§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the potential cost to(a) the Victoria and Albert Museum, (b) the National Maritime Museum, (c) the Science Museum, (d) the Natural History Museum and (e) the Imperial War Museum in (i) lost revenues and (ii) VAT rebates, of his proposals to introduce free admission. [56907]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 27 October 1998]: Following the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), an extra £99 million was made available for museums and galleries over the next three years.
Subject to achieving clear targets for efficiency and reform, this will enable the Trustees of the major national institutions to introduce free access for children from next year, for pensioners the following year, and for all in 2001. However, the decision to adopt any or all of the stages towards free admission remains with the Trustees of the individual museums.
We are currently considering detailed submissions from the charging national museums about the precise level of compensation required, and are liaising with HM Customs and Excise about the VAT implications.