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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 9 March 2025
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Displaying 4623 contributions

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Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland

Meeting date: 9 September 2021

Edward Mountain

I take your explanation, but to me it is a very small pool and the people in the pool keep getting picked. I would not accuse them of wanting to be serial board members but, if someone has been a board member for 31 years, they are obviously doing something. I can give other examples. One person morphed from the Deer Commission for Scotland to Scottish Natural Heritage to Scottish Water. Just as one appointment expired, they seemed to pop up in another one. Expanding the pool might be the answer, and I am sure that the convener will push on that.

I have a further question to do with ministerial appointments during the previous parliamentary session. I sat on various committees that were given the chance to interview people who were being appointed by ministers. I have to say that it was a tick-box exercise. Do you have any evidence of the Parliament ever rejecting somebody, and do you think that the parliamentary committee system of interviewing people who are appointed by ministers is sufficiently robust to ensure that ministers do not shoehorn in the person they want?

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Cross-party Group

Meeting date: 9 September 2021

Edward Mountain

I definitely agree—I am not going to disagree—but I just want to make the general point that CPGs are a way to get people to involve themselves in the Scottish Parliament and what it does, so it is very difficult for us to ever say no to them. However, I am with Alexander Stewart on the need for a formulaic process that would allow them to continue, because it would be only in very exceptional circumstances that we would stop people engaging with the Parliament, which I think is our priority and the priority of all parliamentarians.

Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland

Meeting date: 9 September 2021

Edward Mountain

That is interesting. Maybe I can just make a comment. Yesterday, I was doing a bit of research, as you would expect, and I looked at one person who for 31 years has sat on boards across Scotland. I think that the person has been on six or seven boards and currently chairs two. They would appear to be a serial board member. Tell me why you do not think there is a problem.