The Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure

Committee review into value and impact of museums in Northern Ireland

The Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Northern Ireland Assembly is holding a review into the value and impact of museums in Northern Ireland. The review will build on the Committee’s previous inquiry (2008) and will focus on how to measure the social and economic impact the museum sector has on the local economy.

The terms of reference are:

• To investigate what work is currently being conducted to monitor the social and economic value of museums in Northern Ireland.
• To assess what level of understanding exists within DCAL and the key museums bodies about the methods of measuring value and impact on a consistent, ongoing basis.
• To investigate how information about the social and economic impact of museums could be used to assess value for money across government.
• To seek areas of good practice within the museum sector outside of Northern Ireland, such as those followed by Cymal, the Heritage Council of Ireland and elsewhere, and make recommendations about how improvements could be made to the understanding of the social and economic value of museums within Northern Ireland.

On the 10 January 2010 the Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure published a press release to launch this review, and this can be found at http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/culture/2007mandate/press/2010/cal05_1011.htm

In preparation for this Review the Committee commissioned a paper from Assembly Research providing background information. This can be found at http://archive.niassembly.gov.uk/culture/2007mandate/research/2010/value_and_impact_of_museums.pdf

To assist the Committee with this review we are asking for written submissions from interested parties. The deadline for receipt of these submissions is 21 January 2011. Responses received after this date will be considered on a case by case basis.

Guidance on submitting a response can be found at

Guide to Submitting Written Evidence

Submissions should be posted to the following address –

Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure
Room 344 Parliament Buildings,
Stormont,
Ballymiscaw,
Belfast
BT4 3XX

Or emailed to –
committee.cal@niassembly.gov.uk

• Terms of Reference