§ Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthornasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to counter the increasing scale of art crime; and what progress the Home Office is making with the establishment of a stolen objects database relating to cultural property. [HL685]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonThe Government are supporting the Dealing in Cultural Property (Offences) Bill. This Bill, which has recently been introduced, would create a new criminal offence of dishonestly importing, dealing or being in possession of any cultural object, knowing or believing that the object was stolen, or illegally excavated, or removed from any monument or wreck contrary to local law.
The UK formally acceded to the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of 188WA Ownership of Cultural Property on 31 October 2002. The convention enables countries which are parties to the convention to claim back stolen antiquities which surface in the countries of fellow signatories.
Home Office officials continue to work with colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and law enforcement to consider the feasibility of implementing a national database of unlawfully obtained cultural property as recommended by the House of Commons Select Committe in July 2000. Officials from the DCMS are currently in the process of drawing up a business case for such a database.