I understand completely the issues that exist in Roseanna Cunningham's constituency. Unlike the continuous Antonine wall, the Roman installations along the Gask ridge consist of a series of individual sites, so it was decided at the time of application for world heritage status that they should not be included in the bid. I understand that the bid cannot now be reopened and will therefore go to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as being for the Antonine wall. We should find out the result of the bid next year.

There is no reason whatsoever why a further application cannot be made to UNESCO in relation to another site. The Antonine wall is part of Roman heritage across Europe, so why should Ardoch and Gask not be included in future? The private owner of Ardoch fort wishes to maintain it in private ownership and is working with Historic Scotland.

Elements of Roman heritage are either in state care or designated as scheduled monuments, in the case of the best preserved ones. We are talking about part of the international frontier of the Roman empire. I know that there is a strong campaign relating to Ardoch fort and the Gask ridge, and that it will continue.