The British Museum Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced the British Museum Act 1902. The act forbids the Museum from disposing of its holdings, except in a small number of special circumstances. The amendment of the act would, therefore, be a necessary precursor of the return of items such as the Elgin Marbles or Benin Bronzes. In May 2005 a British High Court judge ruled that Nazi-looted Old Master artworks held at the museum could not be returned.[1]
The act also made the Natural History Museum an independent organisation, with its own board of trustees.