§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to enlist the help of vocational divers in South Devon in investigating historic wrecks off the South Devon Coast.[145774]
§ Mr. CabornMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no specific plans for vocational divers in South Devon. The Department has enabled the development and implementation of English Heritage's initial policy for maritime archaeology, Taking to the Water, which clearly states the desirability of engaging with the sport diving and wider communities. Any proposals for initiatives can be made directly to English Heritage where they will be considered according to national priorities and subject to available resources. English Heritage are already encouraging sport diving initiatives in the Solent, the North East and the Isles of Scilly together with providing support for an England-wide training programme and shipwreck projects through the Nautical Archaeology Society.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what considerations resulted in her Department stopping vocational divers investigating(a) the wreck of a suspected Barbary pirate ship off Gara rock in South Devon and (b) the Salcombe Canon site shipwreck.[145775]
§ Mr. CabornThe sites referred to as(a) and (b) are the same site designated under the Statutory Instrument 1997/2536, known as the Salcombe Cannon Site. The reference to the suspected Barbary pirate ship has arisen after research has shown that Barbary pirates were active around the period of the ship wreck in the area of Salcombe. Since designation the Secretary of State has issued licences to survey, surface recover and excavate the site. At the time of writing there are no current licences on this site, as there has been no application made to the Secretary of State. The issuing of licences since 1997 has enabled continued investigation of this site by vocationally based teams backed up by professional archaeological advice. Over the last 18 months this system has been supported by English Heritage. The Government's contractor for archaeological services in support of the 1973 Act has also visited this site and 405W others in South Devon this summer, managed by English Heritage and fully involving the divers licensed to investigate the sites.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the role is of English Heritage regarding applications for licences to investigate shipwrecks off the South Devon coast.[145819]
§ Mr. CabornEnglish Heritage's role is to carry out administrative functions exercisable by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under the 1973 Act. English Heritage considers the merits of each case, consults the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites, the archaeological diving contractor and other interested parties as appropriate, before submitting a report and recommendation to the Secretary of State.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the additional cost to public funds is of involving English Heritage in the process of licensing historic wreck sites; and what the advantages are.[145820]
§ Mr. CabornThe transfer of responsibility for licensing designated wreck sites and acting as secretariat to the Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites to English Heritage has resulted in no additional cost to public funds. The administrative budget hitherto spent by this Department on these activities was transferred to English Heritage in 2003.
Benefits from the transfer include greater specialist expertise in the decision-making process and the management of protected wreck sites. Underwater archaeology projects are also now able to compete on equal terms with land archaeological projects for English Heritage grants.