Lord Lingfield asked the Government what plans it had to provide additional funds to monitor and protect shipwrecks in the Exclusive Economic Zone as required by Article 9 of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Lord Ashton of Hyde responded that ‘The United Kingdom has not ratified the Convention and it is not obliged to comply with its Articles. Government has however adopted the principles set out in its Annex as best practice in the archaeological and cultural management of underwater sites and artefacts.The National Maritime Information Service also actively monitors maritime activity around the UK and can track or monitor suspicious activity around wreck sites, if there is a need to do so’