§ Lord Simon of Glaisdaleasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, arising from the answer of the noble Lord, the Minister of the Arts, to a Question for Written Answer (Hansard 26th January 1984, cols. 441–444), where "the ultimate destination of a work of art for which an export licence has been refused" is a "publicly funded institution in the United Kingdom" or a "public collection", such destination and the price paid "are … regarded as commercial in confidence, divulged only with the applicants' permission"; and, if the question was misunderstood, whether it can now be answered.
The Minister of State, Privy Council Office, and Minister for the Arts (The Earl of Gowrie)Information was given in response to the noble and learned Lord's previous Question in terms of the country of ultimate destination for items for which export licences were withheld. This and other information about such applications is regarded as commercial in confidence and only disclosed with the applicant's permission. Where such items were subsequently purchased by public collections in the United Kingdom, the price specified by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art was as follows:
The sum ultimately paid by the institution may sometimes vary for reasons of tax and adjustments during the sale negotiations. The final prices paid by public collections are not held centrally.
Public collections which acquired items under export stop Price stipulated by the Reviewing Committee in each case£ £ 1981 Metropolitan Borough of Wigan 36,650 British Museum (2 items) 34,993.27 14,000 1982 Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge 750,000 National Heritage Memorial Fund 38,500 Victoria & Albert Museum (2 items) $60,000 (Sterling equivalent £968) Staffordshire County Museum 1,672.50 1983 National Gallery 50,000 Hampshire County Museums 11,000 Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery 11,500 National Railway Museum 28,000 British Museum (3 items) 47,000 22,300 * Victoria & Albert Museum (3 items) 9,804 94,775 * HM Armouries (2 items) 23,304 36,795 Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts 13,380 Aberdeen Art Gallery 24,725 *The owner did not give permission for the specified price to be made known.