2006 Chapter 15

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These Notes relate to the Tourist Boards(Scotland) Act 2005 (asp 15) which received Royal Assent on 30 November 2006

TOURIST BOARDS (SCOTLAND) ACT 2006 (asp 15)

EXPLANATORY NOTES

INTRODUCTION

1.     These Explanatory Notes have been prepared by the Scottish Executive in order to assist the reader of the Act. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by the Parliament.

2.     The Notes should be read in conjunction with the Act. They are not, and are not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the Act. So where a section or schedule, or a part of a section or schedule, does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.

SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND TO THE ACT

3.     The Scottish Tourist Board is established by section 1 of the Development of Tourism Act 1969. The Board's main functions are to encourage people to visit and holiday in Scotland and to encourage the provision of tourist amenities and facilities in Scotland. In addition, section 172 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 required the establishment of area tourist boards. Originally, there were 14 such boards. In April 2005, the existing 14 boards were wound up and 2 new boards (called network tourist boards) established in their place. The Scottish Tourist Board and the network tourist boards operate under the banner of VisitScotland. The Act is intended to abolish the network tourist boards, to rename the Scottish Tourist Board as VisitScotland and to increase its maximum number of board members.

COMMENTARY ON PROVISIONS

4.     Section 1 of the Act changes the name of the Scottish Tourist Board to VisitScotland and substitutes occurrences of the name change in the Development of Tourism Act 1969.

5.     Section 2 of the Act extends the limit on the size of the VisitScotland Board from a maximum of six appointed board members and an appointed Chair to eleven appointed board members and an appointed Chair. It does this by changing the limit set in the Development of Tourism Act 1969 on membership of national tourist boards from "six" to "eleven"

6.     Section 3(1) repeals sections 172 to 175 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The effect of this is to remove the requirement that there be area tourist boards. Section 3(2) dissolves the 2 network tourist boards thus enabling VisitScotland to operate as a single entity. Section 3(3) introduces schedule 1, which provides for the transfer of staff, property and liabilities from the network tourist boards to VisitScotland so that staff transfer on exactly the same terms and conditions as those on which they were previously employed.

7.     Section 4 of the Act introduces schedule 2 which modifies primary and subordinate legislation which refers to tourism matters affected by the Act. Paragraphs 1 to 10 of schedule 2 make consequential amendments to a number of existing Acts as a result of the name change. Paragraph 11 of schedule 2 revokes the Scottish Statutory Instruments which established the network tourist boards.

8.     Section 5 of the Act provides a short title for the Act and enables the provisions of the Act to come into force on a specific date by Scottish Ministers making an order in the Scottish Parliament.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS

9.     The following table sets out, for each Stage of the proceedings in the Scottish Parliament on the Bill for this Act, the dates on which the proceedings at that stage took place, the references to the Official report of those proceedings, the dates on which Committee Reports and other papers relating to the Act were published, and references to those Reports and other papers.

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