PROPOSED SALE OF WORKS OF ART

That this House notes that the Duke of Rutland, the Earl of Halifax and Viscount Hampden are considering selling seven paintings that have been on loan to the National Gallery, including Poussin's Sacraments, Rubens' Apotheosis of King James I and Titian's Portrait of a Young Man; believes that these are an important part of the national heritage; and calls on the Government to take urgent measures to guarantee that these works remain firmly accessible to the whole world in the National Gallery.