Memorandum submitted by the Portable Antiquities
and Treasure Scheme, British Museum
DRAFT HERITAGE
PROTECTION BILL
We welcome the publication of the Draft Heritage
Protection Bill, a much-needed reform of the present regime. However,
there are some issues of concern which the Culture, Media &
Sport Select Committee may wish to scrutinise further.
This response is sent on behalf of the Portable
Antiquities Scheme (PAS), a project to record archaeological objects
found by the public in England and Wales. The recording of finds
is undertaken by a network of 37 Finds Liaison Officers based
with local partners (museums and local authorities). This work
is co-ordinated and supported by a Central Unit based at the British
Museum, and 6 Finds Advisers. PAS is managed by the British Museum
on behalf of the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA);
the partners contribute some of the funding.
HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT
RECORDS AND
THE PORTABLE
ANTIQUITIES SCHEME
1. We welcome statutory provision for Historic
Environment Records (HERs) (Part 5), the key record-holders of
information about the historic environment. However, the principal
mechanism by which data about archaeological finds made by the
public reaches HERs—the PAS[2]—is
under threat and this will have a direct impact on HERs and local
museums, with cost implications for Local Authorities.
2. The threat facing PAS: in 2008-09 the
budget for PAS has been frozen (£1.3 million), leading to
the loss of three post-holders and £100k cut in non-staff
costs, and funding for 2009-11 is subject to a review; the fourth
such review in 10 years. There is a concern that if further cuts
are made, and PAS can no longer provide a national service, then
finders will look to HERs and local museums to identify and record
these finds, for which there is no provision, funding and (in
many cases) expertise to do so.
3. PAS established 6 "pilot schemes"
in 1997, and extended these to the whole of England and Wales
(thanks to HLF funding) in 2003. Since 1997 more than 334,000
archaeological objects found by the public have been recorded
by PAS, helping to transform our archaeological knowledge of the
country; this data is published online (www.finds.org.uk). The
outreach activities of the Scheme (776 events in 2007 attended
by 37,500 people, including 7,522 children) also help to engage
people in archaeology and help them understand more about the
history of their local area.
RESTRICTIONS ON
THE USE
OF METAL
DETECTORS
4. We agree with the principle that metal-detecting
should not take place in a registered heritage structure or heritage
open space without written consent of the heritage authority concerned.
However, those restricted areas must be clearly defined, particularly
if they are earthworks (2.2a), archaeological remains (2.2e),
"groups of things" (2.2h) and battlefields (3.2b), so
that detector users are clear of their legal obligations and restricted
areas are properly protected.
5. We are concerned that secondary documentation
(which needs only secondary legislation) relating to metal-detecting,
in particular, has not yet been published, as this does not allow
proper scrutiny of the draft Bill.
June 2008
2 See Historic Environment Records, draft guidance
for Local Authorities in England (DCMS, May 2008), 35. Back
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