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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 23 December 2024
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Displaying 1830 contributions

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Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Specific targets have been set for diversity by what I am calling protected characteristics, but I did not read about any particular drive to ensure that the people who are appointed come from diverse backgrounds in terms of their household incomes and work experience. It is possible that I may have missed that.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

You have brought the necessary discipline for any organisation—public or private—of planning.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

There are 100 appointments a year, on average, so we might see some progress.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

I agree. A few more people, particularly with private or voluntary sector backgrounds, need to be nudged to make themselves available, because—you are absolutely right—they might not see themselves in that sort of role and yet their experience, if they are not there, is a critical missing piece.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Yes, it is.

Convener, do you want me to carry on?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

I will wait for the convener to tell me to be quiet—

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

It is effective, then.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

Let me say, as feedback, that I appreciate your willingness to be accountable and the fact that you are willing to publish KPIs and your progress on KPIs. That is exactly how public bodies ought to work. You are modelling the kind of behaviour that we would hope to see from other public bodies, and I thank you sincerely for that.

I am looking—

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

If it was a regular event, you would have snapshot moments at which you could plot progress. I think that that is fundamental. If your office could model that, it would be wonderful to see that replicated across all sorts of public bodies and governmental organisations.

I have a final point to make, if the deputy convener does not mind. You talk in your report about—I forget the phrase; am I confusing it with “super Tuesday”?—the “super complaint” or mega-complaint that you had, which included hundreds of complaints. Have I described it correctly?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Ethical Standards Commissioner

Meeting date: 14 March 2024

Stephen Kerr

I would like to hear you talk about the level of what I would describe as vexatious, partisan and vindictive complaints that you receive. Is that on the increase? How would you describe that trend? You referenced the “super complaint” in your report. Is that a burgeoning area of focus and activity that requires resource that you can ill spare?