Objectives:
Provide legal and ethical frameworks for treating human remains in museum collections across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Ensure respectful curation, care, and use of remains while supporting Section 47 of the Human Tissue Act 2004. It is the cornerstone of the UK’s ethical, guidance-based approach to the repatriation of human remains, which operates within a permissive legal framework rather than under a mandatory restitution law.
Restitution Measures:
Framework for handling claims for return of remains, with nine named national museums able to de-accession human remains under 1000 years old. The Guidance provides the procedural and ethical framework for institutions to handle claims and, where appropriate, deaccession remains. It does not mandate restitution but establishes the process for when a museum decides or is persuaded that return is the right course of action.
Framework Limitations:
No specific legislation covering repatriation and restitution Guidance for the care of human remains in museums, relying instead on guidance requirements through Museum Accreditation Scheme compliance.
