§ 40. Mr. KeyTo ask the Minister for the Arts how much income is generated by public museums and galleries through providing shops and refreshment facilities on their premises.
§ Mr. LuceIn the present financial year the national museums and galleries that I sponsor expect their income from non-grant sources, including catering and trading, to exceed £20 million. I have taken a number of measures to encourage and facilitate their efforts to increase such income.
I have given the Museums and Galleries Commission a special allocation for the next three years to help non-national museums and galleries improve their performance in this area.
§ Mr. KeyCan my right hon. Friend assure those galleries and museums that respond to public demand for these services and generate extra income from them that they will not have their grant cut pro rata?
§ Mr. LuceI can confirm without any doubt that there will be no reduction whatever; nor will there be any adjustment to grants for any of the national museums and galleries on account of extra income from the private sector.
§ Mr. Menzies CampbellDoes the right hon. Gentleman agree that any contribution made by shops and cafes is no substitute for proper public funding of museums and galleries? Does he also agree that this generation has an obligation to pass on the nation's heritage in at least as good a condition as we inherited it? Is he satisfied that sufficient money is being provided for storage, maintenance and restoration of the many objects in musums that are in sad need of proper care?
§ Mr. LuceMy sole interest is to see an overall increase in the resources of museums and galleries. It would be absolute folly to say that if private sector income increases we should reduce the private sector income accordingly. That would not be an incentive to increase the overall resources. That is my objective, and that is what we are doing, to such an extent that today the national museums and galleries raise at least £20 million from private sector resources.