Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many reports from independent companies and subject experts in sea bed restoration and conservation the Maritime Heritage Foundation tabled to the Experts Panel and Advisory Group in respect of the wreck of HMS Victory 1744.

Since 2008 when Odyssey Marine Exploration (OME) discovered the wreck of HMS Victory 1744, the site has been regularly monitored and the reports of several site surveys have been submitted to the Government. Environmental studies of the site’s sedimentology and suitability for in situ preservation and the wreck’s marine biological profile have been completed by the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and the University of Huelva, Spain. The information included in the Project Design has been considered by the Advisory Group and Expert Panel. In addition, Wessex Archaeology produced two independent reports in 2009, which can be found at http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/reports/71070/hms-victory-1744.