§ Norman BakerTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on(a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by his Department since 1997 was; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by his Department through sales of its works of art has been since 1997. [142370]
§ Ruth KellyThe amount spent by the Treasury is as follows.
£ 1997–98 to 2001–02 nil 2002–03 46,534 2003–04 41,505 This expenditure relates to paintings, prints and photography for the Treasury's refurbished building, occupied in the summer of 2002. The most expensive pieces were two items at £3,500 each; the next most expensive was £525. No works of sculpture have been acquired. No departmental-owned works of art have been sold during this period.