Here, in no particular order - and with tongue partly in cheek - are my ten unanswerable questions in the arts. Nothing at all to do with the quality of the work - as arts minister, I resist commenting on individual productions or works of art, however strong the temptation. These are all about the experience of enjoying the arts

1 Why is it that, when you go to the theatre in the US, you are presented with an informative and well-presented playbill absolutely free, while here you pay through the nose for a programme with more pages of adverts than anything else?

2 And how can First Division football clubs produce bigger and better programmes - sometimes twice a week - for a fraction of the cover price of those for most West End theatre productions, which remain the same for the duration of the play's run?

3 Is there any item anywhere else in the consumer retail sector with a higher price mark-up than a small carton of cinema popcorn?

4 And in what sense of the word "small" can that carton be so described?

5 Staying with food, when people take along boiled sweets to keep away their coughs in the concert hall, why do they choose the sort with crinkly wrappers that take a (noisy) eternity to unwrap?

6 Why, in the 21st century, are there still so few ladies' loos in our theatres and concert halls?

7 Why is it perfectly possible - indeed, expected - for artworks in our permanent collections to have excellent, explanatory labels, but when it comes to contemporary art in temporary - and charging - exhibitions, the best you can hope for is an inexplicable title, and that's it?

8 Whatever happened to the "B" picture at the cinema?

9 Or Saturday-morning pictures for children?

10 And finally, why can't art galleries provide more - and more comfortable - seating for their visitors to appreciate the work on show? The best of the visual arts need to be savoured, not gobbled up like a drive-thru takeaway.

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