§ Mr. Guy Barnettasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what is her latest estimate of the sums received from admission charges to the national museums and galleries which will remain as net appropriations in aid of the supply estimates, after deduction from the estimated gross sums collected from the public of the total of (1) amortised first year cost of machines and installation, (2) first year cost of tickets and maintenance of machines, (3) first year staffing costs, and (4) amounts received which are payable as VAT, broken down to the figures for each individual institution, including the Scottish institutions and the Ulster Museum;
(2) what is her latest estimate of the percentage of the estimated gross sum collected from the public in the form of admission charges to the national museums and galleries which is represented by the total of (1) amortised first year charge of cost of machines and installation, (2) first year cost of tickets and maintenance of machines (3) first year staffing costs, and (4) amounts received which are payable as VAT, broken down to the figures for each individual institution, including the Scottish institutions and the Ulster Museum.
§ Mr. St. John-StevasThe latest estimates in respect of the national museums and galleries in Great Britain are given in the following table. The net amounts to be appropriated in aid of the Votes of the institutions will be the gross receipts from admission charges less the amounts payable as VAT. The staffing costs will be met from the expenditure subheads of the institutions' Votes and the cost of providing, installing and maintaining the apparatus for charging—except for the Geological Museum and the National Museum of Wales which are financed by grants-in-aid—will fall on the Vote of the Department of the Environment. Calculations which treat the VAT element in the admission receipts as part of the running cost of collecting charges would be misleading, because charging for admission will make the institutions registered traders who will be able as a result to 87W recover the VAT paid on all their purchases of goods and services. The extra sums so recovered might in a full year amount to about £100,000, or roughly equivalent to the VAT payable on the charges, so the effect of charging for admission might be to wipe out the VAT Ireland.
Receipts (after deduction of VAT) to be appropriated in aid of museum vote Receipts payable as VAT Amortised first year charge of cost of machines and installation First year cost of tickets and maintenance of machines First year staffing cost British Museum 150,000 15,000 2,110 1,200 19,750 Science Museum 113,000 11,300 1,480 870 18,100 Victoria and Albert Museum* 154,000 15,400 1,500 720 30,500 Imperial War Museum 45,000 4,500 590 570 6,600 London Museum 19,000 1,900 250 200 6,500 National Gallery 154,000 15,400 920 730 15,350 National Maritime Museum 79,000 7,900 10,650† 640 22,600 National Portrait Gallery 36,400 3,600 380 300 6,600 Tate Gallery 80,000 8,000 870 530 16,900 Wallace Collection 14,000 1,400 390 150 5,500 British Museum (Natural History) 100,000 10,000 1,660 830 16,600 Geological Museum 25,000 2,500 300 200 5,000 Royal Scottish Museum 27,300 2,700 90 90 4,500 National Galleries of Scotland 35,500 3,500 270 400 7,000 National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland‡ National Museum of Wales 25,300 2,500 450 120 4,700 Total 1,163,100 21,910 7,550 186,200 * Includes provision for the Bethnal Green Museum. † 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. ‡ The National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery share premises with a common entrance; receipts and costs could be separated only notionally.