WORLD HERITAGE BID MP CONCERN OVER DCMS DELAY

WORLD HERITAGE BID MP CONCERN OVER DCMS DELAY

FEARS UK REFORMS WILL BLOCK WORLD ENTRY

More than a year after the UK Government launched a consultation on which
sites are put forward for consideration to receive World Heritage site
status Ministers face calls to explain why the outcome of the consultation
is still on hold.

The controversial consultation could mean that fewer sites are put forward
for consideration by UNESCO, the United Nations body which grants World
Heritage site status.

The consultation ran between 2 December 2008 and 25 February 2009, but ten
months later the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has yet to
report its conclusions. Angus SNP MP, Mike Weir, who has thrown his weight
behind calls for Arbroath Abbey to be given World Heritage Status, has now
written to DCMS Minister, Margaret Hodge, seeking an explanation and
timetable.

Sites already recognised in Scotland include St Kilda, the City of
Edinburgh, the Antonine Wall, Neolithic Orkney and New Lanark.

Mr Weir believes Arbroath Abbey should receive World Heritage Status for
its role in the Declaration of Arbroath - internationally acknowledged as
one of the foundation stones of modern democracies and constitutional
politics.

Mr Weir said:

"It is more than a year since DCMS launched this consultation, and ten
months since it closed. It is not at all clear why the government's
recommendations have been delayed, and it is extremely frustrating for the
communities that have put a huge amount of work into World Heritage status
bids.

"I have asked the UK government to say when it expects to set out its
conclusions, and I hope the Minister will let us know before heading off
for Christmas."

Turning to the Arbroath bid, Mr Weir added:

"Scotland's role in world history is acknowledged in the recognition of
sites covering the Neolithic, Roman, Enlightenment and Industrial eras.
Arbroath Abbey would be a valuable addition to that list.

"There has been an all-party community campaign pushing for the granting
of this status and obviously we all have grave concerns about the
implications of the UK Government's review.

"The Declaration of Arbroath has a special place in the heart of Scottish
nationalists but it is also internationally recognised as one of the
foundations of the American Declaration of Independence.

"The influence of the events that took place at Arbroath on 6th April 1320
and the words of that declaration is a global one. Democracies around the
world can find their founding principles in the Declaration of Arbroath.

"It is unacceptable that changes to UK Government procedures could mean
Arbroath is denied the opportunity to apply for this status.

"This review could mean that no more UK based sites are put forward for
World Heritage status or that significantly fewer UK applications are
made. For Arbroath to miss out would leave what is a major site in world
history without the international protection and recognition it so richly
deserves."