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DCMS Directly Funded Institutions

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they define the term "DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) directly funded institutions" (Comprehensive Spending Review, Cm4011, page 83); and what are the institutions covered by this term.[HL2939]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Directly funded institutions are those executive NDPBs public corporations and other bodies which regularly receive their funding directly from the department.

The directly funded institutions in 1998-99 are:

Arts Council of England

Crafts Council*

British Museum*

Imperial War Museum*

Natural History Museum*

National Maritime Museum*

National Museum of Science and Industry*

National Gallery*

National Portrait Gallery*

Wallace Collection*

National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside*

Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester*

Geffrye Museum*

Horniman Museum*

Museum of London*

Museums and Galleries Commission

Tate Gallery*

Sir John Soane's Museum*

Victoria and Albert Museum*

British Library*

Library and Information Commission*

Public Lending Right

Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts*

National Manuscripts Conservation Trust

Royal Geographic Society*

Royal National Institute for the Blind

British Film Institute*

National Film and Television School

British Film Commission

British Screen Finance Ltd

European Film Co-production Fund

Eureka and Audiovisual Observatory

English Heritage*

Royal Commission on Historical Monuments for England*

Royal Armouries*

Churches Conservation Trust

National Heritage Memorial Fund

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Historic Royal Palaces*

The Greenwich Foundation for the Royal Naval College*

Somerset House Limited

Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust*

Royal Household for property services to the occupied palaces

Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) in respect of the Art for Architecture scheme

UNESCO in respect of the World Cultural Convention

Broadcasting Standards Commission

Channel 4 Wales

United Kingdom Sports Council

English Sports Council

Football Licensing Authority

British Chess Federation

National Playing Fields Association in respect of the Children's Play Scheme

British Tourist Authority

English Tourist Board

*These are directly funded institutions that receive visitors.

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether their intended "at least 1 to 3 per cent." increase by the end of the Parliament in "the number of visitors to DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) directly funded institutions" (Comprehensive Spending Review, Cm 4011, page 83) is meant to be understood as an average of all such institutions, or if it represents their aim for each institution individually.[HL2940]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The intended increase of "at least 1 to 3 per cent." in the number of visitors to DCMS directly funded institutions which receive visitors is an average increase across those institutions and should not be taken as a target for each individual institution.

Museums and Galleries: Free Entry for Children

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

By which date next year it is intended that all national museums and galleries shall have free entry at all times for schoolchildren as the first stage of their commitment to universal free entry to national museums and galleries; or, if this date is not yet known, when this date will be announced.[HL3181]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Secretary of State announced the conclusions of his Departmental Spending Review on 24 July. This included an extra

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£100 million for museums and galleries, part of which will be used "to enable Trustees of the major national collections--including those which currently charge--to introduce free access for children from April 1999". We are having detailed discussions with the six national museums affected and a further announcement will be made as part of our funding allocations in November.

Museums and Galleries Access Fund

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has issued any guidelines for the spending of the £7 million Museums and Galleries Access Fund; if so, what they are; and whether the Secretary of State has placed any constraints on which types of museums and galleries can be allowed the use of such monies.[HL2938]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The guidelines for spending the £7 million Museums and Galleries Access Fund are a matter for the Heritage Lottery Fund, which administers the fund. These are set out in the Heritage Lottery Fund's document Museums and Galleries Access Fund, which was published earlier this month. The fund has been established to support museums and galleries which are developing innovative, exciting and imaginative approaches in making their collections accessible to the widest possible audience. Any museum or gallery which is registered with the Museums & Galleries Commission can apply for an award.

National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

What have been the monthly attendance figures for admission to galleries at the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside in (a) the year prior to the introduction of admission charges on 8 July 1997; and (b) the year following the introduction of admission charges; and what percentage change in total visitor numbers this represents between the two years.[HL2738]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Before the extension of charging to all eight sites of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside in July 1997, admission figures were collected by different methods. Thus the figures for the year prior to the extension of admission charges are not directly comparable with those for the following 12 months. Figures collected before July 1997 are thought to be overstated by about 15 per cent.

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The estimated monthly admission figures are set out in the following tables:

1996-97 (unadjusted)	Walker Art Gallery	Lady Lever Art Gallery	Sudley House	All NMGM sites(1)
July	14,371	7,878	2,708	113,561
August	19,350	8,144	4,357	149,356
September	14,393	5,918	2,423	84,420
October	19,971	5,799	2,580	108,577
November	18,269	3,829	2,209	87,630
December	10,148	2,409	1,951	58,613
January	14,103	3,972	2,214	75,137
February	16,283	5,588	2,118	105,680
March	22,073	6,180	2,586	113,344
April	25,690	5,932	2,387	113,619
May	33,853	7,091	2,970	130,270
June	19,847	6,504	2,517	114,905
Totals	228,352	69,244	31,020	1,255,112

1997-98	Walker Art Gallery	Lady Lever Art Gallery	Sudley House	All NMGM sites(1)
July	8,970	5,882	1,084	79,798
August	8,719	7,076	1,587	80,164
September	5,267	5,035	787	39,376
October	7,218	5,212	1,018	60,270
November	9,784	4,201	950	46,904
December	5,370	2,410	531	29,050
January	10,286	3,017	1,099	47,070
February	11,458	4,726	1,841	87,839
March	13,217	5,532	1,916	78,589
April	12,025	7,216	1,962	86,409
May	8,597	7,088	2,725	80,488
June	6,259	5,998	1,463	64,786
Total	107,170	63,393	16,963	780,743

(1) The Walker Art Gallery, the Lady Lever Art Gallery, Sudley House, the Liverpool Museum, the Maritime Museum, HM Customs and Excise Museum, the Museum of Liverpool Life, and the Conservation Centre.

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside spent on marketing in the years (a) 1996-97 and (b) 1997-98.[HL2936]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The marketing budget of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside was £293,000 for 1996-97, and £393,000 for 1997-98.

The Earl of Clancarty asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 22 July (WA 106), what is the specific evidence for their statement that "the public overwhelmingly regard the pass [for admission to the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside] as excellent value for money"; and whether such evidence includes the views of the broader public who do not presently visit or who have stopped visiting those museums.[HL3045]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (NMGM) conducted a study among NMGM visitors after the

5 Oct 1998 : Column WA79

introduction of the Ei8ht Pass. The findings were 78 per cent. felt that the pass offered "very good" value for money; 87 per cent. of visitors who had purchased a pass found they had "a very enjoyable" visit; and 2 per cent. of the sample turned away on learning of the admission charge.

The research did not extend to members of the public who did not visit NMGM. However NMGM carries out an ongoing programme of public surveys to establish such things as how it can increase the number of visitors.

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