Treasure Act 1996 Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate

Lord Howarth of Newport

Main Page: Lord Howarth of Newport (Labour - Life peer)

Treasure Act 1996

Lord Howarth of Newport Excerpts
Thursday 11th November 2010

(14 years ago)

Lords Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text
Baroness Rawlings Portrait Baroness Rawlings
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

The Portable Antiquities Scheme is very important and I thank the noble Lord for that question. I appreciate that there is concern over the future of the scheme in the light of the announcement that the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, which currently provides most of the scheme’s funding, will be wound up by April 2012. I am pleased to confirm that the scheme will continue. Discussions are taking place about the best way for it to be managed and funded.

Lord Howarth of Newport Portrait Lord Howarth of Newport
- Hansard - -

My Lords, can the Minister offer any comfort to archaeologists, faced as they are with cuts to funding for museums, universities, English Heritage and local authority archaeological departments and, indeed, the collapse of archaeological businesses that are dependent for their funding on developers? Do the Government have any policies to support archaeology?

Baroness Rawlings Portrait Baroness Rawlings
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

The noble Lord, Lord Howarth, is very much involved with this subject and I understand his concern about the cuts, which will be across the board and which we all know about. Measures included in the Coroners and Justice Act to improve the treasure system will be implemented. Ministers are still considering the feasibility of a coroner for treasure. DCMS and the Ministry of Justice are working together to assess the extent to which measures on treasure may be implemented within current financial constraints.