Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision to fly ancient hominid remains into space, what assessment they have made of the case for strengthening protections for ancient hominid and human remains; and what discussions they have had, and intend to have, about reinforcing such protections internationally.

Human remains less than 1,000 years old in UK museum collections are protected under the Human Remains Act 2004. The Act regulates the acquisition, storage, use and disposal of human bodies, organs and tissue. It also requires a licence for organisations holding and displaying human remains. This Act ensures that there is strong protection in place for human remains in UK museums.

Museums are independent of HM Government and it is for the trustees of each museum to make decisions about their collections. However, we expect museums to exercise appropriate care for their collections including ancient hominid and human remains which are outwith the scope of the Human Remains Act 2004.