Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Howarth of Newport (Labour). It was answered on Wednesday, 6 December 2006.

Shipping: Naval Wrecks

Question: My Lords, what plans do the Government have for more proactive management of historic wreck sites so that they are physically assessed by people with relevant expertise and management plans are drawn up which would be sensitive to them both as war graves, if that is what they are, and as archaeological sites?

Answer: My Lords, we are signatories to several international conventions, most notably the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and have therefore signed up to the responsibilities under them. We have also begun to designate sites. I was astonished to learn in my brief that there are 15,000 naval and merchant wrecks from the two world wars. Not all of those will be designated, but the most significant wrecks are being designated as protected sites or controlled sites, with all the management that that involves.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 687 c1152
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Protection Warships War graves HMS Repulse HMS Prince of Wales (wreck)
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk