Historic Wales plan: Museum chief fears 'savage surgery'

A plan to merge National Museum Wales's commercial activities with those of other heritage bodies could badly damage its effectiveness, the museum's director general has claimed.

David Anderson told the assembly's culture committee that the Welsh Government would be creating another quango and layer of complexity if it went ahead with plans to launch Historic Wales.

He claimed it would hamper the museum's efforts to capitalise on opportunities such as the discovery of a dinosaur skeleton on the south Wales coast.

Mr Anderson said he was not opposed to partnerships, but warned it would be difficult to separate the museum's commercial functions from the rest of its activity without "savage surgery".