§ Baroness Anelay of St Johnsasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Blackstone on 20 March ((HL3269) regarding the award of Arts Council funds to the development of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, what are the grounds upon which conditions of grant are considered "special" and therefore not open to public scrutiny. [HL3487]
§ Baroness BlackstoneSpecial conditions applied to the award of lottery funding are tailored to each particular project. They form part of the contractual agreement between the Arts Council and the board members of the recipient organisation. These conditions are listed in the accepted offer of grant and may contain financial or personal information which, if made public, would be detrimental to the value of the lottery grant or prove embarrassing to individuals related to the project. For example, the public availability of detailed budgetary information may compromise the ability of the budget holders to negotiate with suppliers or the conditions may include a stipulation relating to the position of existing staff or board members. The special conditions cannot be disclosed without the consent of the grantee organisation.