Mr. MartinTo ask the Minister for the Arts if he will give details of the sums of money allocated to help(a) the national maritime museum and (b) other museums in Portsmouth, for both maintenance and purchase grants for the most recent convenient period; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuceThe national maritime museum has been allocated £205,000 for purchases for the collection and £2,510,000 for building and maintenance work in 1988–89.
Central Government support for non-national museums in 1988–89 includes provision for £72 million within the rate support grant to English local authorities for museum capital and current expenditure, and some £4.5 million for the challenge grant schemes for, inter alia, purchases for collections and conservation and related capital work that are administered by the Museums and Galleries Commission and the English Area Museum councils.
Portsmouth is rich in history and is endowed with some fine museums. I had the pleasure of visiting a number of them just over a year ago.