Public Audit Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Official Report 326KB pdf

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Decision on Taking Business in Private

Good morning and welcome to the third meeting in 2010 of the Public Audit Committee. I remind everyone to switch off all electronic devices. I welcome Audit Scotland staff to the meeting.

Do members agree to take items 3 and 4 in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Thank you very much for your kind remarks, convener. I have to say that 1 February came and went like any other day and I did not realise its significance until, in an e-mail about a forthcoming attraction for the committee, a member of staff said, “By the way, congratulations on the 10th anniversary of your appointment”. It is certainly true that I took the Queen’s shilling on 1 February and, to prove it, I have a bit of paper—the royal warrant—that is literally in an old briefcase under the bed in the spare room.

I think that a far more significant event will be 1 April, which is the 10th anniversary of Audit Scotland itself. After all, it is the staff of Audit Scotland who do all the work. In anticipation of that, I want to say that it is and has always been a joy to work with such a talented team.

On 1 February, Bob Black, the Auditor General for Scotland, recorded his 10th anniversary in the post. That is a significant achievement and, indeed, represents a significant milestone not only in his career but in the history of the audit function in Scotland. His time in the role coincides almost perfectly with the lifetime of the Parliament, and the work of the Auditor General and his staff has been of significant value to the Audit and Public Audit Committees since the start. I thank the Auditor General for that and congratulate him on his achievement.

Thank you very much for that.