§ 12. Joyce Quin (Gateshead, East and Washington, West)What plans she has for the development of regional museums. [101466]
§ The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Dr. Kim Howells)We will be providing £70 million for regional museums from this year until 2005–06, which will represent a 200 per cent. increase in central Government funding by the end of the spending review period. The funds will be used to modernise and improve the quality of regional museums' services. Extra funding will also be made available to the national museums to enable them to work in partnership with regional museums. Additionally, there will be funds from the Department for Education and Skills to support museum education projects.
§ Joyce QuinI welcome that news and the fact that Tyne and Wear Museums is one of the new pathfinder 15 museum hubs. Is my hon. Friend aware that the British Library has made arrangements to show facsimile versions of the Lindisfarne gospels in two locations in the north-east, in Durham and on Lindisfarne? Although that is welcome, can he reassure me that that does not preclude the originals being on display in the region, at least from time to time and, hopefully, permanently, because that would give a big boost to the region's tourism industry and its economy generally?
§ Dr. HowellsI am sure that it must be a priority for the museums and our Department to work that out. I have long believed that we should make far greater use of travelling exhibitions of some of the great treasures that are held in our national museums I am sure that that would benefit people who live in all parts of the country.