For the purposes of rule 9.11 of the standing orders, I advise the Parliament that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Historic Environment Scotland Bill, has consented to place her prerogative and interests, so far as they are affected by the bill, at the disposal of the Parliament for the purposes of the bill.
As we begin the last stage in Parliament’s consideration of the bill to establish a new lead body for the historic environment, I thank the many people who have contributed to a very positive process.
We have seen constructive engagement from MSPs and from many stakeholders, who have all recognised the importance and potential of Scotland’s historic environment and the need to work together to protect it and to develop its potential.
I express my particular appreciation of the patience and professionalism of the staff of Historic Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland in dealing with the process of transition. I met their joint senior management team earlier today and was impressed by the commitment and expertise that both bodies are bringing in the process of preparing for their rebirth as historic environment Scotland. There is a rewarding future ahead for all staff, and I know that they are ready to get on with the job.
I also recognise the hard work and dedication of the Scottish Government officials who have been central to translating our ambitions into the bill that we are considering, and the Education and Culture Committee’s scrutiny.
The historic environment lies at the heart of our cultural identity. It plays a key role in defining who we are and our place in the world. It tells Scotland’s story and has intrinsic and instrumental value over and above any economic considerations. It merits our most careful stewardship for those reasons alone.
The heritage sector’s contribution to economic life is certainly important but, for me, that is a secondary benefit. Heritage already makes a major contribution. A cautious estimate has suggested that Scotland’s historic environment contributes well over £2 billion annually to our economy and supports more than 40,000 jobs in the tourism and building sectors. There is no reason why it cannot offer much more in respect of its social value as well as in monetary terms.
To deliver that potential requires all partners to work together in a collaborative way and within a strategic framework. I have spoken before about Scotland’s first-ever historic environment strategy, which was published as “Our Place in Time—The Historic Environment Strategy for Scotland”. That document provides a shared vision and a strategic framework for all parts of the historic environment sector to work collaboratively to achieve the sector’s full potential.
Collaboration is not new to the sector; what is new is an explicit and widely shared framework for the long term. That new way of working will drive more effective partnership working and deliver real and increasing benefits to the people of Scotland.
I can report that the strategy is moving forward well. The initial working groups have been established and have confirmed their remits. Several have already met. I can also report that all but one of the groups are led by senior stakeholders from beyond Historic Scotland and RCAHMS. A genuinely shared endeavour is being demonstrated.
The Scottish Government’s contribution to that shared enterprise will be taken forward by historic environment Scotland, which the bill will establish. We are bringing resources, skills and experience together into a new lead body, simplifying the processes by which our most important historic environment assets are protected and managed, and providing more transparency to legislation that can seem complex and confusing.
Both Historic Scotland and RCAHMS have been with us for many years and have driven forward many fantastic projects. If anyone doubts that, they should look in the RCAHMS archives at the before and after photographs of the great hall of Stirling castle and see how much Historic Scotland has done there. It should be remembered that RCAHMS has made those images accessible online far more widely than can be imagined, to anywhere in the world.
I particularly like the fact that, as the bodies protect and record our past, they are pioneering innovative uses of new technology in their everyday work. They do that in headline projects such as the Scottish ten, which continues to receive plaudits from around the world for its innovative approach. The Nagasaki giant cantilever crane will be the last of 10 iconic landmarks to be digitally scanned by the Scottish ten team. The crane, which was designed and built in Scotland, is a major landmark in Nagasaki harbour and is still in use. The first pictures went online yesterday, if members want to have a look at them.
New technology is also central to the on-going work to address energy efficiency in traditional buildings, which is vital to ensuring that our historic environment contributes to our ambitious climate change commitments. That is exactly the kind of approach that we need to realise the determination that our historic environment must become part of the solution and not part of the problem across the widest possible range of policy areas.
The complementary nature of the two bodies has long been recognised. They both work well, and they often work well together. Formally bringing them together is the logical step, and I am delighted that members have agreed with me on that.
The Government’s vision is not just about merging staff and functions; it is about far more than that. The bill is part of a fundamental transformation across the whole sector. The new approach requires a single lead body that will work collaboratively with other bodies in the sector to ensure that the historic environment contributes more effectively to a range of other policy areas, including placemaking, tourism and regeneration, which all contribute to the wellbeing of our nation and our people.
HES will lead our efforts to achieve a step change in recognition of our historic environment and its potential. I am also very clear that the bill is to create a lead body, not a command body. There are areas in which it is right that a national body has lead responsibility—for example, in protecting our most important sites and buildings by statutory designation. Even here, HES will continue to work with local authorities to ensure that change is managed appropriately and sensitively. Likewise, it is right that HES will act as a consultation authority in planning and environmental regulation to ensure that our historic environment is not needlessly damaged by the pursuit of objectives.
The Scottish Government has already made real progress in mainstreaming the historic environment into wider policy development at a national level. HES has a larger task of taking the case for mainstreaming out into society. It will need to persuade and educate—perhaps even cajole or contest—but the mission of its staff will be to convince everyone that the historic environment matters and deserves respect and attention.
That mission, of course, is underpinned by wider principles that are set out in international charters and conventions and in Scotland’s historic environment policy. HES will proceed on the basis of agreed principles, such as recognising the value of maintenance and the desirability of the sustainable reuse of historic buildings where appropriate; seeking to understand the full cultural significance of heritage assets before we decide on their future care and use; and sharing knowledge.
The bill sets out HES’s functions in broad terms. We have chosen not to offer a detailed catalogue of the methods that HES will bring to bear, not least because new methods are constantly emerging. I will expect HES to play a role in developing new approaches, as Historic Scotland and RCAHMS have done successfully to date.
The bill places crystal-clear responsibilities on HES to exercise all of its functions, and to deploy all of its resources, to one end: to support our historic environment and to work with everyone who wants to contribute to that task.
Historic environment Scotland can and will lead and contribute in full measure to our national strategic vision. The bill puts in place appropriate functions and powers for HES, which will allow the new body to flourish, but retains proper oversight by ministers and Parliament. The staff who will go forward to form HES are ready and eager for the challenge, and the sector as a whole welcomes those changes.
Therefore, with confidence, I move,
That the Parliament agrees that the Historic Environment Scotland Bill be passed.
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