Arts Council England: Grants

Philip Davies
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to direct the Arts Council to remove questions regarding sexual orientation from its application forms for funding.

Margaret Hodge
The Arts Council works independently from Government as a non-departmental public body and there is no political interference in its work or its decisions. It would not be appropriate for us to dictate the content of application forms.

The Arts Council has told us the sexual orientation question is due to be removed from their application form in March. They are looking at how best to comply with new duties proposed in the Equality Bill.