The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.
All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1357 contributions
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
You have led me on to another issue, perhaps inadvertently. I want to ask you about equalities. Like the convener, I have read through your corporate governance report and I know that equalities is an area that you are required to be cognisant of. However, of the seven people on your board, I note that one is a woman and six are men. I can see that your senior management team is equally split. I also did a wee search on the use of the word “woman” in your corporate governance report, but I was not able to find any mention of it.
You will know that we generally have a significant issue with lack of representation of women in financial services. What are your plans to make the board more equitable? What is the split on your risk and audit committee, which is a classic committee that normally never has an equitable split?
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Alas, you have proved my theory correct.
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Thank you very much.
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Have I got time for one last question, convener?
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
He is just trying to get his own back. My question is about shared services. As you know, this is the Finance and Public Administration Committee, and the utilisation of shared services is something that I greatly value. We could be doing considerably more on that and I notice that you have it on your human resources function. I am just not clear about the history. Was that set up at the outset, or has it evolved relatively recently? How is it working out for you? It is just a general question.
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Good morning, and thank you for joining us. To pick up on a point that the convener made, I never have any difficulty finding the stats, because I simply search for the key item on my laptop. Such are the joys of digital technology, convener.
I want to pick up on cybersecurity and, in general, ask about your assessment of the challenges and opportunities brought about by artificial intelligence. One of the challenges is that, in general terms, none of us knows. Specifically, I would make the case that the public sector is not at the cutting edge. What assessment have you made of the advent of AI, and particularly the sensitivities around data that you have outlined? What challenges do you see, how are you addressing them and what are the opportunities?
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Thank you very much for that. You have identified the concerns with the process that will, thankfully, be picked up and we will carry on progressing it.
Perhaps I should have tagged my final question in with my first one. It is about where you are delegating responsibility. Although you remain accountable, responsibility lies elsewhere, such as with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Given what you outline in terms of protecting the integrity of your data and so on, how are you monitoring the risks of delegation? Will you talk me through that?
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
To be honest, I would like to hear you say that you have definitive plans to get to an equitable split the next time that you have two people stepping down. The problem with the perception of meritocracy is that if women never get the chance, they never get the chance to demonstrate merit. We have had that cyclical problem for a long time and it is heavily pronounced in financial services. I am interested to know a bit more about your specific plans. Given where we are, what target do you aim to reach in two years’ time? Do you have a target?
Finance and Public Administration Committee
Meeting date: 5 December 2023
Michelle Thomson
Do you have anything to add, Aidan?
Education, Children and Young People Committee
Meeting date: 22 November 2023
Michelle Thomson
I was about to make that exact point. However, Kevin Mitchell has highlighted the complexity of the situation very well.
I will stay on the theme of prioritisation of investment. I can see Fraser McKinlay nodding. I am interested in teasing out the relative prioritisation involved in developing an investment plan. We have already had some comments on that, particularly in relation to early interventions. What would you like to add?