§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the £100,000 allocated to him from the Department of Education and Science out of the £1 million, announced by that Department on 26th October 1977, as having been set aside to assist with the preservation of the national heritage, will be retained by him undivided in the form of a contingency reserve to meet the threat of loss by export of particular heritage objects; or whether it will be divided by him upon receipt among national galleries and museums in Scotland.
§ Mr. McElhoneFollowing consultations with the national institutions in Scotland, my right hon. Friend decided not to divide this money among the institutions as an addition to their respective grants in aid, but instead to use it, on the advice of a committee on which the institutions would be represented, to assist individual institutions to acquire objects which they might not otherwise be able to do. Decisions on the use of the money would therefore be taken in the light of the views of these best able to assess priorities in this field. My right hon. Friend is at present considering the detailed arrangements with the institutions.