Government launches review of human remains guidance for museums

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced a review of its Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums, which was published in 2005.

In a written statement to parliament on 16 September, arts minister Ruth Mackenzie, who is reportedly taking over the museums brief at DCMS, said the legal, ethical and moral debate around human remains had changed since the original guidance came out.

Mackenzie wrote: "Since we first issued the guidance over twenty years ago, the legal, ethical, and moral conversations regarding the treatment and care of human remains in museum collections have evolved significantly. While the 2005 guidance has served as a strong foundational framework, it is vital that our national standards reflect contemporary best practice, particularly surrounding the display and return of ancestral remains."

The existing guidance applies to museums and other institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It covers the legal and ethical framework for human remains, their curation, care and use, and the handling of claims for their return. It was also issued in support of provisions in the Human Tissue Act 2004 allowing nine named national museums to deaccession human remains less than 1,000 years old.

The review will focus particularly on contemporary best practice around the display and return of ancestral remains, according to the government.

Crossbench peer Sue Black, a forensic anthropologist and president of St John's College, Oxford, has been appointed chair of an independent working group overseeing the review. The group will include representatives from museums across the UK and will take evidence from independent experts and community representatives.

The review is expected to take 12 months, with revised guidance due to be published by the government in autumn 2027.

The announcement comes amid significant changes in the way some UK museums are approaching the care and treatment human remains.

Earlier this month, Manchester Museum confirmed that it had removed the mummified remains of an Ancient Egyptian woman known as Asru from public display. First unwrapped in 1825, the remains could previously be seen in the museum's Egypt and Sudan Gallery and were the last set of mummified remains on display at the museum.

At the same time, the Pitt Rivers Museum announced plans to return 39 ancestral human remains to Nagaland in north-eastern India. The remains were largely acquired during the colonial period.

The University of Oxford museum had already removed all human remains from its exhibition floors in 2020 and committed not to display remains without the consent of communities of origin. The Naga repatriation subsequently developed through a community-led process involving dialogue, research and reconciliation.

The government has previously acknowledged the changing landscape around repatriation.

In response to a parliamentary question in December 2025, DCMS said it was considering how best to update the 2005 document.

Mackenzie said the revised guidance is intended to provide museums in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with a “practical, relevant and ethically robust” framework for managing human remains.

"This review represents a significant step in ensuring our cultural institutions manage human remains with sensitivity and transparency," she said.