Reviewing Committee
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (Reviewing Committee) advises the Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) whether a cultural object intended for export is a national treasure. Any item considered too important to leave the UK can be placed under temporary export deferral.
How decisions are made
How decisions are made
The Reviewing Committee will designate an object as a national treasure if it considers that its departure from the UK would be unfortunate on one or more of the following three grounds, collectively known as the Waverley criteria:
History: Is it closely connected with our history and national life?
Aesthetics: Is it of outstanding aesthetic importance?
Scholarship: Is it of outstanding significance for the study of some particular branch of art, learning or history?
The Reviewing Committee is advised in each case by three independent assessors who become full members for that case and who are experts in the relevant field.
If the Reviewing Committee finds that an item meets at least one of the Waverley criteria, it will recommend to the Secretary of State that the decision on the export licence should be deferred for a specified period.
If agreed, the item is considered a national treasure and placed under a temporary export deferral. This gives a final opportunity for institutions and individuals in the UK the chance to raise the money, purchase the item and retain it in the UK for the public to enjoy.
Reviewing committee activity
From a ring once owned by Jane Austen, to a tiny Roman statue buried deep in the ground, over the past 70 years, national treasures have been saved for the nation, impacting and inspiring museums, galleries, libraries and their audiences across the country.
Items under temporary export deferral
20 February 2024View a summary of the items under temporary export deferral
All the case hearing documents are available for download.
The reviewing committee meets monthly.
About the committee
About the committee
The Reviewing Committee is an independent body which was established in 1952, following the recommendations of the Waverley Committee in its report that year.
It has eight permanent members, each with expertise in one or more fields (paintings, decorative arts, manuscripts, archaeology, etc). This allows the Reviewing Committee to take an objective view on the national importance of objects and provide advice to the Secretary of State.
It is guided by the Advisory Council on the Export of Works of Art, which usually meets once a year.
In 2024, the committee will meet on the following dates:
- 17 January
- 14 February
- 6 March
- 3 April
- 7 May
- 5 June
- 3 July
- 11 September
- 9 October
- 6 November
- 4 December
All the hearings, minutes and annual reports are available to download. For queries regarding any earlier cases not detailed on our website, please email us.
Annual reports
Annual reports
This report details the diverse and varied range of objects considered by the Committee and recommended to the Government as national treasures this year.
This report describes the outcome of 19 works of art and objects of cultural interest considered by the Committee.
The 2020/1 report describes the outcome of 10 works of art and objects of cultural interest considered by the Committee.
Describing the outcome of works of art and objects of cultural interest considered by the committee.
