Covid-19: Museums, Galleries and Historic Buildings Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateLord Baker of Dorking
Main Page: Lord Baker of Dorking (Conservative - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Baker of Dorking's debates with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
(4 years, 5 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, this has been an absolutely fascinating and well-informed debate. I say, “Well done, Patrick.” I am the vice-chairman of the Cartoon Museum in London, which has now survived for 20 or 30 years without a penny of government or local authority money. We exist by our wits and the income we get at the door and from what we sell in the shop. We think our income will not recover until spring, summer or autumn of next year, and school visits will not really be a feature for a very long time indeed—so we will be up against it.
There are other small museums like ours—such as the Charles Dickens Museum and the Design Museum, which the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, mentioned—that will be really hard pressed next year and that hitherto the Government have never directly supported. I think they will have to directly support small museums next year, because they add to the culture. The culture that we specialise in is cartooning—an art form that we invented in the 18th century and are very strong at. We are the museum of laughter, but we need some additional help, as do other small cultural museums. I very much hope that there will be a clear commitment by the Government that they will get that support.
My Lords, we will try again for the noble Lord, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port.