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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 26 November 2024
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Displaying 2151 contributions

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Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

Does that happen at the moment?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

You have answered my next question—I was going to ask when that review would come forward and what you would do when it did—so thank you for that. Obviously, this committee will take a close interest in that. Of course, we only see the bad side—we only see the section 22 reports and so on, and we do not see the good cases, where it is working well. Nevertheless, there has been sufficient evidence that sponsorship in some cases has not been as effective as it should be. Obviously, we have a concern about that, and I am sure that the committee will come back to that in the future.

I have a question that comes back to the risk management process. Do you consider that, overall, the risk management process is adequate?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

Governance has always been a big issue in connection with the component parts of the Scottish Government. I am concerned about three statements in your report. First, in paragraph 70, you state that

“There remains scope for greater clarity on the impact of planned actions on reducing risk levels”,

and so on. Secondly, in paragraph 74, you talk about limiting

“the use of interim appointments to ensure greater stability and certainty within its leadership group”,

and you seem to be encouraging the Scottish Government to improve its arrangements, in order to ensure that they are fit for purpose. Thirdly, in paragraph 75, you say:

“The Scottish Government’s arrangements for sponsoring public bodies remains an area of concern.”

The committee has looked at sponsorship on a number of occasions, and there have been question marks.

You have talked about improvements to risk management processes within the Scottish Government. Will you give more detail on the measures that are being provided, and whether they are considered to be adequate? Is it just a matter of quality? Are they in place but maybe not as sharp as they should be, or is there a serious gap?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

You have said that the commissioner’s office cannot do all this alone and will have to engage with outside partners. Does it have the skills internally to do so? Given the situation that the organisation got itself into, perhaps it did not have the skills in the first place. Does it have the skills now?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

It is perhaps early days, but has any commitment been made by the Scottish Government with regard to the financial support that the office needs or providing it with additional skills and support to get through this?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

So the organisation did not have internal audit oversight.

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

I have to say that the report came as a bit of a surprise, and I am reminded of Juvenal’s famous phrase, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” It seems to fit very well in this particular situation.

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

That is something that this committee might want to keep an eye on.

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

The commissioner’s office is a small organisation. Pat Kenny said that there were only 10 employees. Who would have provided its internal audit function?

Public Audit Committee

Section 22 Report: “The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland”

Meeting date: 27 January 2022

Colin Beattie

It means, “Who watches the watchmen?”