Letter from the Convener to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for COVID Recovery of 10 February 2022
Thank you for your letter of 4 February following the Committee’s scrutiny on 25 January of the updated procedure for handling formal complaints by civil servants about the behaviour of a Minister or former Minister, and progress on the associated implementation plan and continuous improvement programme relating to cultures and behaviour in the Scottish Government.
The Committee has now considered your response to the various issues raised by members during the evidence session and notes your intention to update the Committee once further consideration has been given to matters such as the exclusion of agency workers from the procedure, the balance of responsibilities where a matter might be referred to the police, and the recording of interviews in certain circumstances during the complaints process. These issues remain of interest to the Committee, along with the need to build independence, transparency, and trust in the procedure.
The Committee also seeks a further written update on progress against the actions contained in the continuous improvement programme, at the next milestones of March, June and December 2022. We will look to arrange a follow-up evidence session once we have received your updates on decisions taken in relation to the outstanding matters above, and on progress towards the March milestone, as part of our continued scrutiny of the updated complaints policy and progress on changing cultures and behaviours in the Scottish Government. Clerks would be happy to liaise with your officials on possible dates for this evidence session.