§ Mr. David ShawTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what the arrangements will be for opening Buckingham palace once the restoration of Windsor castle is completed. [35822]
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe then Secretary of State announced to the House on 29 April 1993,Official Report, columns 514–15, that the Queen had decided to 449W open parts of Buckingham palace housing important items of the royal collection to the public and that income from admission charges would be given by the Royal Collection Trust towards the cost of restoring Windsor castle. The Government welcome the financial contribution which has been made towards the cost of the restoration of the fire damaged areas of Windsor castle. This has provided a considerable saving to the taxpayer. This arrangement will continue until the restoration is completed.
The Royal Collection Trust announced today that the Queen has decided to extend the opening of Buckingham palace beyond 1998 and that the additional revenue will accrue to the Royal Collection Trust once the Windsor castle restoration is completed. The royal collection is held by the Queen in trust on behalf of the nation. It is one of the largest art collections in the world, yet receives no public funding.
The Royal Collection Trust will use the income to improve the conservation, restoration, and presentation of this unique collection, while making a contribution towards the maintenance of the areas of Buckingham palace open to the public, thereby helping to offset the cost to the taxpayer.