HC Deb 26 January 1973 vol 849 cc270-4W
Mr. Guy Barnett

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the public attendance figures at the national museums and galleries during the years 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972, respectively, broken down to the numbers for each individual institution.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

The attendances recorded are shown in the following table:

Mr. Guy Barnett

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what are her estimates for receipts from the public, after deduction of VAT, from admission charges to the national museums and galleries for the first 12 months of operation, broken down to the sums for each individual institution;

(2) whether she will obtain and publish the estimated cost of equipment, installation, construction, including dismantlement, tickets, and additional staff, which has been, and is being, incurred in anticipation of the imposition of admission charges to the national museums and galleries, broken down to the total sums for each individual institution;

(3) whether she will obtain and publish the estimated figures, in respect of the first 12 months of the operation of admission charges to the national museums and galleries, for amortization of the cost of equipment, installation, construction, including dismantlement, tickets already printed and additional staff already paid, in anticipation of the imposition of admisson charges, broken down to the sums for each individual institution;

(4) whether she will obtain and publish the estimated annual staffing cost for the first 12 months in respect of the collection of admission charges to the national museums and galleries, broken down to the sums for each individual institution;

(5) whether she will obtain and publish the estimated annual cost other than that of staffing, but including maintenance of equipment, during the first twelve months of operation of collection of admission charges to the national museums and galleries, broken down to the sums for each individual institution;

(6) whether she will obtain and publish the estimated net annual proceeds from admission charges to the national museums and galleries for the first twelve months of operation, as calculated after the deduction from the estimated annual receipts from the public of the amounts resulting from the amortisation of the cost of equipment, its installation and construction costs, the costs of tickets and of additional staff combined, broken down to the sums for each individual institution;

(7) whether she will state the percentage of the estimated annual receipts from the public from admission charges to museums and galleries represented by the deductions made to arrive at the estimated net annual proceeds, broken down to the percentage figures in respect of each individual institution.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

Estimated figures of receipts and of costs to be incurred in the collection of admission charges are given in the following table. These figures, except those in column (b), are first estimates and are not based on practical experience of the operation of the scheme:

Receipts after deduction of VAT Receipts payable as VAT Total initial expenditure on machines tickets and installation costs Amortised first year charge of cost of machines and installation First year cost of tickets and maintenance of machines First year staffing cost Estimated net receipts (column (a) less annual running costs in columns (c), (d) and (e)) First year running cost as a percentage of receipts ((c)+(d)+(e))×100
(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g)
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ Per cent.
British Museum 150,000 15,000 9,100 2,100 1,040 19,750 142,110 14
Science Museum 113,000 11,300 4,900 1,290 760 18,100 104,150 16
Victoria and Albert Museum* 154,000 15,400 4,800 1,180 660 30,500 137,060 19
Imperial War Museum 45,000 4,500 3,200 460 450 6,600 41,990 15
London Museum 19,000 1,900 1,300 230 180 6,500 13,990 33
National Gallery 154,000 15,400 3,600 880 640 15,350 152,530 10
National Maritime Museum 79,000 7,900 13,200 10,500‡ 890 22,600 52,910 39
National Portrait Gallery 36,400 3,600 1,800 350 260 6,600 32,790 18
Tate Gallery 80,000 8,000 2,800 670 450 16,900 69,980 20
Wallace Collection 14,000 1,400 1,200 140 130 5,500 9,630 37
British Museum (Natural History) 100,000 10,000 4,700 1,120 630 16,600 91,650 16
Geological Museum 25,000 2,500 1,200 200 180 5,000 22,120 20
Royal Scottish Museum 27,300 2,700 600 90 70 4,500 25,340 15
National Galleries of Scotland 35,500 3,500 1,700 270 350 7,000 31,380 20
National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland
National Museum of Wales 25,300 2,500 1,900 450 120 4,700 22,530 19
Total 1,163,100 56,000† 19,930 6,810 186,200 950,160 18.4
*Includes provision for the Bethnal Green Museum.
† This is expenditure already incurred in anticipation of the introduction of charges. No additional staff have been employed for this purpose: those staff who were recruited for work in connection with charges have been employed on other necessary duties.
‡ The whole cost of providing and removing the now superseded external charging arrangements at the National Maritime Museum have been counted as a charge against the first year's operation.