View of Hampton Court Palace by Jan Griffier the Elder is held by the Tate but was looted by the Nazis

A government bill would soften a long-standing ban on museums selling items of national importance in their collections.

The Holocaust (stolen art) Restitution Bill would allow curators to return paintings and other artefacts to families who did not wish them to remain in national collections.

Ministers have been promising to change the law for a decade but according to The Guardian, the government may finally support a private members' bill introduced by Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon.

Mr Dismore said: "I hope it will close another chapter from the Holocaust. It means recognising a right that has been denied for decades.

"I suspect many people would be prepared to allow their artwork to stay in public collections but it's their right to decide what happens to it."

The Commission for Looted Art in Europe has helped to restore more than 3,000 items, including paintings, drawings, silver, books and manuscripts to their rightful owners over the past 10 years.

However, only a small number of items in Britain are expected to be affected by the change.

One such item could be Cupid Complaining to Venus, by Lucas Cranach, dated 1525. The painting, now in the National Gallery, was once part of Adolf Hitler's private collection but its ownership between 1909 and 1945 remains a mystery.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the principle of the bill "is very much accepted ... There will be attempts to broaden it beyond the Nazi era and one has to be aware of that and draft it in such a way that the risk is eliminated."