SMC is a company limited by guarantee.
It is a membership organisation which fulfils many of the functions of a formal national agency although we are not a formal Non Departmental Public Body.
SMC has been recognised by Ministers in Parliament as the main adviser to the Scottish Executive and the main channel for Scottish Executive funding to non-national museums. SMC�s role as strategic leader for the sector has also been recognised, for example in the Scottish Executive/Cosla guidelines for local authorities and in the National Cultural Strategy 2nd report of November 2002.
The role and structure of SMC was one of the specific questions posed by the Minister in the 2002 consultation, following publication of the National Audit. SMC advanced the arguments for and against a new strategic agency in our response to the consultation, available on this site at www.scottishmuseums.org.uk/information_services/action_plan_consultation_.asp.
Since then, the 2003 Partnership Agreement has committed the Scottish Executive to a review of cultural sector governance. Whatever the outcome of the review of governance, SMC would expect any new organisation to adopt the same modern, outward looking and proactive approach to accountability with an extensive range of participation structures.
