I am repeating the following Written Ministerial Statement made today in the other place by my Noble Friend, the Minister for Arts and Museums, Baroness Mackenzie of Sherwood CBE:Museums and galleries tell the story of who we are as a country and foster pride in the places we come from. They educate, inspire and entertain people and drive growth in our towns and cities. This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background or geographic location, can enjoy our national and regional museums.

DCMS has worked with the museums sector to explore options for charging overseas visitors admission to the national museums, to support financial resilience and underpin our commitment to ensuring art and culture is accessible to all. A full list of national museum sites with free admission can be seen in Annex A.

I wish to update the House on this work.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone involved in this work for giving their expertise and time.

To introduce charging for overseas visitors would be a complex decision with far reaching implications. The national museums are among our most treasured national assets, and visitors from all over the world cite our museums and galleries as a reason for their visit. National museums also add more than £1 billion a year to the economy. Seven of the UK’s ten most visited museums are national museums. In 2025, 7.1 million people visited the Natural History Museum and 6.4 million visited the British Museum.

There is a long-standing principle of universal free admission to our world class museums which sets us apart from other countries around the world. No matter who you are, or where you are from, you can come to learn, be entertained and inspired.

We will not be pursuing a change in policy to universal free entry, but our findings more broadly will help inform the upcoming Museums Plan. As the government confirmed earlier this year, a ten-year plan for museums in England will support a thriving and sustainable sector that supports growth in every postcode and opportunity for all. This work will be led by the museums sector and will cover museums across the country, including the DCMS Sponsored Museums. Further details will be announced later this autumn.

Annex A: National Museum Sites with Free Admission

British Museum - London

Horniman Museum - London

Imperial War Museum

Imperial War Museum (London)

Imperial War Museum North (Manchester)

Museum of the Home - London

National Gallery - London

National Museums Liverpool

World Museum

Museum of Liverpool

Walker Art Gallery

International Slavery Museum & Maritime Museum

Lady Lever Art Gallery

Sudley House

National Portrait Gallery - London

Natural History Museum

Natural History Museum (London)

Natural History Museum at Tring

Royal Armouries

Royal Armouries Leeds

Fort Nelson (Portsmouth)

Royal Museums Greenwich

National Maritime Museum (London)

Queen's House (London)

Sir John Soane’s Museum - London

Science Museum Group

Science Museum (London)

Science and Industry Museum (Manchester)

National Science and Media Museum (Bradford)

National Railway Museum (York)

Locomotion (Shildon)

Tate

Tate Britain (London)

Tate Modern (London)

Tate Liverpool

Victoria and Albert Museum

Victoria and Albert Museum (London)

Young V&A (London)

V&A East (London)

V&A Wedgwood Collection (Stoke-on-Trent)

Wallace Collection - London

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