Local Government and Communities Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Official Report 405KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc (Scotland) Act 2003 (Treatment of Office or Body as Specified Authority) (No 2) Order 2010 (Draft)

The committee will take oral evidence from the minister and his officials on the draft order. I ask the minister to make some brief opening remarks.

The Government is committed to the first round of appointments to the board of the new Scottish Housing Regulator being made under the scrutiny of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland. The order will provide for that to happen, by allowing the commissioner to appoint an independent assessor who will scrutinise the exercise from the initial planning to the final recommendations. The assessor will be a member of the selection panel, which will be chaired by a senior civil servant in the Scottish Government.

I have brought forward the order now to ensure that we can undertake the process in full accordance with the commissioner’s code of practice and conclude it in time for board members to take up their appointments on 1 April 2011, which is the target date for vesting the new body. In publicising the appointments, I will make it clear that they are subject to the Housing (Scotland) Bill being enacted.

Given the other business before the committee today, I will not say any more at present, but I will of course be happy to answer questions.

There are no questions for the minister, so I invite him to move motion S3M-6947.

Motion moved,

That the Local Government and Communities Committee recommends that the draft Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 (Treatment of Office of Body as Specified Authority) (No.2) Order 2010 be approved.—[Alex Neil.]

Motion agreed to.

I thank the minister and his officials for their attendance and the evidence that they have provided this morning.

11:16 Meeting suspended.

11:20 On resuming—