§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the directives which have affected her Department in each of the past three years and(a) the United Kingdom legislation introduced as a result of the directives, (b) the United Kingdom legislation which goes beyond the minimum standards set out in the directives and (c) the clauses within each piece of United Kingdom legislation which amplify the minimum standards set out in the directives. [27079]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 29 April 1996]: My Department has implemented only one directive in the last three years in an area for which it has lead policy responsibility. This is directive 93/7/EEC on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a member state. Implementation was made by means of a statutory instrument, SI 1994/501, The Return of Cultural Objects Regulations 1994, which came into force on 2 March 1994. The regulations do not go beyond the absolute minimum required to comply with the directive.