§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Minister for the Arts if Her Majesty's Government will ratify the 1970 UNESCO convention on illicit trade in cultural property; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 15 October 1990]: Her Majesty's Government have no plans to ratify the 1970 UNESCO convention. While supporting the principles and objectives laid down in the convention, we consider that the convention's definition of cultural property is unduly wide. In addition, the requirements of the convention on imported and exported goods would impose a heavy administrative burden on both the Government and the art trade with, for example, the requirement for all dealers to keep registers of the material bought and sold. Implementation of the provision on restitution and prohibition of imports would require new legislation and allocation of substantial additional administrative resources, and the identification and verification of claims made against items imported into the United Kingdom would not be straightforward.
United Kingdom museums and the art trade already subscribe to codes of practice on the handling of items of dubious provenance, which help to uphold the objectives of the convention.