Seòmar agus comataidhean

My next question is connected to the previous one. Some of the submissions that we have received have raised the issue of the SPSO’s neutrality when it looks into complaints against public bodies, and I am interested to hear about the experiences of the people whom you represent and their dealings with the SPSO. Is that perception justified?

I will not go across the panel, because everyone might not have an answer to that question. If you do wish to respond, please indicate as much.

Thank you very much for that.

Before I introduce our second panel, I note that Emma Roddick MSP is unable to join us this morning and sends her apologies.

We are joined by our second panel this morning: Paul Blaker, member, and Peter Stewart-Blacker, chairman, Accountability Scotland; Fiona Collie, head of public affairs and communication, Carers Scotland; Jan Savage, executive director, Scottish Human Rights Commission; and Adam Stachura, associate director for policy, communications and external affairs, Age Scotland.

First of all, I should point out that there is no need for you to turn your microphones on and off—we will do that for you. We will direct questions to specific witnesses where appropriate, but you are all welcome to contribute. Please indicate to the clerks or to me that you wish to do so.

I will begin the questions, the first of which is on the SPSO’s achievements and what evidence there is to support your views. The intention behind setting up the SPSO in 2002 was to establish a public sector complaints system that was open, accountable and easily accessible to all and which had the trust of the Scottish public. Therefore, the question for all of you is this: has that been achieved from your perspective, and what evidence do you have to support that view?

I will start with Jan Savage and then go across the panel, just to make things easy.

The next item on our agenda is to take evidence as part of our scrutiny of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. The committee will hear from the ombudsman at its meeting on 10 December. To inform that session, the committee has issued a call for views. Drawing on the responses to that call for views, the committee will hear from two panels of witnesses today.

On the first panel, we are joined by Professor Chris Gill, professor of socio-legal studies, and Professor Tom Mullen, professor of law, both from the University of Glasgow. I welcome you to the meeting. There is no need for you to turn your microphones on and off—we will do that for you. I have some initial questions and then I will bring in members with other questions.

The SPSO was set up in 2002 to provide a public sector complaints system that is open, accountable and easily accessible to all, and which has the trust of the Scottish public. I am interested to hear whether you think that that has been achieved and what your evidence is to support that view. I will start with Chris Gill and then go to Tom Mullen.

Good morning, and welcome to the 32nd meeting in 2024 of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee. Willie Coffey and Mark Griffin are joining us online today. I remind all members and witnesses to ensure that their devices are on silent.

The first item on our agenda is to decide whether to take items 4 and 5 in private. Do members agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Willie Coffey, who is joining us online, has a number of questions for you.

We will stay online and go to questions from Mark Griffin. If you can take all of your questions in one go, Mark, that would be great—I mean, in your turn.

Okay. If I can just wrap it up—

I recognise that. However, I am trying to flag up an issue. We have this route map and we are making changes, and we have to move towards, as I said, the objective of

“on-farm nature restoration, climate mitigation and adaptation”.

However, I meet farmers who are coming up against financial difficulties because they cannot do what they want to do. At this point, I am just flagging that up, and perhaps asking for reassurance from you that you will take the matter away and have a look at the Weeds Act 1959.

Otherwise, we will be building a house of cards. We have legislation that is out of date and we are passing SSIs to try to get cross-compliance, and we will find that that causes problems for people who want to move in the direction that the 2024 ARC act asks them to do.

He is the man for the job.