Culture minister David Lammy has launched a consultation on whether the current restrictions preventing national museums from de-accessioning works of art should be lifted to allow the restitution of items lost during the Nazi epoch.

The four-month consultation – from 10 July to 10 November 2006 – will discuss how far the powers to restitute objects lost during the Nazi reign should extend, who should be responsible for making such decisions and what role the Spoliation Advisory Panel should take.

Lammy said: “The government remains committed to doing all it can to correct some of the terrible wrongs that were committed during the Nazi era. The panel has helped bring many of these injustices to light and has proposed fair and equitable solutions throughout.

“We would now like to go one step further by enabling the return of items to the heirs of the original owners where this seems appropriate. I welcome the consultation paper and look forward to having a wide-ranging debate. It is not possible to say when legislation may be introduced on this issue; nonetheless, we are keen to begin the public debate.”

The consultation will discuss the return of items lost as a result of the actions of the Nazis or their allies. It will not propose to remove the restrictions on museums’ powers to dispose of objects in their collection in any other regard.

So far, only a small number of claims have been received for items in public collections in the UK, and in only two of these cases has the panel recommended the return of the object in question. Details: www.culture.gov.uk