§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government why the National Portrait Gallery still remains closed on Sundays during five months in the year. In connection with this Question I may explain that last year, in consequence of paying a visit to the National Gallery on a Sunday during the month of March and finding that institution closed, 582 I drew attention to the matter in your Lordships' House, and although I did not succeed in extracting anything very definite from the Government, the proposal to open on Sundays throughout the year was received very favourably by the trustees. They consented to try the experiment, and I am happy to think that it has been a complete success in every way. The average Sunday attendances at the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery during the winter months has been 1,478, and as these galleries are open for only about two hours that represents a considerable number of visitors. On making inquiry I find that the directors, the trustees, and everybody concerned are strongly in favour of the change and anticipate that when the fact is generally known that these galleries are open throughout the year the attendance will continue to increase. I should also like to state that this operation has been carried out at an extremely trifling cost. The cost has been only £84 in the case of the National Gallery and £42 in the case of the Tate Gallery.
In view of the success which has attended this experiment I was rather surprised the other day upon going to the National Portrait Gallery to find that institution closed on a Sunday. As will be gathered from the terms of my Notice, this institution is closed on Sundays during five months of the year. I have communicated privately with the directors and find they are just as much in favour of opening all the year round as the directors and trustees of the other institutions, but they have been prevented from doing so by want of money. It is perfectly obvious that the amount of money required to open all the year round in the case of the National Portrait Gallery is ridiculously small; indeed, I should think it could be done for £30 a year. The sum involved is so small that I almost feel ashamed of myself for bringing the matter before the House at all. But the absurdity of all this business is that apparently you cannot effect these changes without calling the attention of Parliament to the matter in some form or other.
For years past thousands of people have been going to these galleries on Sundays under the impression that they were open, and have been turned away. It so happened accidentally that I went on a 583 Sunday myself, and being able to draw the attention of Parliament to it the matter was considered and the result has been that some of these institutions, at all events, are open all the year round. Whether or not it is a desirable thing that the question of the opening of a public institution should be settled in a haphazard manner of this kind does not much signify; but I think the noble Lord who represents the Treasury in this House will agree with me that there ought not to be much difficulty in obtaining the small sum I have mentioned in order to secure the permanent opening of the National Portrait Gallery. In view of the indisputable success which has attended the experiment of the Sunday opening of the London museums and galleries, I trust we shall receive a satisfactory assurance that it will be carried out in the case of the National Portrait Gallery.
§ THE EARL OF CARLISLEMy Lords, before the noble Lord replies for His Majesty's Government, I should like to confirm what Lord Newton has said as to the success which has attended the experiment of Sunday opening all the year round in the case of the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery. At present the fact of the opening of these galleries all the year round is not generally known, and we feel that when it becomes universally known still further advantage will be taken of it. But even as it is there have been 32,500 visitors during twenty-two Sundays to the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery. That, I think, proves that it has been well worth while to spend the small sum which this has cost, and it has been done with practically no hardship or inconvenience to any of the persons employed at those institutions. I hope, therefore, the example will be followed in the case of the National Portrait Gallery.
LORD DENMANMy Lords, it is with considerable diffidence that I rise to answer this Question, because I find myself in what is to me the entirely novel situation of being able to give a reply which will be satisfactory not only to the noble Lord opposite but also to the noble Earl on the Cross Benches. I have to state, on behalf of the Treasury, that provision has been made in the Estimates for the present financial year, beginning to-day, for opening the National Portrait Gallery on Sundays during the winter months.