Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary on the protection of Royal Navy wrecks in Asia.

The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office take the illegal salvage of our wrecks in South East Asia extremely seriously and are saddened at the level of salvage that has previously taken place. The Government considers the wrecks to be the final resting place of our servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and they should be allowed to rest in peace.

The matter has been raised with the Indonesian and Malaysian Governments and we continue to work closely with the relevant authorities in the region to afford these sites suitable protection.