§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many ancient and historic monuments in Scotland were added to the national monuments record in each year since 1989;
(2) if he will list the reported instances of damage to scheduled ancient and historical monuments in Scotland from 1989 to 1992; and what action was taken on the discovery of the damage;
521W(3) how many ancient and historical monuments in Historic Scotland aims to schedule from 1992 to 1995;
(4) how many management agreements for national monuments were made in 1991.
§ Mr. LangI have passed the hon. Member's questions to the chief executive of Historic Scotland and asked him to reply direct.
Letter from G. Munro to Mr. Nigel Griffiths, dated 22 November 1992:
The Secretary of State for Scotland has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about ancient and historical monuments in Scotland.Firstly, you asked how many ancient and historical monuments were added to the National Monuments Record of Scotland (NMRS) in each of the years from 1989 to 1992. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is responsible for maintaining a comprehensive archive and database in the form of the NMRS. I have therefore contacted the RCAHMS who informed me that they added the following number of monuments to the NMRS:—
Number 1989–90 2,430 1990–91 2,586 1991–92 2,050 The Commission inform me that the figure for 1991–92 will be increased by air photographs of sites discovered in that period which have yet to be fully incorporated into the NMRS. In addition 1991–92 was the year in which the whole national archive was moved to new premises.Secondly, you asked the Secretary of State if he would list the reported instances of damage to scheduled ancient and historical monuments in Scotland from 1989 to 1992; and what action was taken on the discovery of the damage. No central record of such cases is maintained but we are aware of 35 cases during the period. In such cases we would normally write to the owner of the monument, or the person who had carried out the work which had damaged the monument, seeking an explanation for the unauthorised works. This could result in remedial action being taken or in extreme cases the matter being referred to the Procurator Fiscal for possible prosecution.Thirdly, you asked how many ancient and historical monuments in Scotland Historic Scotland aim to schedule from 1992 to 1995. As shown in Annex A to our Corporate Plan for 1992–95, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, we aim to schedule 900 monuments in this period—300 per year.Finally, you asked how many management agreements for national monuments were made in 1991. The answer to that question is eight.