HC Deb 30 March 1998 vol 309 cc410-2W
Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 17 March 1998,Official Report, column 542, where the 17 missing works of art were found and what are their current locations; if he will list the locations of the 21 works of art otherwise accounted for; and how many works of art remain unaccounted for. [36157]

Mr. Spellar

The following lists the works of art that have been found and those that have been otherwise accounted for.

The following Government Art Collection works of art, which were lost while on loan to my Department, were found and returned to the Government Art Collection.

  • GAC 1556 Encampment of English Forces, Portsmouthwas found in Archway Block, Old Admiralty Building, Whitehall.
  • GAC 11683 Rydal Waterwas found in First Avenue House, London.
  • GAC 12881 Broadgate, Leicestershire
  • GAC 12896 New Park, Surrey
  • GAC 13707 Soho or King's Squarewere found in Main Building, Whitehall.
  • GAC 5634 Still Life with Thrush
  • GAC 5779 Platylobium
  • GAC 5780 La Dillenne
  • GAC 10898 Fishing Boats on Beach
  • GAC 10899 FishingBoats were found in 14 Kingston House North, London.

The following works of art from my Department's collection were found and have since been allocated to new borrowers within my Department.

  • MOD 4872 House in New Street.
  • MOD 4873 Ruins of the Old Gun Housewere found in Main Building, Whitehall.
  • MOD 4197 View of Attack on Gibraltar by Land and Seawas found in St. George's Court, London.
  • MOD 10792 St. Michael's Mountwas found in Victory Building, Portsmouth.
  • MOD 4332 Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hardywas found in Metropole Building, Whitehall.

The following works of art from my Department's collection will remain in the locations where they were found until they are required elsewhere.

  • MOD 4107 T Class Submarine at Periscope was found in Medway Building, Gosport.
  • MOD 4276 Sir William Burnettwas found in the Royal Navy Trophy Centre store.

The following works of art had been listed as missing and were accounted for as part of the process of looking for missing works of art.

  • GAC 4030 Scromerston
  • GAC 4033 Dilston Hall
  • GAC 4035 Langley Castle
  • GAC 4053 Langley Castlewere found to be in the possession of their owners, Greenwich Hospital.
  • GAC 7959 Sir Charles Inigo Thomashad been returned to the lender's widow in 1985 and was listed as missing in error on the list of missing works provided to my Department by the Government Art Collection.
  • MOD 4430 Seascapehas been identified as a work in the collection of the Hydrographic Agency which should not have been included in the list of missing works.

The following were included in the first issue of the memorandum on missing works in December 1994 but omitted from the second issue in September 1996 on the advice of the Government Art Collection.

  • GAC L349 Cromer a/pb
  • GAC 615 First Viscount Nelson
  • GAC 8236 Lithograph VII 13/75
  • GAC 8262 Two Horsemen
  • GAC 10980 Perspective View of the Admiralty Office
  • GAC 3238 London from Greenwich
  • GAC 789 Dover Castle
  • GAC 4034 Dilston Hall
  • GAC 8753 Admiralty House 1970
  • GAC 14788 The Tower from the West
  • GAC 12096 A Farmhouse near a River.

The following have been removed from the list of missing works of art by my works of art staff, on the grounds that the works of art to which these records refer should not have been included on my Department's inventory.

  • MOD 7606 Cartoon from the Sun
  • MOD 4274 Roll of Honour RN Medical Officers and Nursing Staff 1914–1920
  • MOD 4280 Crest Nil Illigitimi Carborundum
  • MOD 4115 Hat and Figure.

Since my reply to my hon. Friend's previous question, my works of art staff have removed one more record from the list of missing works, a print, MOD 4333 Admiral Dundas,which had been found in Metropole Building, Whitehall but was not positively identified until recently.

166 of the 204 works of art listed in the memorandum issued in December 1994 remain unaccounted for.