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Works of Art
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many works of art he has borrowed for use in his offices and official residence; which organisations he has borrowed these works from; what the insurance value is of these works; what guidance he received on the acquisition of these works; if the works have yet been removed for temporary public exhibition elsewhere; and if the works have been or will be replaced on a regular basis. [31563]
Mr. Fatchett: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport today.
EU Presidency
Mr. David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated cost to the Exchequer of the United Kingdom holding the EU Presidency. [31393]
Mr. Doug Henderson: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, the current estimated forecast cost to the FCO for the European Council and other FCO-led Presidency events stands at £11.337 million (excluding VAT).
PRIME MINISTER
Official Hospitality
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Prime Minister what is the maximum number of guests that can be accommodated for (a) official receptions and (b) official lunches or dinners at 10 Downing street in the state reception and dining rooms. [31452]
The Prime Minister: Downing street can accommodate usually no more than 200 people at a general reception, and at most 65 at a lunch or dinner in the State Dining Room.
Works of Art
Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Prime Minister how many works of art he has borrowed for use in his offices and official residence; which organisations
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he has borrowed these works from; what the insurance value is of these works; what guidance he received on the acquisition of these works; if the works have yet been removed for temporary public exhibition elsewhere; and if the works have been or will be replaced on a regular basis. [31554]
The Prime Minister:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport today.
Insurance Premium Tax
Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received concerning the provision of inadequate (a) travel insurance and (b) motor vehicle warranties from non-specialist sources since the introduction of higher insurance premium tax. [31113]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 25 February 1998]: I have received no such representations about motor vehicle warranties. Some travel agents have included within their representations against the higher rate of insurance premium tax concerns about the service provided by non-travel specialist outlets to buyers of travel insurance.
Official Entertainment
Mr. Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will make a statement on the number of welfare-to-work receptions he plans to hold at 11 Downing street in 1998, including the dates of the proposed receptions, how much each reception is budgeted to cost, and who will be paying for each reception; [31681]
- (2) if he will list the welfare-to-work receptions he has held at 11 Downing street since 1 May 1997, stating the dates of the receptions, how much each reception cost and who paid for each reception. [31680]
Mr. Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 26 February 1998, Official Report, columns 358-59.
Barn Conversions (VAT)
Mr. Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of revenue forgone by the Exchequer since barn conversions were zero-rated for VAT. [30972]
Dawn Primarolo: Specific details for barn conversions are not available.
GDP Statistics (Staffordshire)
Ms Walley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give per capita gross domestic product figures for
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Staffordshire as a proportion of the EU average in (a) 1993, (b) 1994 and (c) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [31322]
Mrs. Roche:
I have been asked to reply.
The latest figures published by Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Community) are for 1994, and were published in April 1997. These show that the GDP per head for Staffordshire in 1993 and 1994 was 78 and 77 per cent. respectively of the European Union average. Figures for 1995, together with revisions for earlier years, are expected to be published by Eurostat in March 1998.
Works of Art
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the President of the Council how many works of art she has borrowed for use in her offices; which organisations she has borrowed these works from; what the insurance value is of these works; what guidance she received on the acquisition of these works; if the works have yet been removed for temporary public exhibition elsewhere; and if the works have been or will be replaced on a regular basis. [31568]
Mrs. Ann Taylor: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport today.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Works of Art
Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many works of art he has borrowed for use in his offices; which organisations he has borrowed these works from; what the insurance value is of these works; what guidance he received on the acquisition of these works; if the works have yet been removed for temporary public exhibition elsewhere; and if the works have been or will be replaced on a regular basis. [31557]
Mr. Chris Smith: I am replying on behalf of all the Ministers to whom the hon. Member has addressed her questions.
A total of 186 works of art have been borrowed since 1 May 1997 from or via the Government Art Collection (GAC) for the offices and official residences of the Ministers named in the hon. Member's questions. The basis on which the GAC has made works of art available is exactly the same as under the previous administration.
Other than the GAC, the following organisations have lent works of art via the GAC:
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Under the normal Treasury rules by which the Government bear their own risk, the Government Art Collection does not insure its own works of art, so it has no insurance value for any of these works, or those from national collections. Such works form the vast majority of loans. In general, works on loan from private lenders and from institutions that are not directly Government-funded are covered by the Government Indemnity Scheme.
Formal advice on the selection of works of art is given by the Government Art Collection, and where appropriate from staff and representatives of the other lending organisations.
It is normal practice to make works available for public exhibition on request from organisers of appropriate exhibitions. Since 1 May 1997, from the offices and official residences of the Ministers named in the hon. Member's question, three requests for works to be included in temporary public exhibitions have been received and met, and a further three are scheduled in the near future.
Works in all Government offices are changed as and when circumstances require. A small proportion is changed on a regular scheduled basis.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is his policy for responding to letters received in the (a) Scottish Gaelic, (b) Welsh, (c) Urdu, (d) Hindi and (e) Chinese language. [28066]
Mr. Tom Clarke
[holding answer 10 February 1998]: My Department's policy is to attempt to reply in the language of the letter received.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from which insurance companies his Department's library has sought the most recent annual report and accounts in the last year. [31323]
Mr. Chris Smith:
The Library keeps full records of requests for information only for two months. During this period the DCMS Library has sought the 1996 annual report and accounts from Benfield Reinsurance.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to his answer of 23 February 1998, Official Report, column 28, on the new opportunities fund, for what reason the Minister for Arts described the National Lottery Bill [Lords] as the statutory authority for the shadow accounts in his oral answer of 16 February 1998, Official Report, column 750. [31484]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 26 February 1998]: My hon. Friend the Minister for Arts was seeking to explain that the National Lottery Bill, if and when it is passed, will provide statutory authority for the reallocation of funds between the good causes which the shadow accounts prefigure. Neither the distributing bodies nor my Department need any specific statutory authority to maintain those shadow accounts.
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Arts Council
National Galleries of Scotland
Glasgow Museums and Galleries
Tate Gallery
Henry Moore Foundation
The United Oxford and Cambridge University Clubs; and
one private trust which has asked to remain anonymous.
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