Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what conversations his Department has had with National Gallery (a) staff, (b) management and (c) other relevant stakeholders on the National Gallery's decision to privatise its security service.

The National Gallery operates at Arm's length from DCMS, and as such has responsibility for its own staffing arrangements.

(a) The Department has corresponded with the PCS union, which represents staff at the National Gallery, on a number of occasions. No direct conversations with staff members have taken place.

(b) The Department is in regular contact with the National Gallery, and was notified of the decision to outsource services before the process began. Staffing arrangements are a matter for the National Gallery. Further conversations have taken place where necessary for informative purposes only.

(c) The Department has responded to correspondence from the public and MPs, but has not had conversations with any other stakeholders.