Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the arrangements for the storage of human remains at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; and whether it complies with the relevant guidance.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
DCMS was alerted by Arts Council England at the end of October to a recent theft incident involving a storage facility operated by Bristol Museums. Fuller details about the scale of that incident were provided by the museum in mid December, at the time a police appeal was launched, following a museum-led audit. The museum holds human remains, however the department is not aware of any human remains being amongst the items stolen.
Museums in England operate independently from the government, and subscribe to ethical codes produced by the sector, and so it is for the museum’s leadership team to ensure the proper care of human remains, with policies kept under review. DCMS’ Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums covers the curation, care and display of human remains in museums, and recommends both the active management and monitoring of human remains storage, and adherence to suitable standards of security, access management and environmental conditions.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery holding human remains in either their original or modified form; and whether they understand any such remains to have been among the items stolen from the museum's archive in September.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
DCMS was alerted by Arts Council England at the end of October to a recent theft incident involving a storage facility operated by Bristol Museums. Fuller details about the scale of that incident were provided by the museum in mid December, at the time a police appeal was launched, following a museum-led audit. The museum holds human remains, however the department is not aware of any human remains being amongst the items stolen.
Museums in England operate independently from the government, and subscribe to ethical codes produced by the sector, and so it is for the museum’s leadership team to ensure the proper care of human remains, with policies kept under review. DCMS’ Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums covers the curation, care and display of human remains in museums, and recommends both the active management and monitoring of human remains storage, and adherence to suitable standards of security, access management and environmental conditions.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they were first advised of the theft in September 2025 of artefacts from the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery archive.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
DCMS was alerted by Arts Council England at the end of October to a recent theft incident involving a storage facility operated by Bristol Museums. Fuller details about the scale of that incident were provided by the museum in mid December, at the time a police appeal was launched, following a museum-led audit. The museum holds human remains, however the department is not aware of any human remains being amongst the items stolen.
Museums in England operate independently from the government, and subscribe to ethical codes produced by the sector, and so it is for the museum’s leadership team to ensure the proper care of human remains, with policies kept under review. DCMS’ Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums covers the curation, care and display of human remains in museums, and recommends both the active management and monitoring of human remains storage, and adherence to suitable standards of security, access management and environmental conditions.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the online auction of a human female half skeleton by Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 14 July, whether they plan to issue advice to relevant trade associations, internet auctioneers, and regulatory authorities, to regulate or prevent the further sale of human remains and body parts.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government calls on all auction houses to scrutinise their activities and for anyone trading in human remains to consider carefully the ethical implications of this activity which many understandably find deeply disturbing. All human remains should be treated with respect and dignity. This did not happen with this sale. I have written to Richard Winterton Auctioneers and other relevant bodies to raise concerns about this issue. UK auction houses currently set their own standards and best practice, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will meet with the Department for Health and Social Care in the Autumn to discuss the sale of human remains at auction and online.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take following the online auction of a human female half skeleton by Richard Winterton Auctioneers on 14 July.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government calls on all auction houses to scrutinise their activities and for anyone trading in human remains to consider carefully the ethical implications of this activity which many understandably find deeply disturbing. All human remains should be treated with respect and dignity. This did not happen with this sale. I have written to Richard Winterton Auctioneers and other relevant bodies to raise concerns about this issue. UK auction houses currently set their own standards and best practice, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will meet with the Department for Health and Social Care in the Autumn to discuss the sale of human remains at auction and online.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the presence of ancestral human remains in the national collections, and what records they keep centrally of the quantity and location of such items.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
No such assessment has been made, and there are no centrally kept records. Museums are independent of government and decisions related to their collections are for their trustees to make.
The Human Tissue Act 2004 allows national museums to remove human remains from their collections provided that they are reasonably believed to be remains of a person who died less than 1,000 years before the day the relevant section came into force.
DCMS issued Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums in 2005 which encouraged museums to establish an advisory framework to assist in determining repatriation claims and provided a set of criteria which need to be taken into account in assessing claims.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK’s international reputation for respect for freedom of religion of the retention by the British Museum of the Ethiopian tabots and the inability of members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church who seek their return to the places from which they were forcibly removed to access them.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has not made an assessment, and has not raised the return of contested sacred objects with British Museum trustees.
The British Museum operates independently of the government. Decisions relating to the care and management of its collections, including the Ethiopian tabots, are a matter for its trustees.
The British Museum has a longstanding and cordial relationship with senior members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, both in Ethiopia and in London. The museum recognises the significance of the tabots and has held meaningful talks with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on this issue. The tabots are housed in a special location in the museum which is maintained in consultation with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and overseen by a committed curatorial and conservation team. The tabots are available to be visited by Ethiopian Orthodox priests and prelates which is reflective of Church practices.
The museum’s stated ambition is to lend the tabots to an Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the UK where they can be cared for by the clergy within their traditions.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they last raised with the trustees of the British Museum the return of contested sacred objects in its collection forcibly removed from their places of origin.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has not made an assessment, and has not raised the return of contested sacred objects with British Museum trustees.
The British Museum operates independently of the government. Decisions relating to the care and management of its collections, including the Ethiopian tabots, are a matter for its trustees.
The British Museum has a longstanding and cordial relationship with senior members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, both in Ethiopia and in London. The museum recognises the significance of the tabots and has held meaningful talks with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on this issue. The tabots are housed in a special location in the museum which is maintained in consultation with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and overseen by a committed curatorial and conservation team. The tabots are available to be visited by Ethiopian Orthodox priests and prelates which is reflective of Church practices.
The museum’s stated ambition is to lend the tabots to an Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the UK where they can be cared for by the clergy within their traditions.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of causing offence and damaging the UK’s reputation overseas arising from the continued retention in public collections of human remains acquired during the colonial period; and what plans they have to repatriate human remains to the nations from which they were acquired where requested.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Museums which have public collections are independent of government and decisions related to their collections are for their trustees to make.
The Human Tissue Act 2004 allows national museums to remove human remains from their collections provided that they are reasonably believed to be remains of a person who died less than 1,000 years before the day the relevant section came into force.
DCMS issued Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums in 2005 which encouraged museums to establish an advisory framework to assist in determining repatriation claims and provided a set of criteria which need to be taken into account in assessing claims.
A number of museums have returned human remains over the last few years, including the Pitt Rivers museum to Aboriginal communities in Australia, the Natural History Museum to the Moriori community in New Zealand, and the National Army Museum returning locks of hair of Emperor Tewodros II to Ethiopia.
It is for businesses and auction rooms to decide whether to prohibit sales of human remains, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act 2004. Those who sell or purchase human remains may also be subject to their own professional standards and codes of conduct.
Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks of causing offence and damaging the UK’s reputation overseas arising from the sale of human remains acquired during the colonial period in public auctions; and what plans they have to prohibit those sales.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Museums which have public collections are independent of government and decisions related to their collections are for their trustees to make.
The Human Tissue Act 2004 allows national museums to remove human remains from their collections provided that they are reasonably believed to be remains of a person who died less than 1,000 years before the day the relevant section came into force.
DCMS issued Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums in 2005 which encouraged museums to establish an advisory framework to assist in determining repatriation claims and provided a set of criteria which need to be taken into account in assessing claims.
A number of museums have returned human remains over the last few years, including the Pitt Rivers museum to Aboriginal communities in Australia, the Natural History Museum to the Moriori community in New Zealand, and the National Army Museum returning locks of hair of Emperor Tewodros II to Ethiopia.
It is for businesses and auction rooms to decide whether to prohibit sales of human remains, taking into account the consent and licensing provisions of the Human Tissue Act 2004. Those who sell or purchase human remains may also be subject to their own professional standards and codes of conduct.