External Policy Responses 2002a Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec December 2002 Strategy Unit/Cabinet Office Private action, Public Benefit: A Review of Charities and the Wider Not-For-Profit Sector (PDF 117KB) 
MLA broadly welcomes the proposals contained in the Strategy Unit's review of charities. The response draws attention to the developments in Museums Registration, which in many cases echo the proposals. It also expresses some reservations regarding the proposed new status of "Small Charity". Scottish Executive: Scotland's Museums and Galleries - An Action Plan (PDF 191KB) MLA welcomed the Scottish Executive's development of an action plan for the museums and galleries domain. While we support this initiative and recognise that, as culture is a devolved function, any decision on future frameworks rests with the Scottish Executive, we recommend that Scotland seriously consider the creation of a strategic cross-domain organisation that can operate on an equal basis with MLA and CyMAL. We stated that, in our experience, the most effective way of ensuring stability and sustainability has been recognition by government that it has a role in funding the domain. We will welcome the opportunity to assist further in the development of an action plan.  top
October 2002 Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Review of Lottery Funding: a consultation paper on lottery distribution policy (PDF 111KB) MLA applauded the unprecedented investment in the museums, archives and libraries sector that the advent of the lottery had brought about. We recommended the retention of the number and profile of existing lottery distributors, and suggested that new partnerships be explored by those distributors, particularly at Regional level. We made a number of suggestions for follow-up actions for consideration in the review of the distribution process and said that MLA and the new Regional Agencies for museums, archives and libraries would welcome the opportunity to consult further with DCMS on this important review. Office of the e-Envoy, In the Service of Democracy: a consultation paper on a policy for electronic democracy (PDF114KB) MLA strongly supported the Government's commitment to the development of e-Democracy through the dual strands of e-Participation and e-Voting. We feel that museums, archives and libraries have a particularly important role to play in supporting this development and in providing an interface between the national initiative and the local implementation. We feel that UK libraries in particular will play a significant part both in encouraging engagement with ICT through the ICT Learning Centres and in promoting digital citizenship through their existing profile within local communities. We welcomed the document's recognition that there will be significant resourcing issues surrounding the successful delivery of e-Democracy as a whole, and we said that we looked forward to working with the Office of the e-Envoy to establish how best these might be addressed. Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Inquiry into Free Admissions to National Museums (PDF 177KB) MLA welcomed the debate into the free admissions policy. While we support the policy, we encouraged the Committee to broaden out its inquiry to look at the full range of barriers to access to museums and galleries, not just admissions charges. We also encouraged the Committee to consider the role and potential of regional and non-national museums and galleries and highlighted some of the findings and recommendations in the report Renaissance in the Regions. top August 2002 Local Government Association/Home Office: Draft Guidance on Community Cohesion (PDF 110KB) MLA stressed the important role that museums, archives and libraries have to play in promoting knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures and in fostering a sense of identity and racial tolerance. There are many examples of good practice showing the contribution cultural activities can make, through both formal education and informal learning. Museums, archives and libraries provide safe, neutral spaces and stimulating environments where different communities can engage with and learn from one another, and many employ special education staff and run a range of community programmes. MLA has already undertaken a range of activities to promote community cohesion - including supporting the development of the Cultural Diversity Network - and we would welcome the opportunity to work with the LGA and other partners to maximise the potential of our sector in this vitally important area of its work. National Endowment for Science and the Arts, New Thinking - A Consultation on our Priorities 2003-06 (PDF 85KB) MLA welcomed NESTA's targeting of support to specific communities, and we recommended that issues of access, inclusion and diversity are considered in NESTA's future planning development. We also recommended the establishment of long-term objectives, rather than 'themes' to underpin future funding programmes. We believed that it may be beneficial to develop both pan-regional and region-specific strategies with partners and key regional players, and we endorsed the continued role of NESTA's education programme. Audit Commission, Comprehensive Performance Assessment (PDF 64KB) MLA expressed disappointment at the reduction in weighting given to leisure and library services and the exclusion of other cultural services from the CPA. MLA pointed out the importance of all these services in supporting many of the Government's cross-cutting agendas. top June 2002 Welsh Assembly: A Strategic and Advisory Structure for Museums, Libraries and Archives in Wales (PDF 102KB) MLA warmly welcomes the Welsh Assembly Government's desire to review and rationalise existing structures for non-national museums, archives and libraries in Wales. We acknowledge that any decisions as to the new structures in Wales lie entirely with the Welsh Assembly Government. However, we note that the ability to provide impartial advice; to advocate on behalf of the sector and to retain credibility with the sector through maintaining independence are all key features of our structure and contribute to its success. We would recommend that any new organisation is able to act in a similar fashion. We look forward to working in partnership with the new structures for our sector, building on the positive working relationships that have developed since MLA's creation. top March 2002 The Response of MLA to the Consultation by the CYPU: Building a Strategy for Children and Young People top February 2002 Department for Education and Skills, Review of Arts and Humanities Research Funding In our response to this, MLA stated strongly that there is a need for a research funding body with a specifc remit to cover the arts and humanities and that the most appropriate constitution for such a body would be as a research council. MLA was keen to point out that such an arrangement acknowledges the importance of arts and humanities in the UK and also the critical contribution to the economy and society made by arts and humanities research. top
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