Oral Answers to Questions

Carol Monaghan Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2020 Commons Chamber

[Helen Whately]

I can see that my diary will get very busy, but I am keen in my role to get out and about as far as I possibly can and spend time in regional museums, not just those in London. I point the hon. Gentleman particularly to the £125 million investment as part of the cultural investment fund, which will go in particular to regional museums and libraries to support their repair and maintenance. I am very keen to ensure that our regional museums thrive.

[Carol Monaghan (Glasgow North West) (SNP)]

5. What steps the Government are taking to protect UNESCO world heritage sites throughout the world.

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

16. What steps the Government are taking to protect UNESCO world heritage sites throughout the world.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Helen Whately)]

There are over 1,000 UNESCO world heritage sites globally. The UK is the proud home to 32, six of which are in Scotland. The Government take their responsibilities under the world heritage convention very seriously. In recent years, we have sadly seen some of the world’s great cultural treasures destroyed by conflict or natural disasters. We are working around the world to help to protect world heritage sites.

[Carol Monaghan]

Of course we are concerned about the destruction of cultural sites due to conflict. Any attack on one of these sites is an attack on our shared global history, but when we have President Trump tweeting one thing and his advisers saying the opposite, can we really trust the assurances that these sites will not be targeted in conflict?

[Helen Whately]

The targeting of cultural sites contravenes several international conventions to which the United States is a party, including the world heritage convention and the 1954 Hague convention. The Foreign Secretary was very clear that we expect those conventions to be adhered to.