§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are for exhibitions in the buildings of the former Royal Observatory, Greenwich, during and after the millennium celebrations. [60103]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe Royal Observatory, Greenwich, has been a Museum, run as part of the National Maritime Museum, for the past forty years and there has been no recent change in status in this regard. Decisions on exhibitions at the Observatory are a matter for the National Maritime Museum Trustees and, given that the Observatory was extensively refurbished and updated in 1993, there are no plans for new displays during the Millennium year. The Museum will however be mounting a major exhibition on The Story of Time (exploring the changes and developments in the concepts of time throughout the ages across a number of different cultures) in the Queen's House, Greenwich.