§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many separate items there are in the Churchill papers; and what are the professional qualifications of those persons who advised him that none of the papers to be sold was a state paper. [25153]
§ Mr. DorrellI have never been advised that none of the Churchill papers is a state paper. There are estimated to be around 1.5 million separate papers in the Churchill archive. The archive comprises both state and non-state papers. The papers which were purchased with lottery funds were the non-state papers.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 17 May,Official Report, column 270 on the value of the Churchill archive, what advice he received from each of the bodies listed, the individual historians and relevant institutions as to the appropriate monetary value of the papers. [25600]
§ Mr. DorrellMy answer of 17 May related to a question about the historical significance of the papers. As to the value, the National Heritage Memorial Fund took independent advice from a different source; this was from a well respected dealer in the field of antiquarian books.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if the Churchill papers are fully catalogued. [25154]
§ Mr. DorrellAn outline catalogue is available at Churchill college, Cambridge, and at the national register of archives in Chancery lane.
Work on a detailed catalogue began at Churchill college in 1991. It is expected to take a further five years to complete.