§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to increase and improve facilities for the conservation and restoration of works of art in public collections.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsI have indicated in the reply I gave to a question by the hon. Member for Hitchin (Mr. Stewart) on 19th May—[Vol. 892, c. 2771—the extent to which I have encouraged the development of training facilities in conservation. A new laboratory for the scientific department is included in the northern extension to the National Gallery, to be opened on 9th June by Her Majesty the Queen. Provision has been made this year for converting the stable block at Osterley Park House into a conservation centre for the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Local collections benefit from the help and advice on conservation given to them by the area museum councils, whose grants from the Government have been quadrupled in two years.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how 88W many of the staff of the museums and galleries for which he is responsible are qualified in the valuation of works of art; and if he will list them by numbers and speciality.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThe staff of the national collections naturally acquire by experience expert knowledge of market values in their own particular fields but formal qualifications for valuation work are not required. It is therefore not possible to produce a list.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of the time of the staff of the museums and galleries for which he is responsible is currently occupied in the valuation of works of art.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThe national museums and galleries do not advise private individuals on the value of their works of art. The Government occasionally, as cases arise, seek the opinion of directors and keepers of the national collections in relation to the value placed by executors on objects offered in satisfaction of estate duty, but the time spent is too small and too erratic to be expressed as a measured proportion of the staff's total time.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what facilities are currently provided by the museums and galleries for which he is responsible for the valuation of works of art owned by private individuals; and whether he has any plans to extend these facilities.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThere are no such facilities and it is not planned to provide them.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many works of art in the museums and galleries for which he is responsible are currently on public view; and what percentage this is of the number of works of art in their possession;
(2) how many works of art were given or bequeathed to the museums and galleries for which he is responsible during the period from April 1965 to April 1975; and what is the total value of such gifts and bequests.
89W
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThis information could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many empty galleries and rooms suitable for the public display of works of art there are in the museums and galleries for which he is responsible; and how many of these are empty because of a lack of suitable exhibits.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many works of art in public ownership are currently on loan to British embassies and high commissions and to Government Departments.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThree hundred and eighteen.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much has been spent in new acquisitions by the museums and galleries for which he is responsible during the period from April 1965 to April 1975; and how much of this money has come from public funds.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsInformation about total expenditure on acquisitions by the national collections in England could not be obtained without excessive expenditure. The purchase grants-in-aid paid to them in the 10 years 1st April 1965 to 31st March 1975 amounted to £12,123,338.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the 20 most valuable works of art in each of the museums and galleries for which he is responsible; and state how each was acquired.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThis information could not be obtained without excessive90W expenditure and would in any case be a matter of subjective judgment.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is satisfied that people living outside the Greater London area have adequate opportunity for enjoying the visual arts; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Hugh JenkinsThe Charter of the Arts Council requires it "to increase the accessibility of the arts to the public throughout Great Britain". The Council discharges this responsibility with skill. I understand that 85 per cent. of the council's visual arts budget of over £1½ million will this year be accounted for by regions outside London. Twenty-three of the exhibitions organised by the Arts Council will be seen outside London. The Crafts Advisory Council has recently appointed a regional officer and half its budget is spent outside London.
Apart from visual arts which are financed by the Government, there are many local art collections of the highest quality throughout the country maintained both by local and private authorities. My principal concern is that greater numbers should take advantage of the opportunities now open to them.