HL Deb 10 May 1984 vol 451 cc1128-30WA
Lord Chelwood

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they agree that export licence procedures, as they affect works of art of importance to the national heritage, provide insufficient protection, particularly when considered in the context of the annual grant this year of only three million pounds to the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and the tendency for overseas buyers to bid over the odds both privately and at auction, and when and in what ways they proposed to amend these procedures.

The Minister of State, Privy Council Office, and Minister for the Arts (The Earl of Gowrie)

The export licensing procedures for works of art, which are based on the recommendations of the Waverley Report, are designed to provide a fair balance, within a free market framework, between the interests of individual owners, the art trade and public collections. In the Government's view they have stood the test of time and still maintain that balance. There are no plans to amend them, but the system is kept under close review. The Government have allocated £8 million to the National Heritage Memorial Fund for 1984–85.