Permanent Secretary of the Culture Ministry Alfred King says that he was not aware of an annual subvention for Lichas Hall in the Ministry’s budget, weeks after committee members of the theatre said that the hall was receiving a subvention since 2008. King said that he did not know that the Linden-based facility was in receipt of funds in the ministry’s budget and if the theatre members knew of a subvention then they should have applied for the subsidy. He noted that there were legal requirements that an institution should submit before a subvention is released. “If there is a subvention, I cannot recall but if they did know then they should have applied but they never did,” he said.
An institution is required to submit an annual report, financial statements and a list of their current executives along with their application for the subsidy, King explained.
However, Devin Sears, Chairman of the Management Committee of the Theatre, said that the