§ 88. Mr. Hastingsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many acres of land are currently being submerged under one kind of building development or another annually; and what steps he is taking to protect and safeguard the archaeological interest.
§ Mr. ChannonI regret that the information requested in the first part of the Question is not available. In the relatively small number of cases where an ancient monument or an archaeological site of significance would be affected its importance is weighted against that of the proposed development. If the monument or site is sufficiently important there are powers to prevent the development. Otherwise it is the Government's practice to arrange an archaeological investigation so that the monument or site can be recorded before the development takes place.