HC Deb 26 November 1990 vol 181 cc619-20
41. Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will make a statement on the latest representations he has received from the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists about the staffing situation at the natural history museum.

Mr. Mellor

I have received a number of representations from the IPMS.

I understand that negotiations have continued between the natural history museum management and IPMS representatives, and I am glad to note that, on 20 November, an agreement was reached between them.

Mr. Dalyell

Should not the Minister transfer his affections from Chelsea football club and spend his Saturday afternoons up the road at the natural history museum? Will the IPMS be consulted about the disastrous proposal to reduce spending on library services at the museum by £80,000 to £100,000 in the coming year, given the loss that that will entail in terms of the serious scholarship that is so important to British science?

Mr. Mellor

When I watch a game I occasionally have the feeling that there are some stuffed animals on the pitch, although that was not the case yesterday.

I take seriously the hon. Gentleman's question about the natural history museum because I know that he is very interested in the matter. I have taken quite a lot of trouble to have meetings to discuss it. There will always be controversy about the balance to be struck between the resources applied to making the museum more accessible to the general public and those applied to keeping the collection accessible to scholars. I understand that. I can only say that, having had meetings with Sir Walter Bodmer, the director and others, I believe that the museum has genuinely and sincerely attempted to achieve that balance. Now that agreement has been reached, the right thing to do is to await the outcome.

I hope that the hon. Gentleman will be reassured to hear that the museum's bids for running costs next year have been met in the settlement that I have been able to make available. I hope that that will help to maintain the balance and to ensure that the museum can continue to do its important work. I appreciate that, exceptionally, that also amounts to a great deal of commitment to research.

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