Public appointment: chair appointed to Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel

The Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Neil Gray MSP today announced the appointment of Jane Ryder as Chair of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP).

Jane Ryder was the Chair of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) from 2015 to 2022. 
A medieval history graduate, she began her career as a solicitor specialising in maritime law.  She has particular insight into museums through her subsequent executive experience as Director of the Scottish Museums Council and then as the first Chief Executive of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).  She has also held numerous non-executive roles, including Board membership of the Marine Management Organisation, Deputy Chair of the Seafish Industry Authority and Board membership of Revenue Scotland.  She is currently Vice Chair of the Scottish Police Authority and a Trustee of the William Syson Foundation.

She is an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.  She was awarded an OBE in 2012.

Appointment

This Chair appointment will be for four years and runs from 3 January 2022 to
2 January 2026. 

The Chair of the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP) leads the work of the panel and provides advice to the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (QLTR) about archaeological items discovered in Scotland, and recommends whether the artefacts should be acquired for the nation, where they should be allocated, and if a payment should be made to the finder(s). 

This Ministerial Chair appointment follows the spirit of regulated appointments for Public Bodies but is not regulated in the same way.  While the Treasure Trove Code of Practice delegates the process of recruitment of professional members to the SAFAP Chair, the appointment of the Chair of SAFAP is the responsibility of Scottish Ministers. 

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time with an estimated time commitment of between 2 to 3 weeks per annum.  The Chair and members are voluntary and receive no payment for their services.

Other appointments

Jane Ryder is the Vice Chair of the Scottish Police Authority, for which she receives remuneration of £378 per day, for a time commitment of six days per month.

Information about the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (Safap)

SAFAP is a small, specialist advisory Panel that supports the Queen’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (QLTR) in the administration of the Treasure Trove system.  SAFAP currently has eight members; five are Ministerial appointments. 

Archaeology has become more visible thanks to the increasing popularity of metal detecting, some recent spectacular finds and entertaining media fact and fiction.  The Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel (SAFAP) and the supporting Archaeologists in the Treasure Trove Unit (TTU) work at the axial point between excavators, finders and the museum displays and study collections where they cumulatively enrich our understanding of Scotland’s past.

Membership of SAFAP is drawn from a variety of backgrounds in the heritage and archaeology sector.  Their role is to give an impartial perspective, independent of any one museum or institution.  Recommendations of SAFAP are passed to the QLTR who ultimately makes the decision on valuation and allocation.

In order to exercise the Crown’s rights to claim items found under Treasure Trove, the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer (QLTR) within the Crown Office relies on the recommendations of SAFAP.  The Crown can claim, on behalf of the nation, any object or coin found in Scotland under the laws of bona vacantia.  Finders have no ownership rights to any find they make in Scotland and all finds, with the exception of Victorian and 20th century coins, must be reported to the Treasure Trove Unit for assessment.  The Treasure Act 1996 which covers England and Wales does not apply in Scotland.

The Panel comprises a Chair and eight members.  The Chair, three professional and one lay members are appointed by the Scottish Ministers.  There are also three ex-officio representatives from Historic Environment Scotland (HES), National Museums Scotland (NMS), and Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS).  Members are voluntary and receive no payment for their services.

If you would like to find out more about SAFAP, we would encourage you to visit the website SAFAP - Treasure Trove (treasuretrovescotland.co.uk)