To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what co-operation there was between the US authorities and her Department before and after the conviction of Mr. E. Forbes Smiley III for theft of historic maps; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of such co-operation in minimising future such thefts. (113856)

My Department was not involved with the prosecution in the US of Mr. E. Forbes Smiley III. The British Library Board is responsible for its collections and therefore was involved with the case through the Metropolitan police, who co-operated with the FBI investigation, and through their US Counsel. The British Library’s director of scholarship and collections made a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing in New Haven. The British Library’s willingness to participate in a prosecution outside of the UK may act as a deterrent to future thefts.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the possible implications for the security of national archives of the facts revealed in the conviction in the US of Mr. E. Forbes Smiley III. (113857)

None. As the institution involved in this case, the British Library has reviewed its security procedures in the Rare Books Reading Room and shared issues with peer institutions in the UK through the British and Irish Committee on Map Information and Cataloguing Systems (BRICMICS).

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will undertake research to establish and record books containing rare and valuable maps available in generalist British archives. (113858)

No. Each institution has its own cataloguing system and it would be costly to combine them. It would also be highly unlikely to act as a deterrent or help to prevent theft.