Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of historic Royal Navy maritime wrecks classified as war graves which have been plundered or broken up by illegal scrap metal operators.

Where we have evidence of desecration of the wrecks of Royal Navy vessels, we will take appropriate action, including working with regional Governments and partners to prevent inappropriate activity at such sites. It should be appreciated however that, given the vast locations of Royal Navy wrecks around the world, there are limitations on what protection we can provide.