§ 50. Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the Government's policy on making accessible to other parts of the United Kingdom the treasures of the London museums and galleries.
§ Mr. OakesIt is the Government's policy to encourage national institutions to increase the availability of material from their collections to those living outside London. The new arrangements for 193W indemnities which my right hon. Friend announced in this House on 12th July 1977 have made it easier for local museums and galleries to borrow objects for long periods from the national collections. The Standing Commission on Museums and Galleries is having discussion with the national institutions with a view to the establishment of a new system of circulating exhibitions for provincial museums and galleries. Several of the national institutions already have outstations or permanent exhibition arrangements outside London, and further initiatives of this kind will be encouraged as opportunity offers and resources permit.