§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action he is taking following the letters to him of 15 December 1999 from Valerie Fenwick, and of 17 December from Angela Groome, to update the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 and to provide resources for nautical archaeology. [104511]
§ Mr. Alan Howarth[holding answer 13 January 2000]: It is Government policy, as announced following our Departmental Spending Review, to grant English Heritage powers in respect of underwater archaeology. This will allow access to English Heritage grant funds currently unavailable to underwater archaeology projects. Expansion of English Heritage's remit in this way will require legislative changes, and we will continue to seek an early legislative opportunity for this purpose.
It will be a matter for English Heritage, once they have been given responsibility for underwater archaeology, to advise on whether the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 needs updating.