§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will reconsider his decision to put up for public sale the pottery shards recovered from the wreck of HMS "Colossus" since the excellent work done by the British Museum in reconstructing some of the pots is unlikely to be satisfactorily continued by other parties.
§ Mr. TebbitNo. We decided that a number of museums and universities should be invited to make an offer for these shards in the light of our responsibilities under part IX of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 as well as the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. We have made it clear that we shall not necessarily accept the highest bid, but shall also take account of the institution's intentions on continuing the work of conservation and reconstruction and on continuing public access to the shards.