HL Deb 19 March 1919 vol 33 cc816-8

VISCOUNT HARCOURT rose to ask His Majesty's Government at what approximate date they hope for or contemplate the evacuation of—

  1. 1 The British Museum by the Registrar of Friendly Societies, Statistical Branch of the Medical Research Committee, and the effects of Prisoners of War from German Colonies.
  2. 2 The National Gallery by the Finance Branch of the Ministry of Munitions.
  3. 3 The National Portrait Gallery by Separation Allowances Department of the War Office.
  4. 4 The Wallace Collection by the Special Investigation of Accounts Department of the Ministry of Munitions.
  5. 5 The Victoria and Albert Museum by the Education Department.
  6. 6 The London Museum by the Allied Maritime Council, the Shipping Intelligence Section; the Allied Maritime Transport Council; the American Shipping Mission and Italian Shipping Mission.
  7. 7 The Imperial Institute by the Army Pay Section of the Machine Gun Corps; the Ministry of Labour; and the Effects Branch of the War Office.
  8. 8 The Tale Gallery by the Ministry of Pensions (Widows and Dependents).
The noble Viscount said: My Lords, I beg to put the Questions which stand in my name upon the Paper, and to add that in paragraph 7 I am happy to say that the words "the Ministry of Labour" can now be deleted.

LORD STANMORE

My Lords, I am afraid that I shall not be able to give the noble Viscount very hopeful answers to his Questions. With regard to the first four institutions he mentions—the British Museum, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Wallace Collection—I regret to say that there is no immediate prospect of the vacation of the space occupied in those buildings being carried out; but it is hoped that the position will be very much improved after the declaration of Peace, when a considerable diminution of staffs is confidently anticipated.

As regards the space in the Victoria and Albert Museum now occupied by the Board of Education, the situation is a little more hopeful. A scheme for the return of that Department to Whitehall is now under consideration. In fact, at the end of this week twenty rooms in the Education Office are to be restored. That is a little beginning. As the noble Viscount is aware, a large part of the museum is, of course, still open to the public.

The next one on the list is the London Museum. This is the one bright spot in my answer, because the First Commissioner of Works is now engaged in negotiations for having this building restored to its original use. Apart from the desirability of re-opening the museum to the public, the accommodation used for Government hospitality functions will doubtless be urgently needed in connection with the peace celebrations. I hope that the museum may be restored within the next few weeks. I trust that this will be gratifying to the noble Viscount, as the creator of this museum.

As regards the Imperial Institute and the Tate Gallery, schemes have been approved by the War Cabinet Committee on Accommodation for the erection of temporary buildings in the suburbs for these staffs, but the new accommodation cannot be available for at least six months. The work, however, will be pushed on with the utmost possible speed. A portion of the space in the Imperial Institute has already been released are being reinstated.

I should like to emphasis very strongly the fact that the Office of Works has done and is doing everything in its power to hasten the return of these museums to the public, but the fact on which the return depends is demobilization, which is, of course, beyond its control. At present no fewer than 8,000 members of the staffs of the various Departments are lodged in the buildings mentioned in the Question. In some cases there has been a considerable diminution in the total number employed, such as in the Ministry of Munitions and the Food Departments; but, on the other hand, there has been a corresponding increase in the Departments dealing with demobilization> and pensions, and the new Ministries

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