§ Mr. BaldryTo ask the Minister for the Arts whether he will announce his allocations of funding for museums and galleries during the next three years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuceFollowing my announcement on 5 November, at columns848–50, of a three-year settlement of the arts budget, I can now announce my allocations to individual museums and galleries for the period from April 1988 to March 1991.
Overall provision for museums and galleries will be £157 million in 1988–89, £160 million in 1989–90 and £164 million in 1990–91. These figures are substantially higher than the £125.6 million which appears in the relevant estimates for the present year, for two reasons. First, there is a substantial increase, rising from over £11 million in 1988–89 to almost £12 million in 1990–91, in the planned provision for museums and galleries out of the settlement 532W I announced on 5 November; secondly, the total includes transfers of funding to the museums and galleries and the Museums and Galleries Commission in respect of services, including superannuation and the services of the Treasury Solicitor, for which the institutions will in future pay directly from their running costs, and property rates and certain rents which have been included in the provisions for building and maintenance work. The combined effect of these changes is to give a clearer picture of the total resources which the institutions as a group are receiving from central Government through the arts programme.
Subject to parliamentary approval of Supply Estimates at the appropriate time, I propose that the allocations to specific institutions shall be as indicated in the following table. Excluding transfers, these figures amount to an increase of 15.9 per cent. for the three-year period as a whole. They are intended to give museums and galleries a firm base on which to plan their future activities and development. By providing the largest increase in the first year, they are intended to encourage early action to strengthen the institutions' management and financial position. Apart from the figures for building and maintenance in the second and third years, referred to in the table, the figures will not be reviewed in the course of the 1988–89 expenditure surveys unless the situation changes substantially in ways that cannot be foreseen today. The Government will consider in 1988 what provision to make for the last year of that survey, that is for 1991–92; and similarly in 1989 what provision to make for 1992–93, with a view to a rolling three-year programme.
Provision for running costs is being increased to take account of particular needs. Each institution will receive increases over and above the forward planning figures notified first in the spring of this year. I am, in particular, providing increased grants for the Tate gallery to help with the costs of the gallery in Liverpool which is to open next year; for the Imperial war museum for the costs of fitting out the new galleries which will result from its major redevelopment scheme; and for the National gallery for the running costs of the new Sainsbury wing which is due to open in the final year of the period.
Within my allocation for running costs, I have earmarked a total of £0.57 million to help the institutions through training and in other ways to improve their management and marketing. I have also made provision within my grant-in-aid to the Museums and Galleries Commission, which I announced on 5 November, to enable the commission to assist other museums and galleries in the same way.
I have given careful thought to the question of purchase grants and decided that I must give a higher priority to the other, more pressing needs which the institutions have represented to me and which are reflected in my allocations for running costs and building and maintenance. Purchase grants will therefore remain in cash terms at their present levels for the time being.
My allocations to the individual institutions include for the first time provision within their grant-in-aid for building and maintenance. The building and maintenance programme for most of the institutions which is at present managed by the Property Services Agency and carried on its Vote will, as I announced in July 1986, become the responsibility of the individual institutions from 1 April next; provision for it will be made in the Office of Arts and Libraries' Vote. My allocations for this purpose will total 533W £48.47 million in 1988–89. This includes the increase of £6 million which I announced on 5 November would be devoted to strengthening the building and maintenance programme. I hope that the institutions will be able as a result to tackle their priority maintenance tasks and get the new system off to a good start. For 1989–90 and 1990–91 I have decided to allocate to individual institutions the bulk of the money for building and maintenance, but to keep for future allocation a margin of 25 to 30 per cent. of the total. The allocation of the margin, amounting to over £12 million in 1989–90 and nearly £15 million in 1990–91, will depend partly upon the plans which the institutions bring forward and the extent to which they can raise money for these from other sources.
The national museums and galleries make a splendid contribution to conserving and displaying our national heritage. With the provisions I am making for the next three years and with the incentive which these provide to strengthen their financial position, I am confident that they will continue to do so, and that the institutions will welcome the firm basis which these allocations provide for their future planning and development.
534W
£ million Museums and Galleries 1988–89 11989–90 11990–91 British Museum Running costs 15.665 16.132 16.594 Building programme 7.580 5.700 6.000 Purchase grant 1.400 1.400 1.400 Sub Total 24.645 23.232 23.994 British Museum (Natural History) Running costs 15.370 15.772 16.242 Building programme 6.740 5.800 5.600 Purchase grant 0.190 0.190 0.190 Sub Total 22.300 21.762 22.032 Imperial War Museum Running costs 6.318 6.515 6.129 Building programme 6.520 2.700 1.700 Purchase grant 0.100 0.100 0.100 Sub Total 12.938 9.315 7.929 National Gallery Running costs 5.233 5.406 6.208 Building programme 3.490 3.300 2.900 Purchase grant 2.750 2.750 2.750 Sub Total 11.473 11.456 11.858 National Maritime Museum Running costs 5.530 5.678 5.791 Building programme 2.510 2.500 2.000 Purchase grant 0.205 0.205 0.205 Sub Total 8.245 8.383 7.996 National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside Running costs 6.780 6.996 7.169 Building programme 2.690 2.500 2.400 Purchase grant 0.750 0.750 0.750 Sub Total 10.220 10.246 10.319
Museums and Galleries 1988–89 11989–90 11990–91 National Portrait Gallery Running costs 1.996 2.020 2.072 Building programme 3.020 1.500 1.500 Purchase grant 0.310 0.310 0.310 Sub Total 5.326 3.830 3.882 Science Museum Running costs 11.047 11.374 11.652 Building programme 5.210 3.400 3.500 Purchase grant 0.375 0.375 0.375 Sub Total 16.632 15.149 15.527 Tale Gallery Running costs 6.300 6.586 6.766 Building programme 2.780 2.800 2.900 Purchase grant 1.815 1.815 1.815 Sub Total 10.895 11.201 11.481 Victoria and Albert Museum Running costs 12.900 13.315 13.716 Building programme 7.480 5.400 5.400 Purchase grant 1.145 1.145 1.145 Sub Total 21.525 19.860 20.261 Wallace Collection Running costs 1.149 1.186 1.217 Building programme 0.449 0.400 0.400 Purchase grant — — — Sub Total 1.598 1.586 1.617 To be allocated later for building and maintenance work — 12.100 14.700 Running costs, including provision for building and maintenance Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry 1.473 1.516 1.552 Museum of London 2.776 2.855 2.923 Sir John Soane's Museum 0.275 0.295 0.305 Sub Total 4.524 4.666 4.780 Museums and Galleries Commission 6.481 6.696 6.877 Research and Support Services 0.500 0.500 0.500 Total 157.302 159.982 163.753 1 Individual provisions for the building programme in these two years will be increased when the full allocation is made.