This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the second reading of the Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) (Amendment) Bill in the House of Lords on 9 May 2019.
Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) (Amendment) Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (236 KB , PDF)
The Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) (Amendment) Bill 2017–19 is a private member’s bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons by Theresa Villiers (Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet). The bill would remove the sunset clause contained in the Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) Act 2009 which would have seen the Act cease to have effect from 11 November 2019. The Act confers powers on specified national museums and galleries to return certain cultural objects on grounds relating to events during the Nazi era. The Government supports the extension of the Act’s provisions and wants the legislation to apply indefinitely. It prepared the bill’s explanatory notes with the consent of Theresa Villiers.
The bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 13 March 2018 and completed its Commons stages on 15 March 2019. No amendments were tabled to the bill during its passage. The bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 18 March 2019, sponsored by Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury (Conservative), and is scheduled for second reading on 9 May 2019.
Holocaust (Return of Cultural Objects) (Amendment) Bill: Briefing for Lords Stages (236 KB , PDF)
In the UK, human body parts can legally be held in museums and private collections, as well as offered for sale. Many items were collected in colonial contexts, without the consent of communities. Indigenous groups are campaigning for the return of their ancestors’ remains. This briefing sets out the relevant background and law on this issue in the UK.
On 12 November 2024 the government announced it would co-develop a new national youth strategy with young people. Alongside this, the government said that it would be closing the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme. The announcement of the new national strategy has been broadly welcomed, but concern has been expressed by some organisations about the closure of the NCS and funding challenges faced by the sector more widely.
The government has identified the creative industries as one of eight “growth driving” sectors it will prioritise in its industrial strategy. The strategy is due to be published later this year, along with a creative industries sector plan. The creative industries have called on barriers to growth, such as skills gaps and access to funding, to be addressed in the sector plan.
