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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of museums and galleries that provide virtual tours to better provide for people with accessibility challenges.

This Government is deeply committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background or geographic location, can experience and enjoy the brilliant collections and benefits that our national and regional museums bring.

Museums operate independently from the Government, and the provision of virtual tours is an operational matter for museums, it is therefore up to each museum to determine whether this is something they wish to provide.

However, many choose to do so to increase access to their collections, particularly during recent lockdowns. We know that 61% of museums have digitised up to 50% of their collection, with half of those with a digitised collection having made some of it available online. The government provides support for such activities through project funding available through its arms length bodies such as Arts Council England as well as development initiatives to improve digital skills and capability of cultural organisations like the Digital Culture Network. The DCMS-Sponsored Museums increased their digital presence during the recent lockdown, offering online events and exhibitions, and many now offer virtual tours of their collections.