§ Lord VAIZEYasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the number of staff proposed to be cut at the Victoria and Albert Museum and other museums which are in Central Government responsibility, in future financial years; and what the number is, expressed as a percentage.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, DEPARTMENT of EDUCATION and SCIENCE (Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge)My Lords, as part of an overall cut in the number of civil servants announced by the Government on 29th July of this year, my right honourable friend is considering proposals to cut forecast complements of the Victoria and Albert and Science Museums by 1st April 1978 by 81 and 63 posts respectively, a reduction in each case of about 11 per cent. No forecasts are available beyond 1978. So far as the Royal Scottish Museum is concerned, I understand that it should be possible to achieve the required savings by foregoing future growth previously planned. No marked change in present numbers is expected. I will arrange for a letter to be sent to the noble Lord giving the details in respect of the museums controlled by the Ministry of Defence.