I think the expectation is that the boards will provide that governance function and the accountability. They are there as a buffer for the government to know that the money's not being just walked away and that people are behaving appropriately.
The actual professional standards in this field are incredibly high, and the risk and liability issues are very high. It's really too much for volunteers to take on.
What is the solution? I've been struggling with that for a long time. When I was secretary-general of the Commonwealth Association of Museums, it was a volunteer role. For seven and a half years I was running an international development organization on top of my consulting practice, and I just got burned out. I'm sure you as MPs experience this, but there are only so many weeks in a row that you can work 90 hours without feeling it.
I honestly don't know what the answer is, but I think smaller boards and more funding to be able to hire paid staff. Most of these very small museums we're talking about have no paid staff during the winter, which is when most museums that are seasonal institutions are trying to raise the money. That's when you're doing your program planning, developing new activities and raising money. These programs tend to fund people to mow the lawn and keep the doors open.