An education authority may make such provision for conducting or assisting the conduct of research as appears to the authority to be desirable for the purpose of improving the education provided for their area.
An education authority may arrange or organise, or participate in the arrangement or organisation of, conferences or meetings for the discussion of questions relating to education, and may expend such sums as may be reasonable in paying or contributing towards any expenditure incurred in connection with conferences or meetings for the discussion of such questions, including the expenses of any person authorised by them to attend any such conference or meeting.
(1)An education authority may provide and maintain museums within their area, and shall have power—
(a)to acquire any objects which, in their opinion, it is desirable to include in a collection contained in a museum maintained by them under this section;
(b)to lend any object vested in them and comprised in any such collection, on such terms and conditions as they think fit, to any person for any purpose;
(c)subject to subsection (3) below, to transfer any object vested in them and comprised in any such collection to the governing body of a museum maintained by a person other than the education authority, for the purpose of being included in a collection contained in that museum;
(d)subject to subsection (3) below, to sell, exchange, give away or otherwise dispose of any object vested in them and comprised in a collection contained in a museum maintained by them under this section, if for any reason that object is not, in their opinion, required for retention in any such collection;
(e)to co-operate with any other education authority or any other body;
(f)generally to do all such things as they may consider necessary or expedient for or in connection with the provision and maintenance of museums under this section.
(2)An education authority may, if they think fit, make such charge as they consider reasonable for admission to a museum maintained by them under this section, and in determining whether, and in what manner, to exercise their powers under this subsection in relation to any museum, an authority shall take into account the need to secure that the museum plays its full part in the promotion of education in their area, and shall have particular regard to the interests of children and students.
(3)Where an object has become vested in an education authority subject to any trust or condition—
(a)that object shall, on being transferred under subsection (1)(c) above, be subject to the like trust or condition in the hands of the transferee;
(b)the powers conferred by subsection (1) (d) above shall not be exercisable in relation to that object in a manner inconsistent with that trust or condition.