§ Mr. ViggersTo ask the Minister for the Arts what is his estimate of the contribution to the economy made by the living arts.
§ Mr. RentonThere is no definitive assessment of the economic importance of the arts. A report by the Policy Studies Institute in 1988 suggested that the arts generated a turnover of around £10 billion and employed almost half a million people. Official figures suggest that in 1990, the arts contributed almost £6 billion to the United Kingdom's balance of payments.
Although it is difficult to be precise, it is clear that the arts are a major sector of economic activity.