§ Nick HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how much money has been spent by(a) her Department and (b) other Government Departments for the purpose of preventing an item being exported, following the placing of an export bar, since 1997; [39409]
(2) for each item that has had an export bar placed on it by the Department since 1997, how long the export bar has remained in place and how many of these items were (a) allowed to remain in the country indefinitely and (b) eventually exported; [39408]
(3) how many export bars have been carried out by her Department for each year since 1997; and if she will list the items and their value. [39407]
§ Dr. HowellsThe information requested is also contained in the last five annual reports of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses. Information relating to cases considered in the current committee year (from 1 July 2001 onwards) will be available after the year ends on 30 June 2002, in the annual report for that period.
There have been 71 temporary export bars since 1997. Details of the items and their value are provided in the first three columns of the table that has been placed in the Library.
Information the length of temporary export bars and the issue of export licences is set out in the fourth, fifth and sixth columns of the table. Temporary export bars usually take the form of a split period; the first to allow expressions of interest in purchasing the item to be made, and the second to allow the funds to be raised and the invoice paid. If there is no expression of interest by the end of the first period a licence is usually granted. If there is an expression of interest, then the deferral usually continues into the second period.
Items which have been under temporary export bar are usually purchased by UK institutions or private individuals, not by Government Departments. Decisions to purchase are usually made by the trustees of these institutions and they are often assisted by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Art Fund and the Resource/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund. Purchase information is shown in the final column of the table, and details of contributions made each year by grant-giving bodies can be found in Appendix G of the Reviewing Committee"s annual reports.