What assessment has the Minister made of whether the number of Finds Liaison Officers employed in Wales is appropriate to cover rural areas?
The Portable Antiquities Scheme Cymru is an important scheme that plays a critical and unique role within the broader framework supporting archaeological discoveries and heritage management in Wales. Since 2015 the Portable Antiquities Scheme here has been joint-funded by Amgueddfa Cymru, Cadw and Welsh Government’s Culture Division and it is managed by Amgueddfa Cymru.
Wales has a nationwide recording network, delivered through Finds Liaison Officers based in Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham and through contracts with the Dyfed and Gwynedd Archaeological Trusts. Together, they provide provision for recording finds from across Wales, including in rural areas and the latest data for finds reported through the scheme indicates a good geographic spread from all parts of Wales.
Business plans across my portfolio will be agreed after the new First Minister has been appointed, however I can confirm the intention is that funding for the Scheme in 2024-25 will match this year’s allocation. Within this, it is planned to enhance recording capacity in the southwest and northwest via the archaeological trusts, which will enable additional support to finders working in the rural west.