Encouraging responsible metal detecting

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Pilgrim P
Pilgrim Aug 4, 2005 12:43:16
Replying to Pilgrim

...in three years time....

>Estelle Morris: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments on the portable antiquities scheme. <b>The security of funding for it over the next three years has been welcomed by all.</b> I take his point about the need to ensure that Departments work closely together, and I would not deny that archaeology spans a number of different Departments. Ensuring seamless support for it is sometimes difficult, but I hesitate to commit the matter to a committee. What inevitably ends up happening is that more time is spent servicing and organising the committee than on carrying out work on archaeology itself.<

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/cm050321/debtext/50321-03.htm

N nigelswift
nigelswift Aug 4, 2005 15:24:10
Replying to Pilgrim

Not so much a problem of "finding funding" perhaps (after all, 4 years of PAS = only one Silbury tunnel!) more of justifying funding. £40 per find - some of them grotty old buckles - is a lot to justify to the taxpayer. If they happen to use my tax for PAS then I'm not sure I think database pictures of a small pile of grotty buckles is what I wanted them to use it for. A bigger pile, maybe.

On that basis I think a "bigger PAS" is definitely not on the cards. More finds and a consequent lower unit cost per find is the only likely ambition. That or no PAS.