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Arts Access (Young People)
5. Mr. Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps she has taken to make the arts more accessible to young people. [12220]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: Increasing access to the arts, particularly for young people, is a top priority for my Department. In the last year, I have published "People Taking Part", a handbook of good practice on facilitating access; "Setting the Scene", containing a wide range of recommendations and commitments to encourage a greater involvement by the young in the arts; and "Treasures in Trust", which encouraged museums to look at new ways of reaching a wider audience. The national lottery has had an enormous impact in delivering the objectives, reviving the arts infrastructure throughout the country and now, through the new "arts for all" scheme, creating new revenue opportunities for a wide range of groups and organisations.
Mr. Butler: I thank my right hon. Friend for that compendious answer. May I add that there is never any need for her to warn of visits to my constituency? Notice would be sufficient.
May I ask whether my right hon. Friend enjoyed her visit to my constituency a couple of weeks ago, when she saw not only Olney rugby club and Olney tennis club but
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Mrs. Bottomley:
I well remember my excellent visit to my hon. Friend's constituency. The lottery is bringing new opportunities to his constituency, as to so many other areas. There is the magnificent Wavendon project: I strongly commend its summer camps, which are involving more young people in a love of music and the arts. There is also the splendid £19 million project for the borough council, to promote its theatre. As my hon. Friends the Members for Milton Keynes, North-East (Mr. Butler) and for Worcester (Mr. Luff) are well aware, involving young people in worthwhile, constructive activity is extremely important.
Mr. Tony Banks:
May I say to the Secretary of State that there is nothing more artistic than a 40 yd pinpoint pass from Ruud Gullit or a pirouette from Gianfranco Zola on the football field? It is little wonder that football has been described as working-class ballet. Will the Secretary of State ensure that the working-class ballet is brought to this country in 2006 for the World cup, and that, when she and her colleagues go to protest about the failure of UEFA to consider the English bid, she takes the Leader of the Opposition with her so that we can see that there is an all-party effort to secure the World cup for Britain in 2006?
Mrs. Bottomley:
I do not think that I need reassure the House of the strength of feeling among all Ministers about the bid. The stadiums in this country are now formidable: they are of extremely high quality, thanks to substantial investment in them. Euro 96 was a great triumph, and I shall do all that I can to secure that long-term bid.
Mr. Dicks:
Why is my right hon. Friend so concerned about making the arts more accessible to young people? Most of the kids I know would go bonkers if they had to sit through anything like that. Why subsidise this? Why spend taxpayers' money on such nonsense? If kids want to go to the ballet or the opera, or to see classical plays, either they or their parents ought to be made to pay the economic costs. This is not just a subsidy; we are worse than the lot on the other side.
Mrs. Bottomley:
My hon. Friend has said that he will escort me to various arts events. We have not yet managed to arrange any such visits, but I am determined that he will join me at, for example, the National Youth Theatre. A £2 million lottery award enabled the theatre to buy its lease, and it provides opportunities for youngsters from all over the country. I know that, like me, my hon. Friend worries about young people who may be more bored than bad. Providing worthwhile activities, whether in sport or in art, is an excellent way of growing the citizens of tomorrow.
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Mr. Fisher:
If increasing access for young people really is the Secretary of State's top priority, how does she explain the fact that her Government, through their dogmatic hostility to local authorities, which she has demonstrated again this afternoon, have presided over the reduction to a rump of our theatre and education network in schools, the destruction of peripatetic music teaching and the virtual elimination of all individual instrument teaching in schools? Is that the way to increase access? Has she ever had a meeting with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to discuss increasing access through education and, if not, why not?
Mrs. Bottomley:
Once again, the Labour party is good at preaching to other people about homework, but it never does its own. I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman has actually read "Setting the Scene", in which he will find a programme of action to encourage more involvement by young people in the arts--despite my hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (Mr. Dicks)--including the appointment of a schools governor, the involvement of the Office for Standards in Education, consideration of the school curriculum and consideration of all manner of practical ways in which to invest in the arts and young people.
For the Labour party to say that no money goes into the arts when, this year, there have already been more than 2,000 lottery awards and £734 million has gone into the arts, is extraordinary. About 87 brass bands have been funded and any number of theatres have been supported, as have dance groups and public arts projects. The lottery offers schools the opportunity to become involved in those projects under new directions, which I issued last year, which the Labour party seems suddenly to have discovered and thinks might be a good idea for the future, and which are already enabling revenue funding to promote access and education in the arts.
6. Mr. Nigel Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessments he has made of the impact of the social chapter on the United Kingdom tourism industry. [12221]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
With the help of the Government's reforms, British enterprise has created an increase in employment of well over 500,000 jobs since 1993. The social chapter would damage labour market flexibility, raising costs, destroying jobs and reducing competitiveness in world markets. The Government will never willingly place unnecessary burdens on business, such as a statutory minimum wage or the social chapter.
Mr. Evans:
I am delighted to hear that, but does my right hon. Friend agree that it is not only Conservatives who are giving out warning signs about the social chapter and the minimum wage? Does she agree with the chairman of Bass, Sir Ian Prosser, who said that Bass was conscious of the difference between social on-costs in the UK of 10 per cent., and in Italy of 43 per cent., or with Forte, which says that social on-costs are 50 per cent. in France and Germany? Does she agree that it is pointless the Labour party talking about having a tourism strategy when it makes no reference to the fact that, if it introduces
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Mrs. Bottomley:
My hon. Friend is exactly right. There has been a substantial increase in employment in the tourism and hospitality industry. It would be the most hard hit by the imposition of a minimum wage and social chapter.
My hon. Friend refers to leaders in the industry who have already made the point powerfully. I would also quote Robert Collier, chairman of Inter-Continental Hotels:
Dr. John Cunningham:
As for the untruthful claptrap and scaremongering that we have just heard from the right hon. Lady, let us face a couple of facts. The social chapter does not deal with incomes; nor does it deal with the minimum wage, as the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) implied; nor does it deal with the social costs of other nations.
As the hon. Gentleman mentioned Bass in his inaccurate tirade, perhaps he would explain, and perhaps the right hon. Lady would explain, why Bass is one of the 57 British companies that has signed the European works council deal under the social chapter's provisions. As Bass is active in the leisure and hospitality industries, is it not clear that, far from what he has said, it sees no threat whatever from the social chapter? Finally, apart from the diatribe and nonsense from the right hon. Lady, perhaps she would also like to explain to people in the hospitality, tourism and leisure industries why she and her right hon. Friends are so intent on maintaining poverty levels of pay in those industries?
Mrs. Bottomley:
First, I welcome the right hon. Gentleman to our questions. We have missed him greatly. He looks refreshed from his world travel. It is a pleasure to have him back with us, from, I understand, visits to different parts of the world.
Of course, we want to promote travel and tourism in Britain. We believe that the tourism industry is one of Britain's most important industries. It requires a flexible labour market. If the Labour party does not understand the damage that would be done to the industry by the social chapter and the minimum wage, it has failed to listen to all those leaders in industry who do understand. For example, a recent Confederation of British Industry survey showed that 80 per cent. of those surveyed were opposed to introducing paternity leave and 66 per cent. were opposed to other elements of the social chapter. We believe in jobs, in businesses and in the tourism industry.
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Mr. John Marshall:
Does my right hon. Friend recall the comment of Mr. Jacques Delors, who said that Britain's exemption from the social chapter would act as a magnet for inward investment to the United Kingdom? Is that not as true for the tourism industry as it is for manufacturing industry?
Mrs. Bottomley:
I remember that comment. The tourism industry is flourishing--and is doing so because Britain has a Government who believe in deregulation, in liberalisation and in reducing the burdens on and the interference with employers. We want a well-motivated and well-employed work force, but not at the diktat of Brussels.
"This year the London Inter-Continental will run a gross operating profit 50 per cent. higher than the sister hotel in Paris.
The Labour party's policy paper on tourism was disregarded as irrelevant. This is the key question that the industry minds about.
The difference is entirely in the costs of social benefits and insurances for which employers in France are liable. Put yourself in the position of a multi national corporation and I ask you which is the country you are more likely to invest in? Which economy is the more conducive to generating new jobs?"
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