Written question asked by Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party) on Monday, 7 March 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 March 2022 (named day). It was answered by Nigel Huddleston (Conservative) on Monday, 14 March 2022 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Culture: Ukraine

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure cultural institutions trading in or housing cultural objects and materials looted from Ukraine are sanctioned and unable to operate or trade with (a) institutions, (b) individuals, (c) charities and (d) businesses in the UK.

Answer: No one in the UK should be doing business with any institution which knowingly acquires cultural objects looted from Ukraine. International and domestic UK law includes a range of provisions, including criminal offences, to protect cultural objects from unlawful removal and illicit trade. Art market businesses and museums in the UK subscribe to codes of conduct which set out their responsibilities and procedures for ensuring the lawful provenance of the cultural objects which they handle. The Government expects anyone dealing in cultural objects to ensure that those objects have not been looted from any country, including Ukraine, and that the businesses and institutions they are dealing with are acting lawfully.

Secondary information