§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Minister for the Arts if there have been any items accepted in lieu of tax or allocated since an announcement was last made on the subject to the House.
§ Mr. RentonSince my announcement on 19 December 1990, at column175, I am pleased to announce that three further offers have been accepted. These consist of a collection of photographs by and of Cecil Beaton, a collection of private and Post Office telegraph stamps of Great Britain—1854 to 1881—and a collection of 38 paintings connected with East Anglia including a number of works by Pieter Tillemans together with a George III cabinet. These offers will satisfy £125,331, £113,000 and £211,552.80 respectively. No decision has yet been taken on the allocation of the Beaton photographs or the stamp collection, but the paintings and cabinet will be allocated to the Norwich Castle museum in accordance with the condition on which the offer was made. As with previous "hybrid" offers, the Norwich Castle museum agreed to pay the offerer an element of the difference between the tax liability and the special price.