§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about his discussions with the Getty Foundation, in the light of the offer of £1.8 million for a picture by Dosso Dossi.
§ Mr. Channon:In July my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I had an informal and amicable exchange of views with the president of the Getty Foundation, Mr. Harold Williams, about the Foundation's future plans. The export application for the Dossi was referred to the reviewing committee on the export of works of art, and it has advised me, having consulted the expert adviser, that the price that the purchaser has offered represents a fair market price. In cases such as this the price that would have to be paid by a museum or gallery in this country is often substantially lower, depending on the tax position of the owner.