§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the funds made available by his Department to(a) local, (b) national and (c) regional (i) exhibition centres and (ii) galleries in 1998–99. [74509]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthMy Department allocated the following grant-in-aid to the national galleries in 1998–99
(i) National Gallery, £18.6 million, of which £0.7 million was allocated to maintain free admission;(ii) National Portrait Gallery, £5.0 million, of which £0.3 million was allocated to maintain free admission;(iii) Tate Gallery, £19.2 million, of which £1.0 million was allocated to maintain free admission.The National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, which includes the Walker Art Gallery and the Lady Lever Art Gallery, received £12.7 million grant-in-aid in 1998–99. Funds have since been allocated to allow free admission for children from April 1999 and for pensioners from April 2000. The 8-pass will also be held at its present level of £3 per year.
Funds were also provided for a number of national and non-national museums.
My Department also provided £8.9 million to the Museums and Galleries Commission in 1998–99. This organisation funds the network of Area Museum Councils in England which in turn contribute to the funding of a number of museums and galleries.
My Department allocated £186 million to the Arts Council for England in 1997–98, £12.5 million of which was spent on the Visual Arts. This money was distributed by the Arts Council's Visual Arts Department (£5.5 million) and by the 10 Regional Arts Boards (£7.0 million). An exact breakdown of spend into local, regional and national exhibition centres and galleries can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The figures for 1998–99 are not yet available.
Exhibition centres are not directly funded by my Department at local, regional or national level.