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 1830 contributions
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
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
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
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
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
Meeting date: 14 March 2024
Stephen Kerr
Yes, it is.
Convener, do you want me to carry on?
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
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
Meeting date: 14 March 2024
Stephen Kerr
It is effective, then.
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee
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
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
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?