§ Mr. MARKHAMasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, what is the total sum allocated for all Government supported museums and art galleries for the present year; and how does this compare with the sums allocated in 1927 and 1932?
§ Mr. W. S. MORRISONThe provision, including that for allied services, made for National Museums and Art Galleries in the Estimates for 1936, 1932 and 1927 is as follows:
Gross. Net. £ £ 1927 817,943 785,613 1932 751,873 716,880 1936 949,523 906,513 In addition to the above, amounts approximating in total to £100,000 a year included in the Estimate for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and in the statements of allied services appended to the Estimates for that Department, the Board of Education and Public Education, Scotland, might fairly be apportioned to the Museums covered by those Estimates.
§ Mr. MARKHAMasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, whether plans have been considered for the better ac- 1560W commodation of the ethnological collections of the British Museum; and whether any further steps are being considered for the creation of a museum of Asiatic or Oriental art and archaeology?
§ Mr. W. S. MORRISONThe Trustees of the British Museum have under consideration the desirability of their ethnographical collections being better shown than they can be in the space at present available; and of the better assembly and exhibition, in galleries devoted to the purpose, of their collections in Asiatic art and archaeology, of which they have already created the cadre of a separate department. The Government do not at present contemplate the creation of a separate Museum for such art and archaeology.
§ Mr. MARKHAMasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury what portion of the Estimates for the British Museum (Civil Estimates, Class IV) will be devoted to the Museum apart from the Library?
§ Mr. W. S. MORRISONThe net expenditure provided in time Estimate for the British Museum is not capable of exact apportionment between the Library and the other activities of the Museum, but it is computed that approximately one half relates to the Library and one half to the other activities.