§ Sir Hal MillerTo ask the Minister for the Arts if there have been any items accepted in lieu of tax or allocated since he last made an announcement on the subject to the House.
§ Mr. LuceSince my announcement on 29 March,Official Report, col 264, I am very pleased to announce the acceptance of three further offers in lieu of tax: a portrait of the children of Henry Herbert, first Lord Porchester, by William Beechey in lieu of £151,489 tax; a painting by Lucas de Heere, entitled "The Family of Henry VIII: An Allegory of the Tudor Succession", in satisfaction of £527,898 tax, and a group of four paintings in satisfaction of £6,650,000 tax; two portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, a portrait of Peirre Pecquis by Sir Peter Paul Rubens and "View of -Wageningen" by Hercules Seghers. The acceptance of the Lucas de Heere and the group of four paintings was made possible by the arrangements for a call on the Reserve first announced by Lord Gowrie in 1985 and brings the total call on the Reserve for 1989–90 to £9,977,898 and total expenditure on the acceptance in lieu scheme for that year to over £11.5 million. This is a record amount for a single financial year and demonstrates beyond doubt the investment and vital role of the scheme, and its benefits to individual estates.
In accordance with the conditions on which they were offered, the Beechey and de Heere paintings will remain in situ at Highclere castle, Berkshire, and Sudeley castle, Gloucestershire, respectively while the group of four paintings from the estate of the late Mrs. Eva Borthwick-Norton will be allocated in consultation with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland in a manner consonant with the testator's wishes as expressed in her will. The Secretary of State for Scotland will make an announcement about this in due course.