Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which museums partly or wholly reliant on public funding, have (a) closed part of their service, (b) reduced educational programmes and (c) closed completely in the last 12 months.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Department does not hold data on a) and b).

Between 2012 and 2016, the Department for Education has provided £4.8 million for the “Museums and Schools” programme to support regional museums working with schools, in partnership with National Museums. The programme has exceeded its targets with over 68,000 pupils benefitting, and according to Arts Council England (ACE) data, the number of children attending events at ACE-sponsored museums continues to increase.

c) In the last 12 months, three former local authority-funded museums in England have closed: Snibston Discovery Museum, Orpington Museum and Durham Light Infantry Museum.

Orpington Museum has been replaced with two permanent displays in Bromley Central Library. A section of Durham Light Infantry Museum is now on display at the Palace Green Library, as part of the Somme 1916 exhibition.

Snibston Discovery Museum’s collection has been dispersed locally – 61 objects that were on loan from Leicester City Museum Service have been returned along with 40 objects connected to the city’s industrial heritage.