Written question asked by Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Davies of Oldham (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 June 2009.

Archaeological Sites

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that material found on and information relevant to archaeological sites where the developer goes into receivership is safeguarded and the ownership secured for the public benefit.

Answer: We are aware of concerns that archaeological material may be lost as a result of developers' difficulties. However, we believe those in the archaeological sector are best placed to deal with the issue of safeguarding such material. The Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, English Heritage, is liaising with the Institute for Archaeologists and the Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers on issuing advice to financial administrators about the cultural value of archaeological archives. English Heritage is carrying out a scoping project to try to define the scale of the problem and what it can do to help and expects to have the results in August. However, there are issues of legal responsibilities related to planning consents to take into consideration, where it would not be appropriate for English Heritage or central government to intervene.

Secondary information