APPENDIX 2
Letter to the Chief Executive, English
Heritage from the Committee Assistant, Committee of Public Accounts,
requesting additional information on wedding receptions held at
Kenwood House (PAC 99-00/225)
ACCESS TO PROPERTIES GRANT-AIDED BY ENGLISH
HERITAGE
You will already have received copies of the
uncorrected evidence given by yourself and Robin Young on 19 June.
Those proceedings include a number of requests for information.
Following the meeting the Committee considered
further certain aspects of the evidence heard and agreed that
more was needed. The attached paper lists a number of specific
requests related to the use of Kenwood House. I would appreciate
a response to each of those questions.
You may find it useful to incorporate all requests
for additional information on this matter into a single comprehensive
document. Should that be so, cross referencing to the original
point at which the sub-point was raised would be made easier.
The date by which your corrections and supplementary
evidence was required was 3 July, but this additional request
makes that deadline impracticable. I would therefore suggest that
all corrections, including the response to this latest set of
questions be with this office no later than 10 July.
Please let me know if you need further guidance.
Committee of Public Accounts
29 June 2000
FURTHER QUESTIONS TO ENGLISH HERITAGE
FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE HEARING
FINANCIAL AGREEMENT
When were English Heritage's costs for the event
finalised?
When was English Heritage repaid its costs?
Who paid for these costs?
Why did the time taken to sort out the costs
affect the time at which the donation was received?
On which day was the donation of £5,000
received by English Heritage?
Who paid the donation?
Was the size of the donation agreed in advance
with English Heritage?
Is there any evidence in writing about how large
the donation was expected to be? If so, please may we have a copy
of each relevant document?
What efforts were made either orally or in writing
to "Chase" the donation?
Who made these efforts?
If no such efforts were made, who took the decision
not to do so, on what grounds and on whose advice? If such efforts
were made, who took the decision not to press harder for the donation,
on what grounds and on whose advice?
PUBLICITY
How much did "Hello" magazine pay
for the right to take and publish photographs of the event? How
much of this was paid to English Heritage?
ACCESS FOR
THE PUBLIC
For how long and on which day or days was Kenwood
House closed to the public because of the wedding when it would
otherwise have been open? What access did wedding guests have
to Kenwood House and its art collection?
What are the normal public opening hours of
Kenwood House?
COSTS
Please list all the costs to English Heritage
which were later repaid. In particular, was any extra insurance
in relation to the buildings and/or the grounds and/or the art
collection, taken out by the wedding hosts? If so, what did it
cover?
Was the time used by Senior Officers of English
Heritage in handling the issue added to the costs?
"NOTTING HILL"
Was any payment made by the filmmakers of "Notting
Hill" to English Heritage for the use of Kenwood House? If
so, how much and for how long? Did any such payment include English
Heritage's costs on that occasion?
"ENGLISH HERITAGE
HOSPITALITY"
When was the scheme launched?
Please give details of all functions so far
held under the scheme, including income received and costs incurred
by English Heritage, dates and times.
Were any English Heritage properties ever rented
out for functions prior to the scheme's launch? If so, please
give details.
19 June 2000
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