About the Scottish Parliament

Officeholders

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) supports independent officeholders. An officeholder is a person who has been appointed to a public position. Their terms and conditions of appointment and annual budget are set by the SPCB.

There are currently 9 officeholders. There is one more expected to be added:

Victims and Witnesses Commissioner for Scotland

Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland

The Commissioner encourages fairness, good conduct and transparency in public life in Scotland.

They investigate complaints about the behaviour of:

MSPs
local authority councillors
board members of public bodies
lobbyists

They also look at how people are appointed to the boards of public bodies in Scotland.

Scottish Biometrics Commissioner

The Commissioner encourages good practice in relation to biometric data. Biometric data is unique personal information that is used to identify individuals. For example, biometric data includes:

DNA profiles
fingerprints
facial images and technologies involving face

The Commissioner looks at how this data is gathered and used by:

Police Scotland
the Scottish Police Authority (SPA)
the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC)

Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland

The Commissioner’s main role is to promote and protect the rights of children and young people in Scotland. That includes:

everyone in Scotland under 18
everyone in Scotland under 21 who is care experienced

The law that created the Commissioner’s role says that the Commissioner must:

promote awareness and understanding of children’s rights
make sure laws, policies and practice affecting children and young people’s lives are fair and respect their rights
promote best practice and carry out research to progress children’s rights
involve children and young people in the office’s work

The Commissioner can also investigate and take action in court in some situations where they are concerned about an issue affecting children’s human rights.

Scottish Human Rights Commission

The Commission’s role is to promote awareness, understanding and respect for all human rights in Scotland.

The Commission does this by:

recommending changes to law, policy and practice
promoting human rights through education, training and publishing research
holding inquiries into the policies and practices of Scottish public authorities

Scottish Information Commissioner

The Scottish Information Commissioner is responsible for promoting and enforcing Scotland's freedom of information (FOI) law.

The Commissioner does this by:

investigating FOI appeals
promoting good FOI practice to public authorities
getting involved when public authorities don’t comply with FOI law

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is the final stage for complaints about most public services in Scotland. These include:

councils
the NHS
housing associations
water providers
prisons
the Scottish Government
colleges and universities

Any person or organisation who is a member of the public can make a complaint. You can make a complaint on your own, or jointly with someone else.

Standards Commission for Scotland

The Standards Commission is responsible for encouraging high standards of behaviour by councillors and other people appointed to boards of devolved public bodies.

The Commission does this by:

promoting Codes of Conduct
issuing guidance to councils and devolved public bodies
adjudicating alleged breaches of Codes of Conduct

Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland

The Commissioner advocates for systematic improvement in the safety of health care in Scotland and promotes the importance of the views of patients and other members of the public in relation to the safety of health care.

The Commissioner’s remit covers all health care providers operating in Scotland including the NHS, NHS contracted and independent healthcare providers.

The role includes:

working collaboratively with other organisations to improve patient safety
conducting formal investigations into possible safety issues
gathering, analysing and reporting on information from patients and members of the public about safety concerns
improving the safety of health care in the future, not directly addressing past incidents

Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB)

The Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB) has a key role in delivering electoral events in Scotland. The EMB’s prime focus is ensuring that the interests of the voter are kept at the centre of all election planning and administration.

The Convener of the Board has responsibility to oversee elections in Scotland with specific powers to:

co-ordinate Scottish Local Government and Scottish Parliament Elections
make directions to Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers about how they carry out their roles, ensuring consistency and promoting adequate contingency