HC Deb 20 May 1952 vol 501 c31W
60. Mr. Chetwynd

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make arrangements with the national museums and galleries which have had to close departments in order to effect manpower economies, whereby certain exhibits, such as the Domesday Book, are centralised and made available to the public; and whether he will consult the necessary authorities with a view to receiving facilities for this purpose in either the Houses of Parliament or the Tower of London.

Mr. R. A. Butler

No. The only national museum entirely closed to the public which has exhibits of sufficient national interest to warrant such treatment is the Public Record Office. But the Public Record Office Acts do not enable the Master of the Rolls to transfer public records in his charge from where they are to another place for exhibition to the public.

Moreover, documents normally exhibited in the Public Record Office Museum often have to be produced at short notice for students.