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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the National Maritime Museum, and (2) the National Gallery, about the percentage of their collections that have remained in storage during the last five years; and how many items in storage were lent to private collections outside London.

DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s-length from Her Majesty’s Government, so the Department does not direct their curatorial and partnership activities. Museum collections serve a range of purposes, and are not always suitable for public display. Only a proportion of a museum’s collection will be displayed at any given time, with the remainder either unsuitable for general display or undergoing conservation, on loan to other venues, or in storage but accessible in parts to the public and researchers alike.

DCMS does require its sponsored museums to share their collections, skills, and expertise nationwide, for the enjoyment, education, and entertainment of people across the UK. The Department produces an annual Partnerships Report documenting the extent of this national partnership work, which takes a variety of forms, with a broad range of partners. For example, in the year 2019-20, the national museums (including those sponsored by other government departments and the devolved administrations) undertook 1,534 “loans out” of 59,870 objects to institutions across the UK. This includes both long and short-term loans, with objects seen by over 22 million people.