Finance and Public Administration Committee
Handling formal complaints - Scottish Government update (2)
Letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for COVID Recovery to the Convener of 21 December 2021
Dear Kenneth
On 26 October I wrote to you in response to your letter seeking an update on when the Scottish Government is able to share with the Finance and Public Administration Committee the progress on the implementation plan and the updated procedure for handling formal complaints by civil servants about a Minister’s or a former Minister’s behaviour.
I responded that the documents would be available to the Committee before recess in December 2021 and that I would write to you with copies of the documents at that time. Officials have been working on the draft, completing the implementation plan and have been engaging with stakeholders on the updated procedure, which is well advanced. However, after careful consideration, I propose to engage further with staff and trade unions on the procedure before sending the documents to you before my Committee appearance in January.
I would be very grateful if the Committee would give an extension of time until after recess, as the Omicron variant is absorbing the time and priorities of Ministers and officials who recognise the importance of this procedure and wish to make it as fair and robust as it can be before presentation to Parliament.
My apologies that the documents will follow in the new year rather than before recess. My officials are in touch with Committee clerks on finalising my appearance at Committee.