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No.52 - July 2002 | Contex HOME FROM THE CHAIR - ROSE BAILLIE THE APPAG In the Palace of Westminster there are over 200 All-Party Groups of backbench MPs and Lords who have come together with a shared interest. From Alcohol Misuse, through Beer, Betting and Gaming, the Chemical Industry and Conservation to Cycling - and that is only in A to C. In the last year they have been joined by APPAG - The All-Party Parliamentary Archaeology Group. Parliamentary Groups tend to cover subjects that are non-contentious in party terms. They serve as a channel of communications between backbenchers and the government and they can exert pressure on Ministers to modify policy, influence legislation and to press for action in particular areas. The APPAG was set up in June 2001 to act as a focus for Parliamentary interest in archaeology throughout the UK. It is very timely in view of current moves to overhaul planning procedures and review the operation of English Heritage. Governmental responsibility for heritage issues is divided among several Whitehall departments and parts of the devolved administrations, while those who claim to speak for archaeology come from a confusing multitude of organisations. The initial aim of the APPAG was to collect a wide range of views on the state of archaeology in the UK and publish a report. They were snowed under with responses. Frequently cited areas of concern were threats to sites from agriculture and development, lack of a government strategy to protect them, lack of resources to record portable antiquities, weaknesses in the protection given to historic buildings and the undervaluing of the part played by amateur archaeologists. The Chairman of the APPAG is the distinguished archaeologist Lord Colin Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, the Vice Chairs the redoubtable Tam Dalyell MP and Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and their Secretary is Lord Redesdale. Its memberships is currently 133, which is nearly 10% of all MPs and Peers in Parliament. London is patchily represented. The maverick MP for North Islington is a member, his borough neighbour, a former Secretary of State for the DCMS is not. However if you live in West Ham, Erith, Hendon, North Southwark, Edmonton, Hayes, Harrow West or Richmond Park you can be assured that your duly elected representative has the right instincts in one area at least. In the Upper House it is amusing to note that two members are named after notable archaeological sites, the noble Lords Allenby of Megiddo and Avebury. Joking aside, we must wish the APPAG well in its mission. A proper feeling for our historic environment is widespread in the community and the APPAG may prove a useful channel to convey that feeling into the corridors of power.
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