§ Mr. Michael Forsythasked the Minister for the Arts if he will list in the Official Report those voluntary bodies and organisations assisted by his Department with grant aid in the last financial year for which figures are available and the size of the grant so given.
§ Mr. LuceIn 1984–85 (the last complete year for which outturn figures are available), the Office of Arts and Libraries made the following direct grants towards the administrative costs of arts organisations which could be classed as voluntary bodies according to the common definition:
£ The National Art Collections Fund 7,030 The Association for Business Sponsorship of the Arts 10,500
§ Mr. Michael Forsythasked the Minister for the Arts if he will list in the Official Report the governmental agencies to which his Department gives grant aid which in turn provide financial support for voluntary bodies and organisations and the size of the grant so given in the last financial year for which figures are available.
§ Mr. LuceThe Office of Arts and Libraries makes grants to a number of non-departmental public bodies which in turn provide financial support to other arts bodies and organisations, some of which could be regarded as voluntary. The grants planned for 1985–86 are mainly listed in the supply Estimates, class V, vote 10.
§ Mr. Michael Forsythasked the Minister for the Arts if he will outline the steps which his Department takes to ensure that grant aid given to voluntary bodies and organisations, whether directly or indirectly, is not used for political purposes.
§ Mr. LuceGrants are given in accordance with the aims and objectives of the arts and libraries programme described in chapter 3.13 of the public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 9702), and not for political purposes. It is the practice of the Department and of the grant-giving bodies which it funds to specify the purpose of the grant at the outset, and to take appropriate steps in each case to satisfy itself that the grant is spent in accordance with that purpose.