§ Mr. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further action he proposes to take about museum charges in the Scottish national museums and galleries.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellIn view of the representations which have been made to me by hon. Members and others about the variation of a private will in the order which I made on 16th July under the powers conferred upon me by the Museums and Galleries Admission Charges Act 1972, I have given further consideration to the matter and have withdrawn that order and made a new order under the Act. The new order, which is being laid before Parliament today, has been made after consultation with the governing bodies of the institutions concerned. It will provide, as the previous order did, for variation of the Treasury Minute of 1858 and the Act of 1855 which affect the collections of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland and Royal Scottish Museum respectively, but it will not provide for variation of the will of Henry Vaughan and the Torrie Agreement both of which concerned the National Galleries of 341W Scotland. I have asked the Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland to show the collections in their galleries at the Mound, including the Vaughan Bequest, free in the month of January each year. The loss of income, together with that resulting from the Trustees scheme of one free day a week from mid-September to mid-June, will be met by an extension of the period of extra charges in the summer.