§ 24. Mr. Maclennanasked the Minister of Public Building and Works if he will now take the Chambered Cairn at Ord North at Lairg, Sutherland, into guardianship for the purpose of displaying it to the public.
§ Mr. MellishNo Sir. I am awaiting a report on the recent excavations there. When I have this, I will then be able to decide whether the monument merits being taken into guardianship. I will certainly bear in mind the representation made by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. MaclennanWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask whether he is aware of the importance and great interest of archæological sites of this nature, not only to specialists but to tourists in the Highlands? Is he further aware that there is much to be said for speeding up the process of examination and evaluation of the archæological findings in the Highlands of Scotland?
§ Mr. MellishI respect my hon. Friend's keen interest and I assure him that I shall take his representations into account. My Department has already spent £2,000 on excavation and conservation work at this monument and while it may turn out to be of guardianship class it will have to wait its turn, because at the moment there are already more monuments in my future guardianship programme than I can finance.