§ 2. Mr. Ridleyasked the Lord Privy Seal what action Her Majesty's Government are taking towards implementing Recommendation 365 of 1963 of the Council of Europe dealing with the preservation of ancient buildings.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign Affairs (Mr. Peter Thomas)The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, without having come to any conclusion, have referred this recommendation to the Council for Cultural Co-operation for its opinion. In these circumstances, Her Majesty's Government have not yet taken action towards implementing the recommendation.
§ Mr. RidleyDoes not my right hon. Friend agree that this is a most important recommendation and is one in which European co-operation is manifestly possible and which is unlikely to be vetoed by General de Gaulle? Will he therefore do all that he can to make sure that some action is taken on this important recommendation?
§ Mr. ThomasI certainly agree that the recommendation requires very careful study. My hon. Friend will appreciate that the technical and financial 5 problems involved in the proposal are complicated and will require detailed study, but I agree with him that the recommendation is certainly important enough to warrant that detailed study.