Everyone, I fancy, recognises that the work of the artist in all aspects is, to its nature, individual and free, undisciplined, unregimented, uncontrolled. The artist walks where the breath of the spirit blows him, He cannot be told his direction, he does not know it himself.

When I was … going to the Treasury I knew that talking about truth and beauty wasn't going to get me any more money. I think it is always going to be the case with the Treasury, no matter who is in government...

We will give direction: we will set targets and chase progress; and where appropriate we will take direct action to make sure that our objectives are achieved… This is not something for nothing. We want to see measurable outcomes for the investment which is being made

To hell with targets Performing artists, once under attack for apparently not paying their way, are now in the dock for attracting the wrong kind of people. And it doesn't seem to matter whether what we do is any good or not… Until recently, the National Theatre's audience was getting worse reviews than some of its shows. Then somebody noticed some kids in the house with studs through their noses, and the reviews looked up…

Nine core metrics to be rated by self, peer and public assessors: Presentation: it was well produced and presented Distinctiveness: it was different from things I've experienced before Rigour: it was well thought through and put together Relevance: it had something to say about the world in which we live Challenge: it was thought-provoking Captivation: it was absorbing and held my attention Meaning: it meant something to me personally Enthusiasm: I would come to something like this again Local impact: it is important that it's happening here Five metrics for self and peer assessment only: Concept: it was an interesting idea/programme Risk: the artists/curators really challenged themselves with this work Originality: it was ground-breaking Excellence (national): it is amongst the best of its type in the UK Excellence (global): it is amongst the best of its type in the world