Museums and Galleries
(asked on 18th January 2023) - View Source
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what museums are prevented by statute from deaccessioning objects in their collections; and whether she plans to extend those statutes to other institutions.
Answered by
Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Some national museums are prevented by law from ‘deaccessioning’ objects in their collections unless, broadly, they are duplicates or unfit for retention. The two exceptions to this are human remains (less than 1,000 years old) and Nazi-era spoliation.
The Acts governing the national museums which have provisions prohibiting the trustees of the museums from disposing of items in their collection are listed below. The provisions are explicit and specific, setting out limited scenarios where disposal would be permitted. The Government has no plans to change these Acts.
Governing Legislation | Organisation |
British Museum Act 1963 | British Museum National History Museum |
British Library Act 1972 | British Library |
National Heritage Act 1983 | Victoria and Albert Museum Science Museum Royal Armouries Kew Gardens |
Merseyside Museums and Galleries Order 1986 | National Museums Liverpool |
Museums and Galleries Act 1992 | Tate National Portrait Gallery National Gallery Wallace Collection |
Imperial War Museum Act 1920 | Imperial War Museum |
National Maritime Museum Act 1934 | Royal Museum Greenwich (National Maritime Museum) |