1Short title and extent

This Act may be cited as the National Galleries of Scotland Act, 1906, and shall apply to Scotland only.

2Definitions

In this Act (unless the context otherwise requires)—

• " The Board " shall mean the Board of Trustees established by this Act:

• " Prescribed " shall mean prescribed by Order under the hand of the Secretary for Scotland; provided that every such Order shall be laid as soon as may be upon the table of both Houses of Parliament :

• " The National Galleries of Scotland " shall, until otherwise prescribed, mean the several buildings situated in Edinburgh, and known as the Royal Institution, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery, and shall include any other buildings which may be prescribed :

• " Buildings " shall include any land held with or for the purposes of a building.

3Establishment of National Galleries Trustees for Scotland

A Board shall be established for the purpose of managing the National Galleries of Scotland and for such other purposes connected with the promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland as may be prescribed. The Board shall be called the Board of Trustees for the National Galleries of Scotland, and from and after the establishment of such Board, the Board of Trustees for Manufactures in Scotland (in this Act referred to as the Board of Manufactures), established by the [13 Geo. I. c. 26.] Linen and Hempen Manufactures (Scotland) Act, 1726, the [13 Geo. I. c. 30.] Fisheries (Scotland) Act, 1726, and letters patent issued in pursuance of the last-mentioned Act, and by any amending Acts, shall cease to exist, and a reference to the Board of Manufactures in any Act shall be construed as a reference to the Board, and subject to the provisions of this Act all the powers, duties, and liabilities vested in or imposed on the Board of Manufactures by any letters patent, Treasury minute, deed, or other instrument shall, until otherwise prescribed, be vested in, transferred to, and imposed on the Board, and, subject as aforesaid, the powers and duties of the Board shall be such, and shall be exercised and discharged by the Board in such manner, as may be prescribed.

4Constitution of Board

(1)The Board shall be appointed by the Secretary for Scotland, and shall consist of seven members, three of whom when so appointed shall be members of elected local authorities in Scotland. The said seven members shall hold office for five years from the establishment of the Board, and may be reappointed. At the expiration of every period of five years the Board shall be re-constituted as aforesaid. Four members shall be a quorum.

(2)The Board shall be established from and after the prescribed date not being a later date than the first day of April nineteen hundred and seven.

(3)Any vacancy caused by the death or resignation of any member shall, as soon as practicable, be filled by the Secretary for Scotland, but the person appointed to fill any such vacancy shall hold office so long only as the vacating member would have retained the same if such vacancy had not occurred.

(4)The Secretary for Scotland shall appoint one of the members of the Board chairman for such period, not being less than a year, as he may think fit, and the chairman shall have a casting as well as a deliberative vote.

(5)Subject as herein-after provided, the officers of the Board shall be appointed by the Secretary for Scotland or otherwise as may be prescribed.

(6)The Board shall comply with any instructions which may be issued by the Secretary for Scotland and. shall make an annual report to him, which report shall be presented to Parliament.

5Transfer of existing officers

The secretary and all clerks and other persons in the employment of the Board of Manufactures in any capacity immediately before the establishment of the Board shall from and after such establishment be transferred and attached to, and be under the control of, the Board, and shall hold their offices by the same tenure and upon the same terms and conditions as if this Act had not passed, and while performing the same duties, shall receive not less salaries or remuneration and be entitled to not less pensions (if any) than they would have received or been' entitled to if this Act had not passed : Provided that it shall be lawful for the Treasury to grant a superannuation or other-allowance under the Superannuation Acts, 1834 to 1887, to any person so transferred, as if lie had been admitted to his office under the Board of Manufactures with a certificate from-the Civil Service Commissioners or were otherwise qualified under the said Acts.

6Transfer of property

(1)It shall be lawful for the Secretary for Scotland to allocate out of the general fund of the Board, of Manufactures such sums as may be prescribed—

(a)Towards the building and equipment of a school of art in Edinburgh ;

(b)For the purchase, erection, and equipment of buildings, and for the purchase of any land necessary in connection therewith, to be vested in the Commissioners of Works, and to be used, for the purposes of the Royal Society of Edinburgh until otherwise prescribed with the consent of the Treasury.

(2)Subject as herein-after provided all property belonging to or vested in or held in trust for or by the Board of Manufactures immediately before the establishment of the Board shall from and after such establishment pass to and vest in and be held in trust for or by the Board, subject to all debts and liabilities affecting the same, and shall be held, by the Board, and applied by them for such purposes connected with the promotion of the Fine Arts in Scotland as may be prescribed.

7Vesting of buildings, &c. in Commissioners of Works

From and after the establishment of the Board the buildings presently vested in the Board of Manufactures, known as the Royal Institution, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and Dunblane Cathedral, shall pass to and be vested in the Commissioners of Works, in the case of the two first-mentioned buildings for such, purposes as may, with the consent of the Treasury, be prescribed, and in the case of the two last-mentioned buildings for the purposes and subject to any rights for or subject to which such buildings are presently held. The said buildings shall be maintained and kept in repair by the said Commissioners, and the expense of such maintenance and repair, together with the expenditure incurred by the Board in the payment of officers and otherwise in connection with the management of the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament, subject to such conditions in regard to the application of the capital moneys at the passing of this Act held by the Board of Manufactures for the maintenance and repair of any building specified in this section as may, with the consent of the Treasury, be prescribed : Provided that nothing in this Act contained and nothing done under this Act shall have the effect of imposing upon the heritors of the parish of Dunblane any obligations from which they were free at the passing of this Act.

8Transfer of annuity to Consolidated Fund

From and after the first day of April nineteen hundred and seven, the annuity of two thousand pounds, payable in terms of the fifteenth Article of the Treaty of Union and of the [5 Geo. I. c. 20.] Revenue of Scotland Act, 1718, which is presently payable out of moneys provided by Parliament in terms of the [17 & 18 Vict. c. 94.] Public Revenue and Consolidated Fund Charges Act, 1854, shall, so long as it remains payable, be charged on, and payable to the Board out of, the Consolidated Fund or the growing produce thereof, and shall be applied by them as may be prescribed.

9Repeal

From and after the establishment of the Board, the enactments mentioned in the schedule to this Act shall be repealed to the extent mentioned in the third column thereof.

Section 9.

SCHEDULEEnactments repealed