§ Mr. Parryasked the Minister for the Arts (1) if, when he next meets the chairman of the Arts Council, he will discuss with him the delays in notification to Arts organisations on Merseyside of their grant allocations for the financial year 1986–87;
(2) if he is satisfied with the progress of negotiations between the Arts Council and the successor local authority on Merseyside.
§ Mr. LuceI met representatives of the various arts bodies when I visited Merseyside on 13 February, and I undertook to convey to the chairman of the Arts Council their anxiety to have an early announcement on grant allocations. I made it clear that the delay among district councils in deciding to commit themselves to a share of funding the arts on Merseyside was an obstacle to an early announcement, and that I looked forward to seeing these decisions taken as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Minister for the Arts how many Arts organisations currently in receipt of Merseyside county council grants have been informed of the level of funding they can expect from successor bodies in the financial year commencing April 1986.