This paper assesses the nature of the government’s financial contribution to conservation provision and training in the United Kingdom. Details of the government’s actual contribution are derived from public documents published between 1969 and 1984. They are discussed with reference to the financial responsibility of the government, as it was perceived by museum institutions, advisory bodies and charitable foundations, to develop an effective conservation service for museums and galleries across the U.K. and a nationally recognized conservation profession with approved standards and an advanced training programme. -- SCMRE