To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the development of the museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth is dependent on any commercial venture; where any company involved in the development is registered; and what consideration has been given to the consequences for the developments at the museum of the Royal Navy of financial problems or collapse suffered by any company involved;(2) whether he will increase the grant-in-aid to the museum of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth to obviate the development of the museum being taken over by a commercial company.

Responsibility for the development of the Royal Naval Museum at Portsmouth rests with the trustees of the museum. The MOD provides an annual grant-in-aid as a substantial contribution towards meeting the running costs of the museum.