National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1JF

Maciej Wójtowicz
[FOI #537151 email]

6 December 2018

Dear Mr M Wójtowicz,

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act – Request Number 1570

Thank you for your interest in National Museums Scotland.

You requested, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, the following information:

1. How many non-European human remains do you have in your collection? If you do not have the exact number, then please provide an approximation based on your normal method of counting.

2. How many requests for the repatriation of non-European human remains did you receive from communities, individuals or institutions outside of Europe prior to the Human Tissue Act 2004 coming into force? Of these how many were approved?

3. How many requests for the repatriation of human remains have you had from communities, individuals or institutions outside of Europe since the Human Tissue Act 2004 came into force?

4. Of these requests, how many were:
a. Approved in full, with all of the requested remains being returned to the communities/individuals in question.
b. Approved in part with some of the requested remains being returned.
c. Not approved.
d. Still awaiting a decision.

5. For those requests which were not approved please provide a copy of the final decision letter setting out the reasons.

We are currently working on your enquiry and will respond by 8 January 2019.

Yours sincerely,

Dawn Lindsay
Information & Knowledge Manager

1.Your Right to Review

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request for information, you have forty working days from the date of this letter in which to request a review of our decision. Any request should be made to:

Director of Finance & Planning
National Museums Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh EH1 1JF
Tel: 0131 247 4290
Email: [email address]

and should detail:

your request for a review of our decision to be undertaken;

the nature of your original request; and

explain the reasons why you are dissatisfied with our response to your request.

Guidance on your right to seek a review of a Scottish public authority’s decision is available at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website, the address of which is set out below.

2.Your Right to Appeal

If you remain dissatisfied with how your request for information has been dealt with, you also have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether we have handled your request for information properly. In the event of an appeal to the Commissioner, the Commissioner will generally only be able to investigate the matters raised in the request for review.

Information relating to your right to seek review is available:

•from the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website www.itspublicknowledge.info

•by contacting the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Office on +44 (0)1334 464 610 (St Andrews),

•visiting the Appeals portal: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...

•by writing to:
Scottish Information Commissioner,
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road,
St Andrews, Fife
KY16 9DS

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Dear Maciej,

We are currently working on your request - can I ask for clarification as to whether you require us to include objects which incorporate or are made from/with human remains in response to Q1 (e.g. human hair),

Many thanks,

Dawn Lindsay
Information/Knowledge Manager

National Museums Scotland
http://www.nms.ac.uk

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National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1JF

Maciej Wójtowicz
[FOI #537151 email]

Dear Mr Wójtowicz,

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act – Request Number 1570

Thank you for your interest in National Museums Scotland.

Find below our response to your request for information under the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act.

1.How many non-European human remains do you have in your collection? If you do not have the exact number, then please provide an approximation based on your normal method of counting. (Clarification provided: include osteological remains but not objects made from human remains unless they are grave goods or trophies such as shrunken heads)

National Museums Scotland has 89 non-European human remains less than 1000 years of age in its collection.

This is primarily osteological material (part skeletons, individual bones or fragments of bone), with 11 objects identified as grave goods or trophies.

2.How many requests for the repatriation of non-European human remains did you receive from communities, individuals or institutions outside of Europe prior to the Human Tissue Act 2004 coming into force? Of these how many were approved?

Under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act I confirm that we have no records of any requests prior to the 2004 Human Tissue Act.

3.How many requests for the repatriation of human remains have you had from communities, individuals or institutions outside of Europe since the Human Tissue Act 2004 came into force?

There have been four requests for repatriation of human remains since the Human Tissue Act 2004.

4.Of these requests, how many were:
a. Approved in full, with all of the requested remains being returned to the communities/individuals in question.
Three requests were approved in full.
b. Approved in part with some of the requested remains being returned.
None
c. Not approved
None
d. Still awaiting a decision
One

5.For those requests which were not approved please provide a copy of the final decision letter setting out the reasons.

Not applicable – all requests were approved

Should you decide to publish an article from the information provided, please contact our Communications Manager, Susan Gray, for an official National Museums Scotland comment.

Tel +44 (0) 131 247 4088
Fax+44 (0) 131 247 4307
email [email address]

Please contact me if you require any further information or clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Dawn Lindsay
Information & Knowledge Manager

1.Your Right to Review

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request for information, you have forty working days from the date of this letter in which to request a review of our decision. Any request should be made to:

Director of Finance & Planning
National Museums Scotland
Chambers Street
Edinburgh EH1 1JF
Tel: 0131 247 4290
Email: [email address]

and should detail:

your request for a review of our decision to be undertaken;

the nature of your original request; and

explain the reasons why you are dissatisfied with our response to your request.

Guidance on your right to seek a review of a Scottish public authority’s decision is available at the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website, the address of which is set out below.

2.Your Right to Appeal

If you remain dissatisfied with how your request for information has been dealt with, you also have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether we have handled your request for information properly. In the event of an appeal to the Commissioner, the Commissioner will generally only be able to investigate the matters raised in the request for review.

Information relating to your right to seek review is available:

•from the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website www.itspublicknowledge.info

•by contacting the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Office on +44 (0)1334 464 610 (St Andrews),

•visiting the Appeals portal: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourR...

•by writing to:

Scottish Information Commissioner,
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road,
St Andrews, Fife
KY16 9DS

show quoted sections