Detail taken from a mural
by Phoebe Traquair
depicting King David
probably showing
Solomon his plans for the
Temple, in the nave at
Mansfield Place Church,
Edinburgh. SC566656

7. Charging policy
8. Records management
9. Response Time
10. Feedback
11. Complaints
12. Contact details
13. Classes of Information We Commit to Publish

Download the complete Freedom of Information Publication Scheme:
Microsoft Word (79KB)    |   plain text (15KB)

This is the Publication Scheme for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), prepared in accordance with Section 23 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. RCAHMS is committed to the objectives of the Act in encouraging more openness, transparency and accessibility in the interest of the public.

The purpose of this publication scheme is to set out:

· the classes of information we publish (or intend to publish)
· how this information is published
· whether this information is available free of charge or on payment of a fee

Mrs Diana Murray, Secretary (Chief Executive) of RCAHMS is responsible for the scheme on behalf of the organisation. The Manager of Public Services is responsible for maintenance of the scheme on a day-to-day basis. Any queries should be directed to the Secretary at RCAHMS, John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh EH8 9NX; or email foi@rcahms.gov.uk; or telephone +44 (0)131 662 1456.

RCAHMS is an executive non-departmental government body financed by the Scottish Parliament through the Architecture Policy Unit of the Europe, External Affairs and Culture Directorate of the Scottish Government, and is constituted under Royal Warrant to compile and maintain a record of the archaeological, architectural and historical environment of Scotland. To meet these objectives, RCAHMS:

· surveys and records the built environment of Scotland
· compiles, maintains and curates a publicly available archive and database
· promotes an understanding of the archaeological, architectural and historical information in the archives and database by all appropriate means.

Nine Commissioners and their Chairman monitor all operations conducted by RCAHMS. They are Crown appointees, whose primary rôle is to ensure the full and proper execution of the duties defined by the Royal Warrant. Commissioners meet in plenary session four times a year and the papers from these meetings are published under this scheme.

It is the aim of RCAHMS to be as open as possible. However, information may be withheld from any of the classes of information listed below where it is considered that disclosure may seriously prejudice law enforcement, legal proceedings or regulatory or enforcement activity or where the disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law. Other exemptions include information which may seriously prejudice the commercial interests or confidentiality of any person or organisation. Under the Data Protection Act 1998, personal information will be withheld. In these cases, information will be withheld but an applicant will be given the reason for that denial and an appeal procedure is described in the Complaints section below.

The material detailed in this publication scheme is covered by Crown Copyright unless otherwise stated. RCAHMS has delegated authority from the Queen’s Printer for Scotland to administer copyright. Documents provided under the Freedom of Information Act are provided for personal use and cannot be further copied, published or circulated without written permission from RCAHMS. Details, including costs, can be found on the Copyright page. For material which is not Crown copyright: RCAHMS, we will provide details of the copyright holder.

The information that RCAHMS undertakes to publish is available in a number of formats. Most documents are available as hard copy documents, although a few can only be accessed electronically. The majority are available via our website, and some can be downloaded from PDF files. From the entry in the publication scheme, a link will take you to the relevant page or document. The format in which information is available is clearly stated in the scheme. If the information you request is not available via our website, but is listed in our publication scheme, we will send it to you by email or post.

If you wish to obtain any of our free published documents please contact RCAHMS. Please provide full contact details (your name, address, telephone/fax number and email address (if applicable)), and details of the information or documents you want to see. Our contact details are below.

Documents can also be consulted in the RCAHMS public search room at John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh, Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 4.30pm.

If you have difficulty determining the information you want to see, please contact the Secretary who will be happy to arrange assistance.

Documents provided on the website, other than retail publications, are free of charge, although you will have to meet any charges made by your Internet provider, printing costs etc. For individuals without access to the World Wide Web, we will provide a single print-out of a document (or site record from Canmore) free of charge. Printing or photocopying charges will be made for multiple copies (>2) or large quantities of documents (>5) and in these instances the applicant will be informed of any costs prior to the commencement of the work. Payment for these will be required in advance. A charge of £0.30 will be made for each A4 sheet (details of all prices are available in the Services Price List).

RCAHMS produces a number of commercial publications and these will be charged at the advertised retail price. For a list of books and details of prices and availability, consult the publication page or contact us, details below.

RCAHMS follows the policy and procedures in relation to records management as set out in the Scottish Government Records Management Manual. RCAHMS is in the process of reviewing the Records Management procedures in respect of all documents it creates and holds. An up-to-date policy detailing the Record Retention and Disposal Schemes for all documents created and held by RCAHMS will be made available through this Publication Scheme.

RCAHMS will respond to your request for information within 5 working days.

RCAHMS welcomes comment and feedback on this publication scheme. We are committed to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act and if we can improve this publication scheme or if there is additional information you would like to see included, please let us know.

If you are not satisfied with the response to your request, write to the Secretary or telephone, details below.

If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can complain to the Scottish Information Commissioner. From 1 January 2005, when the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act comes into force, there will be a formal appeal mechanism when information is withheld. Further details on this will be available on the Commissioner’s website before this date.

Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS
Tel: +44 (0)1334 464610   |   E-mail: enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info
Website: www.itspublicknowledge.info

RCAHMS, John Sinclair House, 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh EH8 9NX
Tel: +44 (0)131 662 1456   |   Fax: +44 (0)131 662 1477   |   E-mail: foi@rcahms.gov.uk

Please note that the archives held by RCAHMS are not included in the scheme although information about them is.

Annual Review - a report that summarises the activities of RCAHMS over the previous year. This is available as a printed book, which can be supplied on request. It can also be accessed via the RCAHMS website and can be downloaded as PDF files.

Royal Warrant - the document that legally constitutes RCAHMS and sets out its responsibilities. Available via our website. A printed version can be supplied on request.

Code of Service - the document that details the RCAHMS standards of public service. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

Concordat with Historic Scotland - the document that details the agreements between RCAHMS and Historic Scotland. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

SMR Co-operation Statement - the document that details the agreement between RCAHMS and the Scottish Sites and Monuments Record. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

Commissioners' Meetings - the agendas and minutes of the plenary meetings of the Commissioners of RCAHMS. The Commissioners meetings take place four times a year. Available via the RCAHMS website. A printed copy can be supplied on request.

Declaration of Interests of the RCAHMS Commissioners. The Commissioners are appointed by The Queen on the advice of Scotland’s First Minister to oversee the progress of work and to advise on its proper and efficient conduct. Their declarable financial and personal interests, updated annually, can be seen in the RCAHMS Declaration of Interests which is available via the RCAHMS web-site, and a printed copy can be supplied on request.

User Panel - the agendas and minutes of the annual meeting of the Consultative User Panel. The panel comprises some 25 representatives of principal users and groups of users of RCAHMS, including heritage managers, planners, architects, office-bearers of conservation and amenity bodies and of environmental impact assessment agencies, educationalists, academic researchers, local and national government officials, the press and broadcasters, and members of the public with an interest in the built environment.

POLICY DOCUMENTS:
All available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

Survey and Recording Policy - the policy that governs the survey and recording operations of RCAHMS.

Collecting Policy - the policy that governs the acquisition of collections to the RCAHMS archive.

Education Policy - the policy that governs the promotion of the work, skills, practices and the resources of the RCAHMS archive and database, to facilitate learning both within the formal education system and by the widest possible audience.

Public Services Policy - the document that governs the standards and services provided by RCAHMS to the public, including accessibility, charging policy, Code of Service.

Publication Policy - this document governs the process and procedures for the production of publications.

Information Systems Strategy - the document which outlines the RCAHMS policy and commitment to ICT development.

INFORMATION FOR USERS:
All available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

· Services Price List.
· Current Publications and Order Form.
· Copyright Information.
· Exploring Your Heritage - information brochure.

Canmore - the main database of RCAHMS archaeological sites, monuments, buildings and maritime heritage information, as well as a catalogue of information and records held in the RCAHMS archive. Due to its size and nature, this is only available in full via the RCAHMS website, although a limited number of pages (<50) can be printed out on request. This will incur a charge of £0.30 per A4 sheet (see section 7 - Charging Policy).

HLAMAP - a dataset of information relating to an assessment of Historic Landuse, in association with Historic Scotland. Due to its size and nature it is available only via the RCAHMS website. Area extracts and analysis of completed areas of the HLA data are available via the RCAHMS website and can be downloaded from PDF files.

PASTMAP, in association with Historic Scotland - three datasets of information are combined:
· Canmore, the main database of RCAHMS archaeological sites, monuments, buildings and maritime heritage information
· Listed Buildings, the Historic Scotland dataset of information contained within Listed Building documentation
· Scheduled Ancient Monuments, the Historic Scotland dataset of information contained within Scheduled Ancient Monument documentation.
Due to its size and nature, PASTMAP is available only via the website www.pastmap.org.uk.

AirPhotoFinder - a computer application hosted by RCAHMS to provide access to information about vertical aerial photography. Due to its size and nature, AirPhotoFinder is available only via the website www.airphotofinder.com.

Printed books concerning various aspects of Scottish archaeology, architecture and heritage are published by RCAHMS. These are charged-for publications and prices and availability may vary.

Occasional reports on various heritage topics and aspects of RCAHMS work. These can be accessed via the RCAHMS website and printed copies can be supplied on request.

Job Vacancies - issued for staff recruitment purposes. These are available via the RCAHMS web-site and may be published via the local and national press and on job vacancy websites.

RCAHMS Digital Archiving: Implementation Strategy - this document describes the strategy that is being developed to manage the RCAHMS digital archives. It outlines procedures and fully describes standards and responsibilities for managing digital data of archival value for long-term preservation, and for provision of access. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

RCAHMS Digital Archiving: Guidelines for Depositors - this document outlines the type of information and acceptable formats that depositors need to provide with each digital archive deposited in RCAHMS. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

RCAHMS Digital Archiving: Collections Policy Digital Data Annex - this document outlines the priorities for RCAHMS digital collections policy. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.

RCAHMS Digital Archiving: Procedures Manual and Database Documentation - this document details the Accessioning and Cataloguing System (NACS) and details the procedures for evaluation and ingest of digital material to RCAHMS. Available via the RCAHMS website and a printed version can be supplied on request.