HL Deb 23 July 1913 vol 14 cc1307-9

LORD SUDELEY rose to move for an Annual Return to the 31st of December in each year from all public museums, including the Tower of London, picture galleries, and botanical gardens, in or near London, and in Edinburgh and in Dublin, in the form set out on the Notice Paper; and to ask His Majesty's Government whether, as it has been found difficult to obtain at present a similar Return from provincial institutions, the Board of Education will undertake to call the attention of the local authorities to the desirability of enabling the public to obtain information by means of "guide demonstrators," as far as possible, in all the principal local museums, galleries, and gardens throughout the United Kingdom, and request particulars as to what is being done in the direction indicated; and to ask if this information may be embodied in the Return.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, the Return for which I venture to move will, I feel sure, meet with the approval of the House. There is, however, one little difficulty which has arisen in regard to it, and about this I should like to say one or two words. I was very anxious that it should be possible to enable this Return to be made for provincial museums as well as for those of the metropolis and Edinburgh and Dublin. Unfortunately a technical difficulty has arisen and therefore it has been thought better not to press the matter, although in other respects there is no objection whatever to it. In these circumstances I want to ask His Majesty's Government if the Education Department will call the attention of the local authorities to the great desirability of the public having the means and facilities for obtaining information from all local museums, gardens, and galleries by means of guide demonstrators, and also if they will at the same time request the different local authorities to inform them as to how far this arrangement has been carried out. I hope that the information so obtained may be admitted more or less into the Return.

EARL BEAUCHAMP

My Lords, His Majesty's Government will be very glad to give the Return for which the noble Lord opposite has asked. They will also engage to call the attention of local authorities to the various points which have been raised by the noble Lord. There is, however, one amendment which I hope the noble Lord will allow me to suggest in the form of Motion, and that is the omission from the first line of the word "annual," so that it should not become necessarily an annual Return in this particular shape. I know that the noble Lord himself is not altogether satisfied with the present form of the Return, and it is not unlikely that in future years he would wish the Return to be amended and perhaps put in a different shape. It would therefore be more convenient, I think, if the noble Lord were to renew his Motion another year, and put it upon the Table of the House in the form in which he would really like the Return to be made.

LORD SUDELEY

I have no objection

Number of Visitors (Approximately).
Museum, &c. (a) Special Students. (b) Schools. (c) General Public. Method of Demonstration, whether by speciallv appointed "Guide Demonstrators" or by Members of the Stall. Whether any Fees are Charged for such Demonstrations, and if so, what. Whether Demonstrations are given in a Special Lecture Room or in the Galleries or Gardens. Remarks.
—(Lord Sudeley.)

On Question, Motion agreed to, and ordered accordingly.