Official Statistics

Export of Objects of Cultural Interest 2014/15

Information on the operation of the export controls on objects of cultural interest for 2014/15, produced by Arts Council England on behalf of DCMS.

Documents

Export of Objects of Cultural Interest 2014/15

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Export of Objects of Cultural Interest 2014/15

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Pre-release access

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Details

The statistical release presents the figures that will be included in the Report on the Operation of the Control related to the export of objects of cultural interest, which the Secretary of State is required to present to Parliament under Section 10 (1)(a) of the Export Control Act 2002 (the Act). The Report is also included in the Export of Objects of Cultural Interest 2014-15, which is the annual report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).

These figures are collated by the Export Licensing Unit at Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Key findings:

Between 1 May 2014 and 30 April 2015, there were 12,852 applications for export licences, covering a total of 92,277 items.

  • 31,083 items, representing 34 per cent of the total and with a total value of £1.98 billion, were issued with export licences after they had been referred to an expert adviser.

  • 17 cases were considered by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest by expert advisers. Of these, the Reviewing Committee found that 4 did not meet the Waverley Criteria. The remaining 13 were considered in 2014-15, however, 1 was withdrawn following the case hearing and therefore not referred to the Secretary of State.

  • In total, 12 cases were referred to the Secretary of State for deferral and the Reviewing Committee’s recommendations were accepted in all cases. The aggregate value of the objects in the 12 items deferred was £48.12 million.

  • Of the 12 cases where items were deferred, 5 resulted in acquisitions by institutions or individuals in the United Kingdom. The 5 cases where items were purchased have a total value of £6.7 million (value price at deferral), which represents 13.9 per cent of the total value of objects placed under deferral.

Contact:

Responsible statistician: Becky Woods

For any queries please contact 020 7211 6134 or evidence@culture.gov.uk.

Published 2 December 2015