§ Lord Harrisonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will act upon the recommendations of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee 33rd Report 2003–04, entitled Income generated by the museums and galleries; and, if so, when. [HL4573]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyWe welcome the Public Accounts Committee's recommendations on income generation by the government-sponsored museums and galleries and we are acting to put the committee's recommendations into effect.
On 16 November 2004, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), together with the National Audit Office will hold a seminar about income generation. This will provide an important opportunity to discuss with sponsored museums and galleries the lessons of the report and how they can be taken forward. Partnerships UK and the Association of Cultural Enterprises will both be represented at the seminar which will provide a valuable opportunity for sharing information and for supporting the Association of Cultural Enterprises in its role.
In addition we are taking a number of steps to help sponsored musuems and galleries to develop a more entrepreneurial approach to income generation. These include appointing more business trustees and working with the new Clore Leadership Foundation, which is helping to provide training for the future directors of museums, galleries and other cultural enterprises. We are also developing new funding agreements.