§ Mr. JesselTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on the funding provisions for the arts, sport and heritage. [28770]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 20 May 1996]: The areas for which I am responsible benefit from a wide range of funding. The partnership between public money in the form of central and local Government support and the lottery, and private money through sponsorship, provides well over £3 billion for arts, sport and our heritage. This partnership supports all our sectors on a scale never enjoyed before.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is her departmental funding of the arts for 1996–97; what estimate she has of the funding of the arts by other European Union states; and if she will make a statement. [22720]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 26 March 1996]: My Department's funding for the arts in England amounts to £194.25 million in 1996–97, of which £186.1 million is channelled through the Arts Council of England. The parallel figures for the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland Offices are £24.47 million, £15.49 million and £7.67 million, of which £24.47 million, £15.49 million and £7.15 million respectively are channelled through the relevant Arts Councils. Local authorities spend an amount on the arts similar to that provided by central Government through the four Arts Councils which in 1996–97 totals more than £233 million. On top of this, lottery awards of more than £400 million have been made so far, all of which are helping to improve the quality and increase the availability of the arts for everyone in the UK. It is anticipated that the arts' share of lottery awards will be in excess of £300 million this year. This adds up to public funding in the UK for the arts in excess of £775 million in 1996–97. No comparative figures exist for funding provision for the arts by other European Union member states.