Yorkshire Mining Museum (Hansard, 29 June 1994)

§ Mr. Sproat

[holding answer 27 June 1994]: I visited the Yorkshire mining museum on Friday 10 December. I was very impressed by what I saw. The chairman of the trustees, Councillor Norman Hartshorne, the then 553W vice-chairman, Councillor Robert Mitchell, and the director of the museum, Dr. Margaret Faull, explained to me the financial difficulties which the museum would face, following the restructuring of the coal industry. These difficulties arose mainly from the fact that the traditional help in kind to the museum from British Coal would no longer be available. I said that I would do everything I properly could, consistent with the DNH's relationship with other museums, to help.

The Government have now decided that the Department of National Heritage will receive additional provision in order to give the Yorkshire mining museum, the only mining museum in England with underground workings, transitional assistance of £300,000, spread over three years. The Museums and Galleries Commission has agreed to administer the provision of this financial assistance. My officials will shortly be discussing with the commission the arrangements for doing this.

I shall be looking for further, non-financial ways to help ensure the profitable continuance of the Yorkshire mining museum—although I emphasise that the future of the Yorkshire mining museum is for its trustees to determine. I wrote on Friday 24 June to the director of the museum suggesting an early meeting to discuss such matters. In the meantime, I have asked Sir Neil Cossons, director of the National Museum of Science and Industry, if he would be prepared to give the Yorkshire mining museum his advice on a wide range of relevant subjects, including sponsorship. He has generously agreed.

The future of the mining museums, so central to the history of Britain's industrial development, and thus to her wealth, and to her role and influence in the rest of the world, will be one of the subjects to which I want to pay particular attention in the review that my Department is undertaking of our policy towards the whole museum sector.

I should like to thank my hon. Friend, the Member for Batley and Spen (Mrs. Peacock) my hon. Friend the Member for Harrogate (Mr. Banks), the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) and the hon. Member for Morley and Leeds, South (Mr. Gunnell) among others on both sides of the House, for their valuable advice.