RCAHMS Commissioners

12 July 2012

Following the options appraisal led by Historic Scotland, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, announced on 4 July her decision to proceed towards merger of RCAHMS and Historic Scotland and the creation of a new organisation. The Commissioners of RCAHMS met on 9 July to agree our response and have replied formally to the Cabinet Secretary's letter to us. We now wish to explain our position to our staff and volunteers, and to our external users and partners.

We are disappointed by the decision. We believe the reconstituted NDPB option established in primary legislation, placing RCAHMS on a similar footing to other National Collections, would have best protected the functions and remit of the Commission, but we accept the Cabinet Secretary's right to decide otherwise. Until the necessary legislative changes can be completed the Commissioners are required by the terms of their Royal Warrants and as Trustees of RCAHMS to continue their role of governance. The Commissioners as a body form the Royal Commission and employ the staff to carry out its functions. We are unanimous in our determination to support the work of RCAHMS into the future and help ensure that the changes are implemented in a manner that benefits our users and all who work with and in the Commission. We welcome the Cabinet Secretary's assurances that there will be no redundancies and that she values and will safeguard the functions of RCAHMS.

As Commissioners we wish to emphasise our full support for the Chief Executive, Diana Murray, and our confidence in her ability to lead the staff through this difficult period. RCAHMS has a long history of which we are justly proud, and one of its greatest strengths is that the staff and volunteers are not only expert professionals working in a specialist domain but are united by a shared passion for our work. We are confident that this passion, quality, skill and creativity will be carried through to invigorate the new organisation that will be formed by the merger. As Commissioners we will do all in our power to help ensure that not only the function of RCAHMS but its spirit survives.

We are grateful to our partners, users and friends within the cultural sector for their expressions of support for RCAHMS. Please be reassured that we intend to continue our current programme of work and partnership projects uninterrupted. We will shortly be conducting a stakeholder workshop to seek the views of our users and partners on what your priorities are for our future work. As ever, we welcome your input at any time if you have queries or comments.