Public Audit Committee

Meeting date: Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Official Report 560KB pdf

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Section 23 Reports

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“Management of patients on NHS waiting lists”

Agenda item 5 is a response from the Scottish Government to our report into the management of patients on NHS waiting lists.

I welcome the response. As far as I could see, the Scottish Government accepted all the recommendations that we made, with one exception. The one that it did not accept concerned the inclusion of out-patients in the data. That aside, it was a positive response to our report.

I agree. Even the way in which the Government responded to the recommendation on out-patients—it refers to the use of text reminders—indicates that it took everything on board.

It is quite positive. It addresses the issues that we raised. Given that we will have an update from the Auditor General in December, I would be content to note the response and consider the management of patients on NHS waiting lists in that update.

Mary Scanlon helpfully suggests that we note the report in the knowledge that we will have an update on the issue before the end of the year. Is that agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

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“Managing early departures in the public sector”

Agenda item 6 concerns correspondence from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise on the section 23 report, “Managing early departures in the public sector”. I open up the matter for comment. I think that the correspondence was largely provoked by Mr Scott.

If I am being honest, I cannot quite remember what initiated it all.

The response halfway down the first page of annex A is interesting:

“The Scottish Government does not collect or hold information centrally on the number of compromise agreements used across the wider public sector.”

There may be really good reasons for that, but the paragraph does not explain why that is. If it is an issue of some concern—perhaps it is not—it would have been helpful for the Government to set out why those figures are not collated.

The Government’s response with regard to central Government staff is that such agreements are used infrequently. I accept that; it is clear from the evidence that that is the case. However, Scottish Enterprise clearly used them and the committee does not know whether they have been used more widely across the Scottish public sector.

Would it be worth exploring with the Government not how many such agreements have been used, because it does not know, but what its reason is for not holding that information? I would like to ask that question.

I am relaxed about writing back and asking why the Government takes that position, if other committee members are agreeable.

Members indicated agreement.

If there are no further comments on the correspondence, that ends our public business and the committee will continue in private.

11:11 Meeting continued in private until 11:24.