§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the use of the insurance money received by the Tate Gallery following the theft of Turner works on loan to Germany in 1994; and if she will make a statement. [168087]
§ Estelle MorrisMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State received a proposal from Dr Selby Whittingham, Editor of the journal J. M. W. Turner, RA, about the use of the insurance money received by Tate following the theft in 1994 of two works from the Turner Bequest in its collections. These works have since been recovered. Dr. Whittingham proposed that the insurance moneys be used primarily to establish a dedicated Turner Gallery. The use of these insurance moneys is a matter for the Trustees of Tate, in discussion with the Charities Commission.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the establishment of a dedicated Turner gallery; which organisations and individuals have made representations; and if she will make a statement. [168088]
§ Estelle MorrisMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received representations from Dr. Selby Whittingham, Editor of the journal J. M. W. Turner R. A. about the establishment of a dedicated Turner Gallery.
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that the works of Turner currently at the Tate and National galleries are(a) placed under the same body of trustees and (b) housed together. [168089]
§ Estelle MorrisMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to require the National Gallery or Tate to house the works of Turner together. The housing of the collections of the National Gallery and Tate is a matter for their Trustees under their governing legislation, the Museums and Galleries Act 1992. Under the Act, the two Galleries each appoint one of their Trustees to the Board of the other.
722W
Table 1: Completed visual arts projects Organisation name Location Approved amount (£) ACAVA London, Kensington 972,785 ACME Housing Association Ltd. London, E3 1,200,857 Artsway Lymington, Hampshire 398,966 Bournemouth and Poole College Services Ltd. Poole, Dorset 1,835,756 Castlefield Gallery/Manchester Artists Studio Manchester 708,235 Baltic, Sage Gateshead and Live Theatre Gateshead 41,385,000 Ikon Gallery Birmingham 4,614,047 Knowsley Arts Centre Merseyside 367,790 One Church Square Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire 1,024,000 The Foundation for Art and Creative Technology Liverpool 4,599,990 Walsall Museum and Art Gallery Walsall 15,750,000
§ Mr. HunterTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will introduce legislation to amend the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 so that it is consistent with the requirement of Turner's will that his finished pictures should be kept together. [168090]
§ Estelle MorrisMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to introduce legislation to amend the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 in this respect. After Turner's death in 1851, the dispute over the terms of his will went to Court. In 1856, the Court decreed that 100 finished pictures, 182 unfinished pictures and 19,049 drawings and sketches were to be held in trust by the National Gallery, a decision which took precedence over the provisions in Turner's wills and codicils. The National Gallery and Tate Gallery Act 1954 effected the legal separation of the Tate Gallery from the National Gallery and the trusteeship of the Turner Bequest was transferred to the Trustees of the Tate Gallery. The Museums and Galleries Act 1992 established the Tate Gallery as a corporate body and it became Trustee of the Turner Bequest, subject to the conditions of that trust and subject to the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Trustees as established by the 1992 Act.