Arts Minister Says UK Will Sign Up To UNESCO Convention On Illicit Cultural Trade This Summer

She also announces continued funding for Portable Antiquities Scheme

The UK will sign up to the UNESCO Convention on illicit trade in cultural property by July, Arts Minister Tessa Blackstone announced today.

Speaking at the Standing Conference on Portable Antiquities, Baroness Blackstone said:

" I am glad to be able to announce today that all the legal issues relating to the way in which the UK intends to implement the Convention have now been resolved. I am this week giving the order that the formal process of accession should begin. This involves publication of the Convention as a Command Paper, together with an Explanatory Memorandum.

" It is our intention that this will take place by the end of April. The Convention then needs Parliamentary approval and our aim is that the process of accession should be complete by July. "

The Minister also pointed to the continued success of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, introduced in 1997, which aims to encourage people to report archaeological finds. Since 1999 the Scheme has been supported by a network of finds liaison officers - young archaeologists largely based in regional museums.

The Scheme is being taken forward by a consortium of national bodies led by Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries.

Tessa Blackstone said:

" Resource has submitted a lottery bid for three-year funding for a national network of finds liaison officers. I understand this bid will be considered by the Trustees in April. In the meanwhile, I have decided that pending a decision, my Department will provide continued funding of all the present posts for the coming year."

Among key achievements of the Scheme:

• the Portable Antiquities website receives over 80,000 page requests a month and is part of the National Grid for Learning;

• finds liaison officers held 362 finds identification days over the first three years of the Scheme;

• over 66,000 objects have been examined in the first three years.

For the longer term, the Minister said proposals by Resource in their recent report, Renaissance for the Regions, for a network of regional museum hubs to provide centres of excellence could also provide a framework for a network of finds liaison posts. The Department is in talks with Resource over this.

Notes to Editors

1. The UNESCO Convention gives members the right to recover stolen antiquities, primarily ancient and religious artefacts, which surface in the countries of fellow signatories. It does not require retrospective action by members.

2. The Standing Conference on Portable Antiquities meets annually and is made up of representatives of some 30 organisations with an interest in portable antiquities. It is convened by the Council for British Archaeology.

3. Further information on the Portable Antiquities Scheme is available from http://www.finds.org.uk/ or from its coordinator Roger Bland on 020 7323 8611 or email rbland@thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

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