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.