Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the licence application currently lodged with the Marine Management Organisation by the Maritime Heritage Foundation is fully compliant with the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) licences the removal of substances or objects from the sea bed within the UK marine licensing area, under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

I can confirm that an application for a marine licence has been lodged with the MMO to recover items from HMS Victory 1744. However, the MMO has not concluded its determination of that application and the issues raised by it.

It should be noted that although Her Majesty’s Government is not a signatory to the Convention for the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, it has adopted the Rules for activities directed at underwater cultural heritage, found in the Annex of the Convention, as best practice. As such any recovery of items from HMS Victory will need to comply with relevant UK polices that align with these requirements.

MMO will consider the application in that context and in accordance with the relevant Government policy on the issue.