(2) how much Renaissance funding will be available for (a) Herefordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the next five years;
(3) if he will make a statement on the distribution of Renaissance funding in (a) Herefordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England;
(4) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Renaissance funding within the context of the comprehensive spending review in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England; and if he will make a statement.
Investment by Renaissance in the regions in regional museums is as follows:
£ million West Midlands region 25.1 All English regions 138.2 All English regions, plus national initiatives 149.2
The West Midlands is currently one of three English regions to have received proportionately more funding than the other six.
It is not possible to provide a complete financial breakdown at the county level for all aspects of Renaissance, as the programme focuses on need and impact at the regional level. However, to date, Herefordshire has benefited directly from the following strands of Renaissance:
£67,600 investment for a museum development officer post for Herefordshire for 2006-08;
Museum service development grants funded by the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council in the West Midlands;
Museum development funding focussed on the needs of small and medium sized museums;
The skills development programme, providing training for museum professionals and volunteers; and
Support from the five partner institutions in the West Midlands Renaissance hub which includes funding an accreditation adviser who has been working with museums in Herefordshire.