§ LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEUMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of public concern they have any statement to make on the future of the Railway Museums at Clapham, York and Swindon.]
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, my right honourable friend is considering a formal Scheme dealing with the future of the historical transport relics, which was submitted by the British Railways Board for his approval. Although the Scheme does not enter into any administrative detail on the future of the Transport Museums, it lays a duty on the Railways Board to preserve the relics, subject to the provisions of the Scheme.
§ LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEUMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply, but would he not agree that 537 the time has now come to transfer from the British Transport Board to the Ministry of Education responsibility for keeping these relics, as they are national relics and much better cared for by a Minister not concerned with the everyday problems of our transport?
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, it is a matter of opinion. After all, the Railways Board are responsible for transport, and the Scheme allows for the collecting together of relics from all forms of transport—road, rail and inland waterways. Moreover, it is an historical museum of their industry. There are many industries where firms that have been connected with that industry over a long period of years quite proudly maintain a museum of the development of their industry. This is a question of the development of transport, and we think it quite proper for the transport organisations to have to maintain the history of their own industry.
§ LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEUMy Lords, while I agree, perhaps some public concern might be allayed if there were a permanent board of trustees which would have, in addition to the Railways Board, the responsibility of looking after these relics.
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, trustees can be a liability as well as an asset. I have had some funds in which they have been involved. But interest in this museum is now increasing, with publicity. I am grateful to the noble Lord for giving this opportunity for more publicity, because I think that the curator and the staff are doing a first-class job and have arranged a first-class exhibition. The more publicity we get, and the more the museum is used by the public and by educational institutions, the nearer we shall come to making it viable.
§ THE EARL OF SHANNONMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he would use his influence on his right honourable friend in another place to stop calling these objects "relics". I think that it would be for the better interest of the public to regard these as past achievements and not as relics.
§ LORD LINDGRENMy Lords, that term is often applied to this House.