To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24558 by Mike Watson on 23 April 2002, what steps are being taken to ensure that the various national art collections are truly national and accessible to the public. The National Galleries of Scotland has a statutory duty to care for, preserve and add to the objects in their collections and to secure that the objects are exhibited to the public.Free entry to the National Galleries ensures that the national collection is accessible to all.In addition to the main galleries in Edinburgh, the National Galleries also have out-stations around Scotland - Duff House in Banff and Paxton House in the Borders - both of which hold significant works from the national collection.Responding to the need to make the national collections more widely accessible and visible to the public, the National Galleries of Scotland are participating in the development of a scheme to increase lending to smaller museums and galleries around Scotland.