Question

To ask His Majesty's Government when they last discussed the request of the Rapa Nui to return the Hoa Hakananai'a with the trustees of the British Museum; and what offers, if any, they have made to the trustees to facilitate this.

Ministers regularly hold wide-ranging discussions with the Director of the British Museum, however this matter has not arisen since July 2024, and no such offers have been made.

The British Museum operates independently of the government. Decisions relating to the care and management of its collections, including the Hoa Hakananai'a, are a matter for its trustees. The British Museum’s governing legislation, the British Museum Act 1963, prohibits the museum from disposing of objects in its collection, unless, broadly, they are duplicates or unfit for retention. The two exceptions to this are for objects taken during the Nazi-era, and human remains less than 1000 years old. The Government has no plans to change the law.