HC Deb 16 January 1964 vol 687 cc68-9W
Mr. Kershaw

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the purchase grants of the national museums and galleries for the next quinquennium.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Yes. The House will recall that five years ago, after consultation with the Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries, the annual purchase grants of the arts museums and galleries were very greatly increased and were for the first time settled on a quinquennial basis.

It is proposed that the annual purchase grants of all the museums, galleries and national libraries should again be determined for a quinquennium beginning in 1964–65. The Standing Commission have again been consulted and proposed revised grants which Parliament will be asked to approve, and which are set out in the table below, have been agreed with them. The total of ordinary annual grants shows an increase over the current year's level of nearly £300,000 or 70 per cent. In addition provision will be made for two special supplements: one, of £45,000 a year to the British Museum for the initial stocking of the National Science Reference Library; the other, of £50,000 a year, to the Tate Gallery for the purchase of foreign pictures painted between 1900 and 1950.

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES: PURCHASE GRANTS
Level of annual grants at end of Quinquennium Annual grants for Quinquennium
1959–64 1964–69
£ £
British Museum … … … … 140,000 217,000 plus special allocation of £45,000 for stocking up National Science Reference Library.
British Museum (Natural History) … … 12,000 24,000
Victoria and Albert Museum … … 40,000 70,000
Science Museum … … … … 8,000 8,000
Imperial War Museum … … … 400 1,500
London Museum … … … … 1,000 1,000
National Gallery … … … … 125,000 200,000
National Portrait Gallery … … … 4,000 8,000
National Maritime Museum … … 1,000 5,000
Tate Gallery … … … … … 40,000 60,000 plus special allocation of £50,000 for purchase of foreign pictures painted between 1900 and 1950.
Royal Scottish Museum … … … 9,000 18,000
National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland 3,000 7,500
National Galleries of Scotland … … 15,000 25,000
Scottish Gallery of Modern Art … … 7,500 20,000
National Library of Scotland … … 9,000 25,000
National Museum of Wales … … … 6,000 20,000
National Library of Wales … … … 7,500 18,000
Total ordinary grants … … 428,400 728,000
Special allocations … … … — 95,000
823,000