§ Sir Thomas ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what information he has about the financial position of the Halle orchestra, the Royal 527W Liverpool philharmonic, the Bournemouth symphony orchestra and the City of Birmingham symphony orchestra.
§ Mr. BrookeI am aware of concerns that the orchestras to which my hon. Friend refers are currently facing varying degrees of financial difficulty. However, I have no locus in matters relating to the funding of individual arts organisations. The orchestras in question are clients of the Arts Council of England, which closely monitors their financial as well as artistic and management performance.