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Written question asked by Lord Freyberg (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 14 April 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 April 2026. It was answered by Baroness Twycross (Labour) on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Museums and Galleries: Finance

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which national museums in England have increased their reliance on commercial income streams between 2014–15 and 2024–25, and (2) the risks that such reliance poses to free public access, collection stewardship, and the fulfilment of museums' statutory and charitable purposes.

Answer

DCMS publishes annual data for grant-in-aid and fundraising income alongside trend analysis of those figures. The figures for 2023/24 and 2024/25 are due to be published in April 2026. Other sources of self-generated income are published in each museum or gallery’s Annual Report and Accounts.

The Government continues to support national museums in their efforts to diversify their income streams. This has included providing these bodies with additional ‘freedoms’ including the ability to maintain, invest and spend reserves of self-generated income. Alongside public funding, commercial income is an important factor which supports the museums to fulfil their statutory and charitable purposes.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL16339
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Finance Museums and galleries
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk