Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the commitment set out in the New Decade, New Approach document published in January 2020, what steps have been taken to ensure that the work of the War Memorials Trust is better promoted and understood in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Conor Burns
Officials have been engaging with the Department of Communities, which is responsible for Northern Ireland’s Historic Environment, in order to ensure that our proposed programme of work with the War Memorial Trust complements the Department’s strategic approach, and does not undermine the existing policies on built heritage in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department will take to ensure that national records of war memorials are accurately maintained.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
War memorials are an important part of our cultural heritage, and hold a deep emotional resonance with the people of this country. Maintaining an accurate register is integral to making war memorials accessible to all, and ensuring that they benefit future generations as well as our own.
The Imperial War Museum (a DCMS-Sponsored Museum and Arm's Length Body of government) manages the War Memorials Register, a comprehensive national register of over 90,000 UK war memorials and the names of the individuals they commemorate. With the help of volunteers and the general public, this register is continually updated and provides an invaluable resource to anyone wishing to learn more about, and commemorate, lives lost to and affected by conflict.
Alongside the work of organisations such as The War Memorials Trust this work ensures the wider preservation of the UK’s war memorials.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, how long the fountain of the Royal Naval Division War Memorial has not been functional; and when they expect the necessary repairs to have been completed.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Property Agency (GPA) remains the Custodian of the Royal Naval Division War Memorial following transfer of the freehold.
Renovation works to the Memorial were put on hold during a major refurbishment of London, Old Admiralty Building which was only completed in 2021.
The Government Property Agency is working with Heritage England to assess the works required to develop a suitable plan. We expect the works to be concluded at the earliest opportunity once we have received feedback from the Heritage survey, until this has been concluded the GPA is unable to give a timescale for completion.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 24 June 2019 (HL16339), whether the renovations due to be completed in 2019 have been carried out; whether there have been any further renovations since; and, if not, whether the Government Property Agency will conduct a survey to start renovations as soon as possible.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Property Agency (GPA) remains the Custodian of the Royal Naval Division War Memorial following transfer of the freehold.
Renovation works to the Memorial were put on hold during a major refurbishment of London, Old Admiralty Building which was only completed in 2021.
The Government Property Agency is working with Heritage England to assess the works required to develop a suitable plan. We expect the works to be concluded at the earliest opportunity once we have received feedback from the Heritage survey, until this has been concluded the GPA is unable to give a timescale for completion.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 24 June 2019 (HL16339), whether they continue to be the custodians, through the Government Property Agency, of the Royal Naval Division War Memorial.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government Property Agency (GPA) remains the Custodian of the Royal Naval Division War Memorial following transfer of the freehold.
Renovation works to the Memorial were put on hold during a major refurbishment of London, Old Admiralty Building which was only completed in 2021.
The Government Property Agency is working with Heritage England to assess the works required to develop a suitable plan. We expect the works to be concluded at the earliest opportunity once we have received feedback from the Heritage survey, until this has been concluded the GPA is unable to give a timescale for completion.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledonon 7 March (HL6312), what attempts they have made to document the destruction of Armenian historical sites in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the UK. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. Following the 2020 war, the UK has engaged with the Governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this matter. UNESCO are the body best placed to look into this issue and we call on all sides to reach an agreement to enable UNESCO to visit the region soon.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what assessment they have made of the (1) future, and (2) safety, of Armenian historical sites in Azerbaijan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what attempts they have made to document the destruction of Armenian historical sites in Nakhichevan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what assessment they have made of the disappearance of Armenian Khachkars from the Nakhichevan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 March (HL6312), what assessment they have made as to whether the process of Albanization is occurring in relation to (1) churches, and (2) monasteries, in (a) Nagorno-Karabakh, and (b) the surrounding regions, retaken by Azerbaijan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The protection of cultural heritage affected by conflict and the prevention of acts of destruction are priorities for the United Kingdom. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged during long-standing conflict between the two nations. Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the UK has engaged with the governments of both Armenia and Azerbaijan on this issue. We reiterate our call on all parties to respect all the cultures and religions of the region. We hope the deployment of UNESCO missions to both countries will be agreed and take place soon - this will be an important step in documenting any damage to cultural heritage sites and building trust between the two sides. We will continue to monitor allegations of the destruction of cultural heritage sites carefully.