§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what action he is taking in respect of the draft UNIDROIT convention on the international return of stolen or illegally exported cultural objects; who will be attending from the United Kingdom the June conference to be held in Rome on this subject; what support his Department is giving; and if he will make a statement. [27396]
§ Mr. DorrellThe UK will be represented at the conference in Rome by officials from the Department of National Heritage and the Treasury Solicitor's Department. There is still work to be done on the draft UNIDROIT convention. However, the objectives behind the draft are laudable; and we will continue to work constructively with other countries participating in the discussions, to achieve a convention that could be a mutually acceptable compromise to as many states, both importing and exporting, as possible.