Earl HAIGasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether in view of the undertaking given by the Secretary of State for Scotland in the Commons in March 1951 that a gallery of modern art will be built on the site of York Buildings in Queen Street, Edinburgh, and bearing in mind that the temporary accommodation at Inverleith House is becoming increasingly inadequate because the exhibition space has lately been reduced by a quarter, they can give an approximate date when plans being prepared by the Board of Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland for the Queen Street site are likely to be carried out.
§ Lord STRABOLGIThe proposed new Gallery of Modern Art on the York Buildings site is one of a number of projects which have to be considered in the context of the Museums and Galleries building programme, now being reviewed in the light of restrictions in public expenditure. The Government are not yet ready to make a statement about accommodation for the Gallery of Modern Art but we expect to have discussions with the Trustees when the review of the programme is completed.