Supplementary memorandum submitted by
Heritage Link
During our oral evidence session on 18 April
the Committee raised the question of whether the interests of
the historic environment would be better served if it were moved
to another Department, in particular ODPM.
As we explained to the Committee, we felt that
a complete move risked creating another, different but potentially
difficult boundary and suggested that what would be most desirable
was more vigorous championing by DCMS together with a better understanding
in both Departments of the very significant effect of planning
and other issues in the ODPM stable on the management of the historic
environment. Elaborating on what we said on 18 April, one means
of achieving this might be to create, at a senior level within
ODPM, a unit with responsibility for heritage issues. Such a unit
would provide a dedicated resource within ODPM which would act
as a counterpart to DCMS' broader interests and would reinforce
the embedding of historic environment issues were in ODPM agendas.
(It would of course be possible to argue for similar units in
other departments eg Defra but if the key interest outside DCMS
in ODPM were covered by a dedicated unit, the needs elsewhere
could be met by full implementation of the "Heritage Minister"
proposals in A Force for Our Future.)
I hope that the Committee will feel able to
take these further thoughts into account in its consideration
of its Report.
10 May 2006
| 
