§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has for funding regional theatre in the areas covered by(a) the South East Arts Board, (b) Waverley district council and (c) Mole Valley district council, with particular reference to (i) the Redgrave Theatre, Farnham and (ii) the Thorndike Theatre, Leatherhead. [137687]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThis is a matter for the Arts Council of England, as the main funding body for the arts in England, in collaboration with South East Arts, as the regional arts board, to decide within the context of their current review of theatre. The Arts Council have already announced additional funding for theatre from 2002–03, and decisions on how this will be distributed will be made in the near future.