HC Deb 18 June 2003 vol 407 c228W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will place HMS Vengeance on the Historic Ships List; [120057]

(2) if she will make a statement on the criteria for eligibility to place a ship on the Historic Ships List; and what powers she has to make exceptions to these rules. [120058]

Estelle Morris

The Government welcomes the efforts of those involved in the preservation of the country's maritime heritage. However, decisions on which ships should be included in the Core Collection and Designated Vessels lists, and the specific and well established criteria which inform those decisions, are a matter for the National Historic Ships Committee (NHSC) and not for Government. These lists and criteria are reviewed regularly by the NHSC.