§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps are being taken to check the stock in the collections held by(a) the British museum, (b) the Victoria and Albert museum and (c) the national museums in Scotland and Wales against their inventories; and when these checks were last made.[8200]
§ Mr. SproatThe national museums and galleries are accountable for the security of their collections. Under the financial memoranda, the British museum has to keep detailed inventory and stock records. It carries out regular stock-takes of the items in its collections and, as part of this, it is common practice for museum staff to make daily checks of exhibits. Similar arrangements apply to the national museums and galleries of Scotland and the national museums and galleries of Wales.