Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Swire (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 25 June 2007 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Museums/Galleries (Admission Charges)

Question: We recognise that free admissions have led, as the Secretary of State said, to a record increase in the number of visits to our national museums and galleries. That is why we are fully committed to the continuation of that policy. It was, of course, introduced by her predecessor, Lord Smith of Finsbury, who said last month that it was"““difficult to overestimate the impact””" that her raids on the lottery"““had on the cultural sector.””—[Official Report, House of Lords, 17 May 2007; Vol. 692, c. 342.]" He called them a ““serious error of judgment”” and a ““tragedy””, and called on the Government to admit their mistake. Free admissions was his legacy, but is not her legacy for the arts the siphoning-off of hundreds of millions of pounds from the arts and heritage sectors to pay for her mistakes on the Olympics budget?

Answer: If we are talking about errors of judgment, we should refer to the hon. Gentleman’s little foray into thinking aloud about what would happen if museums were allowed to charge again, and to the agonising spectacle of his U-turn, which took place all of six or nine hours afterwards. I am proud of the legacy of free entry to the museums of this country, and that is a commitment with which the Government will continue. The people of this country will realise that that popular policy is put at risk by the Opposition.

Secondary information