§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made since his meeting in May with the hon. Members for Knowsley, South (Mr. O'Hara) and Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on the protection of sites of marine archaeological interest. [135329]
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe Government remain fully committed to securing, at the earliest opportunity, the necessary legislation to provide English Heritage with powers below the mean low water mark. This will place underwater archaeology on the same footing as land based archaeology, allowing access to English Heritage grant funds and support which are currently not available to underwater archaeological work.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working on placing, during the current financial year, a number of wreck marker buoys and information signs at or near to sites which are designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. We are continuing to support, through the Heritage Grant Fund, a maritime archaeological project undertaken by the Hampshire and Wight Trust and the archaeological diving training programme provided by the Nautical Archaeological Society.