Results of FOI request about HES ‘Properties in Care’
Results of FOI request about HES ‘Properties in Care’
The AHSS remains extremely concerned by the continuing uncertainty over the future of a large number of properties in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
In December, the AHSS submitted a Freedom of Information request in the hope of understanding the background to the management decisions taken by HES since the beginning of the pandemic.
Read our letter to HES here
We have now received a large volume of documentation in return which we will publish below.
Response to:
– question 1, “please provide a breakdown of expenditure on a property-by-property basis on the repair of historic sites in state care, i.e. excluding any access, interpretation, and visitor facilities, for the period 2015 – 2022. If information is not available on a site-by-site basis then a breakdown by PIC region will be acceptable.”
– question 2, “Please provide a breakdown of expenditure spent on any access, interpretation, and visitor facilities, i.e. excluding repairs to historic fabric, for the period 2015 – 2022. ”
– question 3, “Please provide details of recorded masonry falls at Properties in Care sites from 2015 to 2022.”
– question 4, “Please provide technical reports in respect of the condition of monuments in state care for the period 2019-2022, including any advice in respect of potentially unsafe masonry work.”
response received, pending upload to website
– question 5, “Please provide details of any expenditure incurred in respect of temporary making-safe, including the temporary exclusion of the public from “at risk” areas, arising from items 3 and 4 above.”
response received, “our financial system does not allow us to track expenditure in this wau directly against items 3 and 4.”
– question 6, “Please provide details of any expenditure incurred in respect of permanent repairs arising from items 3 and 4 above.”
response received, “our financial system does not allow us to track expenditure in this wau directly against items 3 and 4.”
– question 7, “The AHSS understands that Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is required under Clause 3.16 of the Scheme of Delegation to have a “peer review” process in place to ensure that its conservation principles, policies and standards are being assessed by a group of independent professionals in similar fields. Two reports were published covering 2017-18 and 2018-19. In the Properties in the Care of Scottish Ministers Annual Report of 2019-20 there is limited information on page 21 at 6.3 Peer Review. The Properties in the Care of Scottish Ministers Annual Reports of 2020-21 and 2021-22 do not include a section comparable to section 6.3 in Properties in the Care of Scottish Ministers Annual Report of 2019-20.
Please provide details of the peer review process for the period 2019-22 including terms of reference, agendas and supporting papers, and minutes.”
response received: “The Covid pandemic impacted our Peer Review programme. This meant that instead, we asked our Peer Review Panel to look at our approach to the High Level Masonry work – this was augmented by other specialists in the heritage conservation sector who could add value. We have however provided: Terms of Reference, Minutes and supporting papers. Agendas are not provided as this information is transferred to the Minutes when issued.”
documents received, pending upload to website.
Image Melrose Abbey, via Wikipedia commons
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