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Museums and Galleries (North-West)
8. Mr. Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley): What plans he has for the allocation of additional funding which will be available to museums and galleries in (a) the north-west region and (b) Chorley over the next three years. [66766]
The Minister for Arts (Mr. Alan Howarth): The six designated museums in the north-west can apply to the new £15 million designated museums challenge fund. As well as free entry for children and pensioners at the national museums and galleries on Merseyside, funds are available to hold their annual eight-pass season ticket
at £3. The museum of science and industry in Manchester has also been allocated funds to enable free access for children from April this year.
Mr. Hoyle: I thank the Minister for that reply. However, is he aware that there are many other museums and galleries throughout the north-west, particularly Astley Hall in my constituency, which is a very good gallery and museum? What help and support can it expect from the Minister?
Mr. Howarth: Astley Hall in my hon. Friend's constituency, as a museum registered with the Museums and Galleries Commission, may apply to the £7 million heritage lottery fund's access fund and also to the new challenge fund established by my Department of £500,000 in each of the next two years for information technology and educational projects in museums.
Mr. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield): Why will the Minister not apologise to the hon. Member for Chorley (Mr. Hoyle) for breaking his pre-election pledge? Did not Labour say during the general election campaign that all people--not just children and pensioners--would have free access to all galleries and museums by 2001? Why is that another broken promise?
Mr. Howarth: I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman is wrong. We are delivering on our pledge to provide funds for free entry to national museums and galleries. That funding will be available to enable free entry for children from 1 April this year and for pensioners the year after. In the year following that, we have allocated sufficient funding to enable free entry for all to national museums and galleries if the trustees wish to take up that opportunity.
Ms Beverley Hughes (Stretford and Urmston): May I take this opportunity to thank my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and hon. Members on both sides of the House who represent the north of England for their support for the imperial war museum for the north, which was given the go-ahead last week? The project will break new ground in accessibility, giving visitors and students access to previously unseen photographs and film footage and enabling them to see, for example, their great-grandfathers' great war record. However, does my hon. Friend the Minister share my concern that, so far, the heritage lottery fund has not contributed to that project; and is he confident that it gives sufficient priority to such prestigious projects in the regions?
Mr. Howarth: My hon. Friend herself deserves an accolade in respect of that exciting project, which she has supported imaginatively and energetically. The design and the project are both wonderful and I know that the heritage lottery fund is considering an application for further support for the project.
Tourism
9. Dr. Ian Gibson (Norwich, North): How he has helped regional tourist boards to develop and promote tourism in their areas. [66768]
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Janet Anderson): Regional tourist boards receive Government funding through the English tourist board. As I announced in December, more resources will be used for the support of tourism in the regions. The regional tourist boards will continue to work with the British Tourist Authority on the promotion of their region overseas; and with their local authorities and commercial members on developing and promoting tourism in their area.
Dr. Gibson: Does my hon. Friend remember the document "Breaking New Ground: a Strategy for Tourism and Hospitality", in which local councils were exhorted to put forward strategies on tourism and leisure activities? How does she envisage local councils doing that, given that some local councils, such as Norwich, have received poor settlements?
Janet Anderson: I understand how committed my hon. Friend is to the future of tourism, which is extremely important to the economic development of his area. We are pleased that the East of England tourist board has managed a significant increase in its allocation for 1998-99. The strategy that we are to publish on 26 February will take into account the need for close liaison and collaboration with local authorities and regional tourist boards. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made it plain that we are doing all we can to get more funding for tourism into the regions.
Sir Sydney Chapman (Chipping Barnet): Given the importance to the capital city of tourism, as measured in economic and employment terms, will the Minister tell us what role the Greater London assembly will have in promoting tourism? If, as I suspect, the assembly is to have a small role, or none at all, will she have a word with her two ministerial colleagues who represent London constituencies? If the London tourist board is to look after tourism in London, what is the use of having a Greater London assembly?
Janet Anderson: The hon. Gentleman is quite wrong: it is our intention that the Greater London assembly and the mayor will have a real responsibility for tourism in London, which is important as the gateway to the rest of the country.
Museums and Galleries (Educational Work)
10. Ms Christine Russell (City of Chester): What plans he has to encourage museums and galleries to extend their educational work in the community. [66769]
The Minister for Arts (Mr. Alan Howarth): The Government attach high priority to the education work of museums and galleries, as is shown in new allocations of funding both from my Department and from the Department for Education and Employment. I congratulate the Grosvenor museum in my hon. Friend's constituency on the excellent education work it carries out, using its collections, on Roman archaeology and local history.
Ms Russell: Will my hon. Friend join me in further congratulating the Grosvenor museum on recently being awarded a substantial grant from the heritage lottery fund
to make the building and its facilities accessible to people with disabilities? The museum already runs a good programme of educational work in the community; will my hon. Friend confirm that it will be possible to use the challenge fund, which he mentioned earlier, for work on an oral history programme, which the museum wants to carry out? Such a programme will not only engage older people, but, as important, give a sense of community to younger people.
Mr. Howarth: I am happy to reiterate, as my hon. Friend invites me to, my congratulations to the Grosvenor museum. The project that she mentioned should be eligible for funding under the programme. I emphasise her point about the importance of museums attending to their role in dealing with social exclusion. My hon. Friend mentioned disabled people, but there are many opportunities to help people throughout their lives. Museums will be eligible to apply for funding under the new initiative on community access to lifelong learning, which will be funded by the new opportunities fund.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley (South-West Surrey): It is good to hear so much encouragement for Labour Members and their projects, but what has the Minister to say to my constituents about places such as Haslemere museum? That is an excellent museum with splendid collections, but it has been informed that such has been the reduction in lottery money going to the heritage lottery fund that it is not now possible to support projects that might otherwise have received help. The Minister may have provided a modest increase from his Department's funds, but that is dwarfed by the raiding of lottery funds for museum projects to give money back to the Chancellor for his pet projects.
Mr. Howarth: The heritage lottery fund will have more than the £1.8 billion promised by the right hon. Lady when she was Secretary of State and will receive no less than she and the previous Administration intended. I hope that she will return to her constituency and offer a little comfort and cheer to those in Haslemere.
MILLENNIUM EXPERIENCE
The Secretary of State was asked--
Dome (Access)
29. Mr. Damian Green (Ashford): If he will make a statement on plans for promoting access to the dome. [66788]
The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Janet Anderson): The millennium experience at the dome aims to be largely car-free and to offer comprehensive and effective public transport access. Over 95 per cent. of the expected 12 million visitors will arrive by public transport. The New Millennium Experience Company will ensure, through its marketing strategy and information provided with dome tickets, that visitors are fully aware of the most convenient public access modes and routes.
Mr. Green: For many of those visitors, the most convenient access mode will be the Jubilee line extension,
if that is built in time. If it is not, what contingency plans does the Minister have to convey visitors to the dome? Will we all have to be strong swimmers?
Janet Anderson: Whatever is necessary to ensure that people can get to the dome will be done. The Government are confident that everything necessary is being done by London Transport and Bechtel to ensure that the line opens later this year in time for the millennium dome celebrations.
Mr. John Austin (Erith and Thamesmead): Does the Minister share my view that one of the lasting beneficial legacies of the dome will be the improvements in public transport to an area of south-east London which has probably lost more jobs than any other part of the United Kingdom? Does she share my concern that access by river will be almost exclusively from the west of the dome? Will she meet her colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to consider the development of ferry services to the east of the dome, to Erith, Thamesmead and beyond?
Janet Anderson: As my hon. Friend will know, we expect 1 million people to travel by boat from central London to the dome, using new river services. I recognise his concern and, as he knows, I have agreed to meet him soon to discuss that.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover): Freeze the river.
Mr. Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey): The hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) is on to an interesting point, and I would be grateful if the Minister could comment on the intriguing article in The Guardian today which suggests that the Thames will be frozen to enable royal access to the dome. Does that not take the idea of cool Britain a little too far?
Janet Anderson: That was one of the hon. Gentleman's better jokes, but they are not terribly good and I hope that they will improve. That article is pure speculation and I assure the hon. Gentleman that there are no plans to freeze the Thames.
Mr. Ben Bradshaw (Exeter): Will the Minister do what she can to encourage people to access the dome by bicycle? For example, she could point out that most rail companies operating in and out of London will carry bicycles. Will she also ensure that the London cycle network along the banks of the Thames is ready in time and that there is adequate cycle parking at the dome for people who want to bike there?
Janet Anderson: As my hon. Friend knows, we take that seriously and we want to enable as many people as possible to travel to the dome by bicycle. As he also knows, the new riverside cycle/walk link to historic Greenwich, and improvements to existing cycleways in the area, will help. We shall make sure that there are secure facilities at the dome where people can leave bikes and motorbikes.
Mr. Norman Baker (Lewes): May I return the Minister to the question asked by the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green)? Does she accept that the head of
London Underground, no less, has suggested that the Jubilee line may not be completed on time? What does she think is the percentage chance that the line will be open on time? If it is not open on time, how will people get to the dome? There is a dependence on the Jubilee line, which cannot be met by other means. Will there not be a catastrophe if the line is not open on time?
Janet Anderson: The hon. Gentleman may not know that following that report in The Independent on Sunday, my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport stated that Mr. Smith had been misrepresented by that newspaper. He went on to say that nothing in this life is absolutely guaranteed, but I repeat to the hon. Gentleman what I said earlier: the Government are confident that everything necessary is being done by London Transport and Bechtel to ensure that the line opens later this year and in time for the millennium dome celebrations.
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