§ Mr. PawseyTo 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 29 April 1991, at column7, I am pleased to inform the House that a portrait by Augustus John of Lady Ottoline Morrell has been accepted in lieu of £105,000 tax. I am also pleased to announce the formal acceptance of the Stathemberg dinner service and a Louis XV bas d'armoire, the acceptance in principle for which I announced to the House on 19 December 1990, at column 175. This offer was made possible by a call on the reserve and satisfied £1,393,610 tax. No decision has yet been taken on the allocation of the Augustus John portrait, the dinner service or the bas d'armoire.
I have also decided to allocate a collection of private and Post Office stamps of Great Britain, accepted in 1990–91, to the British Library. Finally, I would like to inform the House of a further payment of £13,763.72 which has been made to the Inland Revenue. This is in relation to a painting by Rubens, accepted in 1989–90 and announced to the House on 9 May 1989 at column 357. The total tax satisfied by the acceptance of this painting was therefore £183,616.20.