Chamber and committees

Co-operation, in the form of partnership working, is at the core of what museums do, how they work and the ways in which they deliver public value and is vital to the sustainability of the sector. From our national collections to local authority museums and galleries and our dynamic independent venues, co-operation, collaboration and partnerships are fundamental to supporting inspiring exhibitions, sharing of objects and professional expertise.

This partnership working takes place both autonomously across the sector and is facilitated, supported and enhanced by the work of the national development body, Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) and the National Museums of Scotland (NMS).

Both organisations are funded by the Scottish Government with funding in 2019-20 amounting to £22.5 million for the NMS and £2.55 million for MGS.

A – Co-operation Across Scotland

This year, MGS initiated a new approach to offer more continuous and comprehensive support to Scotland’s Geographic Forums, which enable museums to share knowledge and explore opportunities to increase co-operation. Guided by MGS, the sector is seeking to maximise the potential contribution and awareness of heritage to broader outcomes such as health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, employability, attainment, tourism and the local economy.

MGS’s recent award-winning Skills for Success programme saw 16 museums collaborate in a major initiative to improve diversification of the sector. The programme, which was for non-graduates from diverse backgrounds with one-year paid placements in museums across Scotland, provided 20 entry-level learning opportunities and 2 management-level opportunities in host museums across Scotland.

In 2015-17, MGS provided funding of £48,155 to Industrial Museums Scotland and Go Industrial to support the transition to the new, joint-marketing, Go Industrial brand, with additional support provided in subsequent funding rounds to raise awareness and produce marketing material to promote the various member museums.

NMS Loans

In 2017-2018, NMS loaned 3,895 objects to 107 museums and galleries across Scotland, including loans to 15 new venues. NMS welcome requests to borrow objects for short and long-term displays.

NMS – Recent Loan Activities on the Western Isles

As part of a partnership to support the redevelopment of Lews Castle, NMS provided loans and advice to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to assist them in realising their ambition for a high-quality museum with the standards and infrastructure to support high value loans and touring exhibitions from National Collections.

Nearly a third of the objects on long-term display in Lews Castle are on loan from National Museums Scotland, including several Viking hacksilver hoards and a 1923 Morgan three-wheel motor car, which was driven in Stornoway and on the island of Berneray.

NMS – National Training Programme

NMS delivers an annual free training programme for curatorial staff in local museums across Scotland.In 2017-2018, NMS provided 377 training workshops to 75 organisations on the topic for example of Integrated Pest Management and Object Labelling. In the past five years, local museum staff from the Western Isles have also attended workshops on the ‘Basics of Couriering’, training which supports NMS’s loans activity.

There are good examples of innovative co-operation and partnership working in Realising The Vision Together , MGS’s report on the achievements of Scotland’s museums and galleries against the national strategy for the sector, Realising The Vision, the National Strategy Delivery Plan . The report uses case studies from across the sector and demonstrates rich examples of excellence and resilience right across the country from 2015 to 2019. The strategy is available at https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/about-us/national-strategy-going-further/

B – Co-operation Across the UK

There is a wide variety of direct engagement with venues and institutions across the UK, from the National Museums Directors’ Council, which represents the leaders of the UK's national collections and major regional museums, the Universities Museum Group and UK-wide Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs). Partnership working across the UK also takes the form of collections sharing, such as the loan of the Lewis Chessmen to Lews Castle from the British Museum and the V&A Dundee’s exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed and Style.

Numerous SSNs in Scotland enjoy cross-border involvement with England, with many including membership from all four home nations. MGS has recently enhanced its work with SSNs, including holding two meetings per year, creating a survey to support advocacy of SSNs and creating a regular source of contact and support for professionals in Scotland. Most recently, MGS created a new fund specifically to assist in any multi-national SSN involvement.

Co-operation, in the form of partnership working, is at the core of what museums do, how they work and the ways in which they deliver public value and is vital to the sustainability of the sector. From our national collections to local authority museums and galleries and our dynamic independent venues, co-operation, collaboration and partnerships are fundamental to supporting inspiring exhibitions, sharing of objects and professional expertise.

This partnership working takes place both autonomously across the sector and is facilitated, supported and enhanced by the work of the national development body, Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) and the National Museums of Scotland (NMS).

Both organisations are funded by the Scottish Government with funding in 2019-20 amounting to £22.5 million for the NMS and £2.55 million for MGS.

A – Co-operation Across Scotland

This year, MGS initiated a new approach to offer more continuous and comprehensive support to Scotland’s Geographic Forums, which enable museums to share knowledge and explore opportunities to increase co-operation. Guided by MGS, the sector is seeking to maximise the potential contribution and awareness of heritage to broader outcomes such as health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, employability, attainment, tourism and the local economy.

MGS’s recent award-winning Skills for Success programme saw 16 museums collaborate in a major initiative to improve diversification of the sector. The programme, which was for non-graduates from diverse backgrounds with one-year paid placements in museums across Scotland, provided 20 entry-level learning opportunities and 2 management-level opportunities in host museums across Scotland.

In 2015-17, MGS provided funding of £48,155 to Industrial Museums Scotland and Go Industrial to support the transition to the new, joint-marketing, Go Industrial brand, with additional support provided in subsequent funding rounds to raise awareness and produce marketing material to promote the various member museums.

NMS Loans

In 2017-2018, NMS loaned 3,895 objects to 107 museums and galleries across Scotland, including loans to 15 new venues. NMS welcome requests to borrow objects for short and long-term displays.

NMS – Recent Loan Activities on the Western Isles

As part of a partnership to support the redevelopment of Lews Castle, NMS provided loans and advice to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to assist them in realising their ambition for a high-quality museum with the standards and infrastructure to support high value loans and touring exhibitions from National Collections.

Nearly a third of the objects on long-term display in Lews Castle are on loan from National Museums Scotland, including several Viking hacksilver hoards and a 1923 Morgan three-wheel motor car, which was driven in Stornoway and on the island of Berneray.

NMS – National Training Programme

NMS delivers an annual free training programme for curatorial staff in local museums across Scotland. In 2017-2018, NMS provided 377 training workshops to 75 organisations on the topic for example of Integrated Pest Management and Object Labelling. In the past five years, local museum staff from the Western Isles have also attended workshops on the ‘Basics of Couriering’, training which supports NMS’s loans activity.

There are good examples of innovative co-operation and partnership working in Realising The Vision Together , MGS’s report on the achievements of Scotland’s museums and galleries against the national strategy for the sector, Realising The Vision, the National Strategy Delivery Plan . The report uses case studies from across the sector and demonstrates rich examples of excellence and resilience right across the country from 2015 to 2019. The strategy is available here: https://www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/about-us/national-strategy-going-furthe

B – Co-operation Across the UK

There's a wide variety of direct engagement with venues and institutions across the UK, from the National Museums Directors’ Council, which represents the leaders of the UK's national collections and major regional museums, the Universities Museum Group and UK-wide Subject Specialist Networks (SSNs). Partnership working across the UK also takes the form of collections sharing, such as the loan of the Lewis Chessmen to Lews Castle from the British Museum and the V&A Dundee’s exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed and Style.

Numerous SSNs in Scotland enjoy cross-border involvement with England, with many including membership from all four home nations. MGS has recently enhanced its work with SSNs, including holding two meetings per year, creating a survey to support advocacy of SSNs and creating a regular source of contact and support for professionals in Scotland. Most recently, MGS created a new fund specifically to assist in any multi-national SSN involvement.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Scottish Government commissioned research into socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moor shooting estates in Scotland. The first phase of this work was completed by researchers at Scotland’s Rural College and the James Hutton Institute, and was published in March 2019. This report showed that the grouse shooting industry accounts for around £23-£50 million Gross Value Added (GVA) per year.

Public and Corporate Economic Consultants (PACEC) published “The Value of Shooting – The economic, environment and social contribution of shooting sports to the UK” in 2014. This report estimated that the shooting industry contributes approximately £200m to Scotland’s economy and provides the equivalent of 11,000 jobs.

The Scottish Government commissioned research into socio-economic and biodiversity impacts of driven grouse moor shooting estates in Scotland. The first phase of this work was completed by researchers at Scotland’s Rural College and the James Hutton Institute, and was published in March 2019. The review of evidence suggests that around 2,500 FTE jobs (both direct and indirect) were reliant on the grouse moor sector in 2009.

As noted in my response to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee’s report on the 2018 fire at the Glasgow School of Art, the Scottish Government is keen to ensure that we learn from the terrible events of last June and that we do what we can to help prevent similar events occurring in the future. However, we also believe that we should all await the outcome of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s investigations before we consider in detail what actions we might take to this end.

The Scottish Government invested £100,000 to develop a campaign to promote tourism as a career of choice, to be launched in 2020, building on Skills Development Scotland's Tourism Skills Investment Plan, that aims to address existing and future skills challenges across the sector, particularly those arising due to EU exit. Our new Programme for Government also commits us to encouraging more fair work practices, including payment of the Real Living Wage, which will support the promotion of careers in the sector. We are also working on the Tourism Sector Deal proposals to support careers in the sector.

It will be for individual local authorities to decide whether or not to apply a levy if they consider it appropriate for local circumstances.

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads, including ford river crossings, in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic.

Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways. There are no ford river crossings on the trunk road network.

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. This includes any ford river crossings on the local road network.

Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways.

In 2019-20 the Scottish Government is delivering a funding package of £11.2 billion for local authorities, a real terms increase of £310 million or 2.9 per cent for essential public services in Scotland.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives.

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area, including ford river crossings, and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. It would therefore be a matter for the relevant local authority to undertake any necessary EIAs.

Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways. There are no ford river crossings on the trunk road network.

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area, including ford river crossings, and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. Access to properties would therefore be a matter for each local authority.

Scottish Ministers are responsible for the strategic trunk road network including motorways. There are no ford river crossings on the trunk road network.