Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michael Ellis and Lord Swire

Thursday 23rd May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Sir Hugo Swire (East Devon) (Con)]

11. What advice his Department provides to institutions seeking to retain pre-eminent works of art in the UK.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Michael Ellis)]

My Department, in partnership with Arts Council England, delivers and advises on various statutory schemes that are designed to keep items of particular cultural significance in the UK, such as the judge’s copy of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” from the obscenity trial in 1960. The statutory schemes include various tax incentives to assist UK public institutions in acquiring pre-eminent items.

[Sir Hugo Swire]

Seeing as we are all in the business of burnishing our thespian credentials this morning, may I refer back to the time at my little-known secondary school when I was a very convincing Badger in “Toad of Toad Hall”? It was somewhat safer to be a badger in those days.

Will the Minister ensure that in the event of a foreign purchaser refusing a matching offer, an absolute ban on future export can be enforced by compelling him or her to keep the item on display in a recognised public institution and pay any insurance, rather than expecting Government indemnity?

[Mr Speaker]

Might there be photographic evidence of the right hon. Gentleman’s performance that could be made available to Members of the House?