§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Under-Secretary of State answering in respect of the Arts whether he will publish in the Official Report the attendance figures for 1983 reported by the national museums and galleries in England, broken down to the individual institutions but comprising their outstations, with figures in each case of the percentage increase or decrease on the attendance figures for 1982.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe information requested is as follows: 349W
Estimated attendance in 1983 Percentage change from 1982 British Museum 3,078,575 + 3.8 Natural History Museum 2,662,253 + 9.0 Geological Museum 531,041 +24.6 Imperial War Museum 1,255,916 + 6.5 National Gallery 2,896,676 +10.0 National Maritime Museum 600,000 -39.8 National Portrait Gallery 468,000 -10.8 Science Museum 4,783,858 + 5.1 Tate Gallery 1,270,025 + 4.2 Victoria and Albert Museum 2,221,207 + 7.9 Wallace Collection 177,214 +23.1 The estimated figure for attendance at the national maritime museum shows a substantial reduction because of a change in the method of recording visitors to the old royal observatory. Visitors to the two buildings are not now counted separately. The science museum figures include attendances at the national museum of photography, film and television in Bradford which was opened to the public in June 1983.