§ Mr. Torneyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether she will explain the position in regard to pur- 717W chase grants for national museums and galleries in England for 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsMisleading statements have appeared in the press on this matter.
In 1977–78 the total of purchase grants to English national museums and galleries—including the funds for assistance with purchases by local museums—was £2,974,000. This total was increased to £5,293,000 in 1978–79—an increase of 78 per cent.—and is to be further increased to £8,275,000 for 1979–80, including an advance of £309,000 to the Tate Gallery made in December 1978—an increase of 56 per cent.
The total for 1978–79 included the English share of the additional £1 million mentioned in paragraph 20 on page 80 of Cmnd. 7049 which was provided to enable museums to acquire additional objects and works of art to assist with the preservation of the national heritage. For 1979–80 the total also includes this additional provision together with the English share of the further £1 million provided for that year for the same purpose. The £1 million first provided in 1978–79 and the further £1 million to be provided in 1979–80 together constitute the additional £2 million referred to in paragraph 20 of Cmnd. 7049, and are planned also to be included in the provision for 1980–81 and later years.
To take account of price changes, the figures for purchase grants in each public expenditure White Paper are adjusted before the next is issued. Such adjustments have been made to the extra provision described in Cmnd. 7049 from the time when it was first included in the programme.
All museum and gallery purchase grants serve either to enhance our national heritage or to preserve it. I consider that, after allowing for the upward trend in art prices, the increase over two years from £2,974,000 to £8,275,000 has greatly improved the ability of English museums to achieve both these aims.