Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest triennial review 2012
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Detail of outcome
The following review concludes that there is a continuing role for the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art as an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by DCMS and administered by the Arts Council.
Original consultation
Consultation description
The government announced on 15 December 2011 that it would undertake a review of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. We are now inviting views from stakeholders to contribute to the review. The deadline for responses is 10am on Friday 10 February.
The Reviewing Committee is an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). Its main function is to advise the Secretary of State on whether he should defer an export licence for an object of cultural interest on grounds of national importance under the “Waverley” criteria of historic, aesthetic and academic importance. The Committee is made up of a Chair and seven permanent members who have expertise in one or more areas relating to the objects brought before the Committee (including painting, decorative arts, manuscripts and archaeology) and on the relevance of such objects within a UK context.
It is supported by the Acquisitions, Exports and Loans Unit at Arts Council England who administer a range of functions relating to cultural property on behalf of the Secretary of State.
The review is part of the Government’s commitment to conduct triennial reviews of its NDPBs. It will be led by Hillary Bauer, Head of the International and Cultural Property Unit at DCMS, and it will be supported by a small Review Group of key stakeholders with a direct interest in the process of export licencing for cultural objects:
- Karen Brookfield - Heritage Lottery Fund/National Heritage Memorial Fund
- Anthony Browne - Chair, the British Art Market Federation
- Dawson Carr - Curator of Italian and Spanish Painting, the National Gallery
The aim of the first stage of the review is to provide evidence on the continuing need for the Committee in term of its functions and form. Stakeholders are invited to respond to the following questions only:
- Do the key functions of the Export Reviewing Committee continue to be appropriate in terms of delivering the Government’s objectives?
- If so, are these functions most effectively and cost-efficiently provided at arm’s length from Government and, more specifically, through an advisory NDPB?
- Is the current location of the body (with support provided by the Acquisitions, Exports, Loans and Collections Unit at Arts Council England) the most appropriate?
What happens next
If it is agreed that the Export Reviewing Committee should continue to exist, the review will then consider whether it operates in accordance with the recognised principles of corporate governance by being open, transparent and accountable. We expect that the review will be completed by April this year. Its findings will be presented to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and to Parliament.
How to respond
Open date: 13 January 2012
Closing date: 10am, 10 February 2012
Freedom of information
Please note responses may be published, unless you ask us not to do so. In addition under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 all information in responses, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure. If any correspondent requests confidentiality this cannot be guaranteed, and will only be possible if considered appropriate under the legislation.
Waverley criteria
History Aesthetics Scholarship
Is it so closely connected with our history and national life? Is it of outstanding aesthetic importance? Is it of outstanding significance for the study of some particular branch of art, learning or history?