§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role his Department plays in ensuring the protection of sites listed on the World Heritage List outside the United Kingdom; which international bodies have a co-ordinating responsibility; and what liaison takes place between his Department and other departments in protecting such sites. [55416]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthMy Department liaises closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on current and possible future World Heritage Sites in the UK Overseas Territories. The protection of World Heritage Sites outside the UK and its overseas Territories is the responsibility of the countries concerned. My Department, by agreement with the Home Country Departments, represents the UK as an Observer at meetings of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (which inter alia considers the protection of sites in accordance with the World Heritage Convention) and pays an annual subscription (£111,215 for 1998) to UNESCO's World Heritage Fund which is used to assist endangered sites. These meetings are also attended by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, who are the official advisers to UNESCO on cultural and natural heritage issues respectively.