PRIVATISATION OF SECURITY AT KENSINGTON MUSEUMS

That this House is concerned by the plan to privatise in-house security functions at the Kensington museums in London, the National Museum for Science and Industry (NMSI) and the the Natural History Museum (NHM); notes that NMSI includes the National Media Museum in Bradford and the National Railway Museum in York, affecting a total of 89 security staff; is further concerned that any outsourcing of the security function will jeopardise the status of world- and nationally-renowned collections, undermine terms and conditions of staff and degrade the standard of service for the 11 million annual visitors to the Kensington museums; is alarmed that security staff at NMSI and NHM were not consulted prior to the decision to tender being made and have been given very limited input into the tendering process; condemns management's refusal to release to PCS union members working at these museums the details of the business case; believes that the extended deadline for bids relates to the ongoing delay in negotiations over reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme which sets levels of redundancy pay; is unclear as to the reasons for or benefits of this privatisation; and calls on the management and trustees of these priceless cultural institutions to draw back from any further privatisation of the security function.