European and External Relations Committee

Meeting date: Thursday, September 22, 2016

Official Report 476KB pdf

Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill (UK Parliament Legislation)

Agenda item 3 is consideration of the legislative consent memorandum on the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill. I invite comments from members on the LCM.

I just want to say how important the bill is and that I welcome it. The Scottish Government has designated next year as the year of history, heritage and archaeology in Scotland, but it will not have escaped any of us how much cultural violence has occurred in the middle east in the past two years, with Palmyra the obvious case in point. It has taken some time to get here, but it is important that Governments take action to address what is happening in situ.

We also should not ignore the suggestion that a lot of the cultural violence by Daesh or so-called Islamic State has been directed in order to increase the value of artefacts on the black market in Europe. If, as intended, the bill criminalises black-market trading in cultural artefacts that are stolen from middle eastern countries that are affected by Daesh activities, that is very welcome. As the Parliament’s culture committee as well as the international committee, we should endorse the measure.

I, too, welcome the bill, given how horrific it has been to witness the destruction of ancient cultural heritage in Syria, Iraq and Libya in particular, as well as the theft of heritage, which has of course funded terrorist organisations. It is important that Scottish judicial authorities and the Scottish Government are alive to the prospect that any of that illegal trade may make its way into Scotland. From a UK and Scottish perspective, it is a good bill.

Thank you for that. If no one else wants to comment, are members happy to delegate responsibility to me and the clerks to produce a factual report and arrange for its publication?

Members indicated agreement.

Do we also agree to recommend that the Parliament give consent to the LCM?

Members indicated agreement.