asked the Secretary of State for the Environment, in view of the unique wealth of archaeological deposits in the area of the city of York and in particular the Copper gate site, if he is satisfied that this national heritage can be freely explored within the time scale and with the total financial resources available to the York Archaeological Trust.

The city council has deferred redevelopment for two years to permit archaeological excavation of the Copper gate site. Grants by my Department have enabled the trust to take full advantage of this opportunity. I hope that there will be a generous response to the appeal by the trust to the public for additional funds.