Royal Gallery: Restoration

Baroness Maddock Excerpts

Thursday 24th July 2014 Lords Chamber

[The Chairman of Committees]

I do not think that I am going to go through a whole list of British military endeavours and divvy out who did what, where and how.

[Baroness Maddock (LD)]

I declare an interest as the recently appointed chairman of the Works of Art Committee. I listened with great interest, and take seriously what Members have said in the House today. Will the Chairman of Committees agree with me that the task is never easy for us? Everybody wants to come from far and wide to look at what we have here, and it is our job to look after it. However, a lot of people at the moment give us adverse press whenever we spend any money on any art in the Palace of Westminster. It is very difficult.

I hope the Chairman of Committees will support me in a suggestion that I have made to the committee. In the past, many works of art were paid for by Members of this House, so maybe we should mention to people that, when they leave legacies in their will, perhaps a little for works of art here would be one way in which we would have the money to preserve our works of art, make new commissions and not be criticised for spending public money.

[The Chairman of Committees]

I am more than happy to agree with most of the points of the noble Baroness. It is difficult to maintain the balance between continuous access and getting on with the job of restoring and maintaining the works of art for which we are responsible. On Members making financial support when they leave this House—or leave more than this House—I gently point out that there is a general view that we ought to decrease the size of the House and welcome retirements. I do not think that we would get an increase in retirements if we said that the price to be paid was coughing up to maintain a picture or painting.