§ 57. Mr. LEWISasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider what it would cost to keep the National Gallery open until, say, 10 p.m. on all week-days; and whether it would be practicable and advisable to cover 559 this cost by making a small charge for admission at all hours on certain days in the week?
§ The FINANCIAL SECRETARY to the TREASURY (Mr. W. S. Morrison)To keep the National Gallery open until 10 p.m. on all week-days would necessitate the duplication of the exhibition rooms staff, at an additional cost, including lighting, of about £3,300 per annum. An admission charge is at present made on two days a week, and I think it would be undesirable to reduce the number of free days. I would add that since April of last year, and as an experiment, the Gallery has been kept open until 8 p.m. on three week-days (free days) a week.
§ Mr. MORRISONThe trustees are reporting, but we have not yet received their report.