ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS KEW

That this House is concerned that the successive cuts to the Grant In Aid for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew since 2010 puts over 120 jobs at risk and threatens a loss of scientific expertise not readily available on the international labour market; notes the threat to the capacity and ability of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to perform its statutory functions and world-leading scientific and conservation research; is further concerned that these cuts will put Kew's UNESCO World Heritage Site status at risk and that pressure to raise revenue means that a number of staff at Kew Enterprises are currently paid below the living wage or are on zero hours contracts; and calls on the Government to consider the results of several independent reviews calling for maintained or increased public funding of Kew by funding the expected shortfall this year of £5 million and ensuring that there is a full public review of how Kew is funded in future before any final decisions are made.