§ SIR WILLIAM ANSONI beg to ask the President of the Board of Education what progress has been made in the constitution and appointment of an Advisory 38 Committee for the arrangement and organisation of the art collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum at South Kensington.
§ MR. McKENNAThe preliminary arrangements for the constitution and organisation of an Advisory Council for the art museum have been completed, and Treasury sanction has now been obtained to the proposals. The matter is, however, complicated by the fact that in planning and carrying out the various Departmental changes needed to give to the new council its proper degree of responsibility, regard must also be had to the new circumstances that will arise out of the impending transfer to the Whitehall offices of that branch of the Board's offices which is now located at South Kensington in order to provide that arrangements for the conduct of the administrative side of the museum may work equally satisfactorily when that transference takes place. As soon as it is possible to introduce the new arrangement, which will also provide for the work of the new Advisory Council, the Board will proceed with the appointment of that body. I hope that this may be possible early in the coming financial year.