Protecting Singapore's archaeological heritage

Question

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the progress of the study on archaeology in Singapore that has been undertaken to address gaps in law and regulations in this field; and (b) when can the findings and recommendations of the study be published.

Response

Minister Grace Fu: The review carried out by NHB of its legal powers on archaeology is on-going.

1. NHB met members of the archaeology community in 2016 to gather feedback on proposed legislative amendments to the NHB Act and NHB’s archaeology related strategies and initiatives.

2. Based on feedback gathered from these engagement sessions, we agreed that there is a need to do the following:

   • Clarify the ownership of archaeological artefacts recovered;

   • Put in place regulations or guidelines governing how Singapore conducts archaeological excavations;

   • Report all archaeological finds to NHB;

   • Ensure that archaeological excavations or investigations are conducted at an early stage or in tandem with development works where necessary; and

   • Protect maritime archaeological sites and artefacts.

3. NHB is exploring legislative changes to the NHB Act to address the above issues and will be organising another session with the stakeholders in October 2017 to seek their views for the various legislative changes, strategies and initiatives that are being proposed to protect Singapore’s archaeological heritage.

4. NHB will also seek feedback on its approach and strategies for archaeology during the public consultation phase for the broader Heritage Plan for Singapore in early 2018. Following this, the final strategies and initiatives regarding archaeology will be announced next year, at the launch of the Heritage Plan for Singapore.