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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 4 April 2025
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Displaying 1489 contributions

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Finance and Public Administration Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Michelle Thomson

I have every sympathy with the view that you expressed and I have probably made myself very unpopular by making my suggestion. I am acutely aware of local sensitivities, but there are duplicated functions, such as the FD function, which are not predicated on important outcomes for people. There is a lot of complexity, but the FD functions are counting and measuring broadly similar things across a range of services. If anything, changing that would cast more light on how money is being spent. That is an unpopular view, I know.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Michelle Thomson

Good morning. I want to pick up on a couple of themes that have been touched on. First, I have been through all the responses with regard to public service reform, and I can see that a lot of stuff is going on—that is absolutely clear. I await further detail on that with interest.

It is no bad thing to ask local government to come up with its own ideas, and I am sure that it will do so. However, a bottom-up approach is only one way. What consideration have you given to a top-down approach? I have raised the point previously that we have duplicate functions—in particular, around human resources and finance directorship—across our 33 local councils. Presumably, we have 33 finance directors on an average salary of 88 grand or so—roughly £2 million in total—not to mention their departments. We could have centralised FD and HR functions across even just some local authority areas, but it is unlikely that local councils themselves would come up with that idea. Is it something that you would consider?

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Michelle Thomson

That is understood.

The fiscal framework review came up earlier. I want to dig down into what exactly is happening. I fully accept the issue to do with the multitude of personnel changes in the UK Government—it is clear that there has been quite a revolving door—but I want to understand exactly where we are. As far as I am aware, the terms of reference have not yet been agreed. Where exactly are the blockers? What action have you taken, where you have been unable to make progress? Reading through the responses, I am no more certain of where we are with the review. We have highlighted its importance.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Michelle Thomson

Is it your perception that there is still a genuine appetite for change in the UK Government, or is it hard to determine that before your meeting on Friday, when you might ask that question?

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Michelle Thomson

Yes, 32. Sorry.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

Budget Scrutiny 2023-24

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Michelle Thomson

This is my last wee question on this. Do you hope that some kind of combined statement of intent will emerge from the meeting on Friday, including some specifics about any progress that has been made? Is that an outcome that you hope for?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Disability Employment Gap

Meeting date: 25 January 2023

Michelle Thomson

That is not going to happen.

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Disability Employment Gap

Meeting date: 25 January 2023

Michelle Thomson

Thank you so much for coming along. It has been an absolutely fascinating session.

Long Covid was mentioned at the start of the meeting. It would be useful to understand a bit more about the context and, in particular, about the complexity of that issue. We know that it is extremely complex and that a multitude of presenting symptoms are being categorised. A lot of work is being done on that front. Long Covid has certainly moved quite a number of people into the category of being disabled. I want to get a sense of your opinion of the complexity. I am very struck by what has been said thus far about data collection and disaggregation. Will you flesh that out for me?

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Disability Employment Gap

Meeting date: 25 January 2023

Michelle Thomson

I would like to know from both of you what your top two asks are of us, as a committee, in two scenarios. A lot of what we have talked about today has recognised the very real challenges that we have with data and with the economic climate and how it feeds into people not getting the multiyear funding that they would like. Recognising that constraint, what are the top two things that you would like to put on the record? Alternatively, if money and control were no object, what would be your top two asks?

11:15  

Economy and Fair Work Committee

National Strategy for Economic Transformation

Meeting date: 18 January 2023

Michelle Thomson

That is good to hear. You can be fully confident that I will be asking how, specifically, those steps are bold, audacious and ambitious.