Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Arts Courses: Funding Reductions

Monday 1 November 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions addressed the potential impact of funding reductions for arts courses in higher education.
  • The Secretary of State acknowledged the importance of STEM skills but also mentioned an additional 10 million investment for world-leading arts providers.
  • The Secretary of State highlighted that arts subjects, such as PPE, can lead to diverse career paths, citing an example of a successful Mayor with a non-STEM background.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Education Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The reduction in funding for arts courses is causing concern. The questioner highlights that the government's recent rationalisation of strategic priorities grants has impacted these courses.

Question

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of reductions in funding for arts courses in higher education on the provision of those courses?

Answer from Nadhim Zahawi

We value excellent provision in all subjects, including the arts. We recently rationalised the strategic priorities grant to better meet the funding needs of high-cost, strategically important subjects, including in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner asked for an assessment of impact on arts course provision, but the answer did not address this specifically. It merely restated the rationalisation without assessing its effects.

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Q2 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Education Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The questioner points out the importance of investing in STEM skills but criticizes the reduction in funding for arts courses, questioning how it affects the creative industries.

Question

I know that the Secretary of State studied engineering, and as a chartered engineer myself, I believe it is essential to invest in STEM skills. However, doing so at the expense of arts subjects shows that the Government really are not serious about our future economy. How will he ensure that our £111 billion creative industries have the skills and people they need when he is cutting in half the subsidy for arts subjects? Is he aware that only a fifth of our artists, performers and so on are from working-class backgrounds as it is?

Answer from Nadhim Zahawi

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for mentioning my engineering background. As part of the same reform programme, we have asked the Office for Students to invest an additional £10 million in our world-leading specialist providers, many of which specialise in arts provision. On providers losing funding in the reallocation as we send a clear message on STEM, I remind her that that income loss amounts to about 0.05% of those providers' estimated total income.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The MP asked specifically how the government will ensure creative industries get necessary skills despite reduced arts funding, but the answer did not address this directly. It highlighted additional investment in specialist providers without detailing how it meets industry needs.

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Q3 Michael Fabricant Con
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The questioner suggests that arts subjects do not necessarily lead directly to arts-related jobs and references an example where a person with a philosophy, politics and economics degree became the Mayor of the West Midlands.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend accept that arts subjects do not necessarily lead to arts careers? Does he know, for example, an honourable gentleman who, after doing a philosophy, politics and economics degree at Oxford, became a shopkeeper and now happens to be the Mayor of the West Midlands?

Answer from Nadhim Zahawi

Indeed I do, and he is a great Mayor who is transforming the city of Birmingham and the rest of the west midlands. My hon. Friend is right to remind the House that subjects such as PPE are incredibly important and that many leaders in industry do not necessarily have STEM degrees.

Not addressed: The MP asked if arts subjects lead directly to arts careers, but the answer did not address this. Instead, it referenced a different subject (PPE) and mentioned examples of leaders without STEM degrees.

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Q4 Matt Western Lab Warwick and Leamington
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP highlights the importance of the arts for social mobility, mentioning influential figures from disadvantaged backgrounds who have contributed to UK culture.

Question

I welcome the Secretary of State to his place. As a neighbour, and possibly a friend, it is good to see him here. This nation has long produced some of the best creatives in the world—in fact, the arts are a powerhouse for the country's economy—yet the Government have a myopic view on the value of everything. Their present focus is that ballerinas should be coders, but for decades people from low-income households in particular have not just benefited from their discovery and study of the arts but gone on to enrich this country of ours and, at the same time, generated soft power.

Answer from Nadhim Zahawi

I am grateful to my hon. Friend—I think he is—for his question, although I completely disagree with him. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the arts play an incredible role in enriching minds, especially young minds, and in inward investment to the United Kingdom and exports from the UK. We continue to value high-quality provision in a range of subjects critical to our workforce, including the arts. That is why I mentioned the work of the Office for Students in reinvesting an additional £10 million in our world-leading specialist providers, many of which specialise in arts provision.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The MP asked about limiting social mobility through reduced access to arts education, but the answer did not directly address this issue. It discussed the value of arts and mentioned reinvestment without linking it to addressing the MP's concern.

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