National Trust working on policy on return of colonial loot, chair says

René Olivieri was asked at the Hay event about Indian artefacts in Powis Castle in Wales. Photograph: David Swanton/PA

The National Trust is working on a policy on the return of stolen objects in its properties, the charity’s chair has told the Hay festival.

The restitution or repatriation of objects that were taken from other countries during colonial rule was a huge issue, said René Olivieri, adding: “Provenance needs to come into public access, public benefit.”