§ 67. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Secretary to the Treasury to state the principle on which he, in conjunction with the Trustees of the National Gallery and Tate Gallery, respectively, act in withholding certain pictures from public exhibition; where such pictures are stored, and while there what precautions are taken to ensure their safety; and upon what principle he and they act in deciding to remove them from storage and exhibit them publicly.
§ Mr. H. BrookeThe Trustees of the two galleries have sole responsibility for deciding what pictures in their collections shall be exhibited. As I explained in replying to the hon. and learned Member on 26th July, the principal considerations are those of the space available, the quality of the pictures, and the requirements of cleaning and restoration.
Pictures not on exhibition are displayed on screens where they are protected in the same way as those exhibited. The rooms are patrolled day and night, the pictures are under lock and key, and the usual fire precautions are observed. Pictures not on exhibition can be viewed in both galleries on application, and most of them are available for loan to provincial galleries.