentive to maximise income for their own benefit.

This provision for the national museums and galleries includes the continuation of the 1984–85 £½ million allocated for conservation projects, together with a further £1 million for other special needs. The £½ million fund to conservation projects in local museums through the Museums and Galleries Commission will be repeated in 1985–86. The provision borne on the Property Services Agency's Vote for the national museums' and galleries' capital building and maintenance programme, which was substantially increased this year, will be further increased by some 15 per cent. in 1985–86, with priority being given to the maintenance and refurbishment of existing buildings. This continued shift of emphasis is being achieved partly by reducing the basic national purchase grants by about 13 per cent. on average, though with no reductions for the smaller institutions. I am making a separate announcement about future arrangements for the local museum purchase grant schemes currently administered by the Victoria and Albert Museum and Science Museum. One and half million pounds is allocated in 1985–86 for the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and £1 million for acceptances of art objects in lieu of tax, from the arts and libraries programme; matching provision will be made on the Department of the Environment Vote. I am making a separate announcement on the Government's policy towards heritage provision.

Next, subject to parliamentary approval, I propose to increase the statutory ceiling on the Public Lending Right Scheme by nearly 40 per cent. to £2¾ million. This will help authors and go some way towards restoring the real value of the ceiling since it was originally fixed. Recurrent provision for the British Library and grants to the Royal Geographical Society, Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts and the British Records Association will be increased by 3 per cent. on average in 1985–86. The allocation of the Property Services Agency's Vote covering the British Library's new St. Pancras building project will be more than doubled next year, reflecting the path of expenditure on the first construction phase now under way. The Government's decision on later stages of the project will be announced in due course.

These allocations are within the arts and libraries programme total given in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement. Plans for 1986–87 and 1987–88 will be set out in the next Public Expenditure White Paper, and be subject to annual review. They will carry forward the general pattern established in 1985–86.

The individual 1985–86 allocations are as follows:

TABLE OF ALLOCATIONS
£ million cash
1984–85 1985–86
ARTS
Arts Council 100.0 105.0
British Film Institute 7.710 8.075
National Film and Television School 0.990 1.120
Crafts Council 1.777 1.880
Business Sponsorship Incentive Scheme 0.5 1.0
£ million cash
1984–85 1985–86
HERITAGE
National Heritage Memorial Fund (OAL share) 4.0 1.5
Acceptances in lieu (OAL share) 2.0 1.0
MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
Purchase grants (including revotes)
British Museum 1.737 1.460
Imperial War Museum 0.147 0.100
National Gallery 3.331 2.750
National Maritime Museum 0.203 0.205
National Portrait Gallery 0.310 0.310
Science Museum 0.416 0.461
Tate Gallery 2.041 1.815
Victoria and Albert Museum 1.320 1.145
Other net running costs (including revotes)
British Museum 11.128 11.533
Imperial War Museum 4.236 4.345
National Gallery 3.693 3.889
National Maritime Museum 4.101 4.131
National Portrait Gallery 1.556 1.467
Science Museum 7.908 8.493
Tate Gallery 3.554 3.830
Victoria and Albert Museum 8.963 9.453
Wallace Collection 0.823 0.877
Sir John Soane's Museum 0.200 0.212
Museum of London 1.278 1.372
National museums' and galleries' building/maintenance programme (PSA) 24.8 28.7
Museums and Galleries Commission
—administration and AMC/conservation/capital grants 3.041 3.076
—local museum purchase grants 1.282 1.282
LIBRARIES
British Library: total current grant 46.850 48.254
British Library building/maintenance (PSA) 3.338 7.245
Royal Geographical Society 0.052 0.054
Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts 0.386 0.400
British Records Association 0.012 0.012
Public Lending Right Scheme 2.0 2.75
MISCELLANEOUS GRANTS
South Bank Theatre Board 0.1 0.6
Government Art Collection 0.144 0.153
Royal Academy Appeal contribution — 0.25