§ The Earl of Clancartyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the central government grant, the total number of admissions, the central government grant per admission and the cost of an adult entrance charge, where applied for each of the years 1983–84 to 1997–98 for each of (a) the British Museum; (b) the National Gallery; (c) the Tate Gallery; (d) the National Portrait Gallery; (e) the Wallace Collection; (f) the National Army Museum; (g) The Royal Armouries; (h) the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside; (i) the Imperial War Museum; (j) the Natural History Museum; (k) the Science Museum in London; (l) the Victoria and Albert Museum; (m) the National Maritime Museum; (n) the Royal Airforce Museum; (o) the Sir John Soane's Museum; (p) the National Museum and Gallery of Wales; (q) the Ulster Museum; (r) the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum; (s) the National Gallery of Scotland; (t) the National Museum of Scotland; (u) the Museum of London.[HL668]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyI have placed detailed information which answers this Question in the Libraries of the House. There are, however, a number of points which should be noted:
- First, occasional stepped increases in government grant reflect the transfer of responsibilities to institutions such as the maintenance of their estates, superannuation, and also increases in business rates.
WA 33 - Second, visitor numbers for non-charging museums are sometimes not wholly accurate.
- Third, many institutions that do not charge for entry to their core collections, do charge for special exhibitions; and
- Finally, the grant-in-aid per visitor measure does not take into account the different nature of the institutions' collections or the fact that their core functions vary; for example, some are engaged in internationally acclaimed research.
In view of these anomalies, comparisons between institutions should be treated with caution.