National Heritage Act is a stock short title used in Malaysia and the United Kingdom for legislation relating to national heritage.
The National Heritage Acts comprise four acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that aimed to alter the way in which Britain's national heritage assets are managed and protected.
| Short Title: | National Heritage Act 1980 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to establish a National Heritage Memorial Fund for providing financial assistance for the acquisition, maintenance and preservation of land, buildings and objects of outstanding historic and other interest; to make new provision in relation to the arrangements for accepting property in satisfaction of capital transfer tax and estate duty; to provide for payments out of public funds in respect of the loss of or damage to objects loaned to or displayed in local museums and other institutions; and for purposes connected with those matters. |
| Year: | 1980 |
| Citation: | 1980 c. 17 |
| Royal Assent: | 31 March 1980 |
| Status: | current |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/17/contents/enacted |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
| Uk-Leg Title: | National Heritage Act 1980 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The National Heritage Act 1980 (c. 17) established the National Heritage Memorial Fund, abolished the National Land Fund, made provision for property to be accepted in satisfaction of taxation and provided for indemnities for objects on loan from museums and libraries. One of the primary drivers for the Act was the public controversy relating to the refusal of the Callaghan government to accept an offer of Mentmore Towers and its contents in lieu of inheritance tax.[1]
| Short Title: | National Heritage Act 1983 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to establish Boards of Trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, the Armouries and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to transfer property to them and confer functions on them, to make provision in relation to government grants to, and employment by, armed forces museums, to establish a Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, to confer functions on the Commission, to dissolve the Historic Buildings Council for England and the Ancient Monuments Board for England, to amend certain enactments relating to the heritage and for connected purposes. |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Citation: | 1983 c. 47 |
| Royal Assent: | 13 May 1983 |
| Status: | current |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/47/contents/enacted |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
| Uk-Leg Title: | National Heritage Act 1983 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The National Heritage Act 1983 established the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum, the Armouries and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew as non-departmental public bodies to be governed by boards of trustees.
Section 30 of the act made provision for the designation and funding of the Armed Forces Museums.
Prior to 1982, other British ancient or historical monuments and buildings had been protected through the Department of the Environment. This was felt by the ruling Conservative government to be lacking in public respect and to be excessively expensive. The 1983 Act created the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission (HBMC), another non-departmental public body, to be given the a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England. After the passing of the act, the HBMC was given the shorter working name of English Heritage, by which it was commonly known until 2015. After 2015, the body was divided into two parts, with the Commission being renamed Historic England. English Heritage remained as a charitable organisation, looking after the national heritage collection - including places like Audley End, Kenwood House, and many others.[2]
| Short Title: | National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to transfer responsibility for the Royal Scottish Museum and the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland to a new Board of Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland, to establish a Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, to make provision as to the status, functions and powers of the new Boards, and as to the property to be held by them, to make further provision as to the Boards of Trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland, to confer on the Secretary of State power to make grants for cultural and scientific purposes, to amend the Public Records (Scotland) Act 1937 and the Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 and for connected purposes. |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Citation: | 1985 c.16 |
| Royal Assent: | 4 April 1985 |
| Status: | current |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/47/contents/enacted |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
| Uk-Leg Title: | National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985 followed the National Galleries of Scotland Act 1906 and established boards of trustees responsible for the Royal Scottish Museum, The National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. It made more provision for the boards of trustees for National Galleries of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland.
| Short Title: | National Heritage Act 1997 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to extend the powers of the Trustees of the National Heritage Memorial Fund. |
| Year: | 1997 |
| Citation: | 1997 c. 14 |
| Royal Assent: | 27 February 1997 |
| Status: | current |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/14/contents/enacted |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
| Uk-Leg Title: | National Heritage Act 1997 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The National Heritage Act 1997 (c. 14) amended the 1980 act by extending the scope of the National Heritage Memorial Fund to include
things of any kind which are of scenic, historic, archaeological, aesthetic, architectural, engineering, artistic or scientific interest, including animals and plants which are of zoological or botanical interest.
It also modified the 1983 act, inserting section 31A to make specific provision for preservation of the Royal Naval College site.
| Short Title: | National Heritage Act 2002 |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to make further provision in relation to the functions of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England; and for connected purposes. |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Citation: | 2002 c. 14 |
| Royal Assent: | 1 May 2002 |
| Status: | current |
| Original Text: | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/14/contents/enacted |
| Use New Uk-Leg: | yes |
| Uk-Leg Title: | National Heritage Act 2002 |
| Collapsed: | yes |
The 2002 Act extended the powers of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission to encompass underwater archaeology within the territorial waters of the United Kingdom.