ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring Mission to Edinburgh - Historic Scotland

6. Role of the State Party: Cultural Heritage
6.1 Devolution
Since the passing of The Scotland Act (1998) and the subsequent restoration of
the Scottish Parliament in 1999, a concordat between Scotland and the UK
Government in Westminster has been in place. Paragraph 12 of the concordat
relates to World Heritage Sites:
12. World Heritage Sites: In accordance with the agreed roles of UK and
Scottish Ministers in respect of international responsibilities, set out in the
International concordat, the Secretary of State will be responsible for the
UK Government's overall policy on World Heritage Sites and exercise a coordinating
role in its relationship with UNESCO on this issue. Within this
overall policy Scottish Ministers will, however, continue to be responsible
for identifying and nominating individual Sites within Scotland, and for
dealing with issues which may arise about the proper management of
those sites. DCMS [The Department of Culture, Media and Sport] will chair
regular meetings to discuss World Heritage issues of mutual concern.
In this context ‘proper management of those sites’ refers specifically to the
requirements of the Convention.
Ratification of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention means that the UK as a
whole has signed up to its terms, which include managing and protecting the
existing sites across the UK. The State Party, represented by DCMS for both
cultural and natural sites, acts on behalf of England and the devolved
administrations for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Because heritage is
a devolved matter, responsibility within Scotland lies with Scottish Ministers
supported by Historic Scotland, as agreed in the concordat with DCMS (see
above).
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government and is
charged with safeguarding the nation’s historic environment and promoting its
understanding and enjoyment. It acts on behalf of Scottish Ministers as State
Party in relation to World Heritage Sites in Scotland.
6.2 The Role of Historic Scotland in managing the Old and New
Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site
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