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Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to persuade universities to encourage students to study less favoured European languages such as Polish, Italian, Serbo-Croat and the Baltic languages. [HL2562]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Young of Norwood Green): The Government's policy is to encourage more young people to study modern languages throughout their time in education. Understanding other languages benefits individuals and wider society as well as the economy and Britain's competitiveness. It is, however, a matter for each individual university to determine which specific subjects, including languages, it will teach.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Question
Asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received or made in relation to the future of the musical instrument collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. [HL2199]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has received four representations from hon. Members and five representations from members of the public about the future of the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum's musical instrument collection. An e-petition on the No. 10 website about this issue has received over 5,100 signatures.
The future of the musical instruments gallery is a matter for the V&A. However, my department is in regular contact with the V&A about its plans regarding the musical instruments collection and the V&A reassure us that they will conserve this collection and keep it accessible to the public. The V&A intends to display some of its musical instruments in their British galleries, the medieval and renaissance galleries and the new furniture gallery (due to open in 2012) and the new Europe 1600-1800 galleries (due to open in 2014). The museum is in discussion with other institutions to enter into partnerships to loan out parts of its musical instruments collection to keep them publicly available. The Horniman Museum is working closely with the V&A to display some of the collection alongside its existing collection
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