British Library (Hansard, 3 February 1992)

§ 31. Mr. Cohen
To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will meet the chairman of the British library to discuss resources.

§ Mr. Renton
I meet the chairman of the British library regularly. Our discussions include the library's resources and other matters of interest of the board.

§ Mr. Cohen
Will the Minister confirm that the British library's acquisitions budget has been cut by 41 per cent. in real terms, resulting in thousands of scientific periodicals no longer being stocked? Are not the Government bungling the building of the new British library, with expensive delays and omissions? In particular, is not the lack of reading space a fiasco, with the new reading room providing only 7 per cent. more space than the old one? In those circumstances, is not Treasury pressure to sell off the spare land on the site a national disgrace? [Interruption.] My last point—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. One question please.

§ Mr. Renton
The acquisitions budget for 1992–93 will be £250,000. The question of spare land is the subject of a study by the British Library Board into what the British library's needs will be after the new St. Pancras building has been opened in 1996 and how needs may be satisfied. No land will be sold before 1994 and there is every intention of having a serious study before then. I regret the hon. Gentleman's remarks about the British library, because it will be a great new building. There are difficulties at present, particularly with regard to paintwork and shelves in the new basement, but, once complete, it will be one of the finest buildings built in this country this century.

§ Mr. Fisher
Will the Minister now answer my hon. Friend's excellent point about why the Government have cut the acquisitions budget of the British library by 41 per cent. in real terms in the past four years? If the British library is, as the Minister said, the greatest English language library in the world, why are the Government not providing acquisition money or adequate transitional money? Why has the Minister deliberately blocked the money promised by his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Shoreham (Sir R. Luce), who promised in May 1990 that the Government would make money available for works of art for the opening of that new building? The Government are neglecting what should be a great jewel in the British crown.

§ Mr. Renton
I understand why the hon. Gentleman may be frothing at the mouth at the thought that, after all the years that he has spent preparing as shadow arts Minister, were the Labour party to be elected—horror of horrors—it would not be him but Melvyn "Time to Dance" Bragg who would be Labour's arts Minister. That must be a 16 disappointment. There would be loud applause for the suggestion from Labour Back Benchers, but he has my sympathy.
We are giving grant in aid next year of £65.4 million to the British library—

§ Mr. Steen
A great deal of money.

§ Mr. Renton
As my hon. Friend says, it is a great deal of money. How the British library decides its acquisitions budget, as distinct from other parts of its budget, is up to that organisation. But it is receiving a large amount of money—in addition, it receives £61 million specifically for the new St. Pancras project.