Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee

Meeting date: Thursday, February 28, 2013

Official Report 296KB pdf

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Public Services Reform (Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland etc) Order 2013 [Draft]

Item 5 invites the committee to agree our approach to scrutiny of the draft order to restructure the Commission for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland, in order to allow the roles of the Public Standards Commissioner for Scotland and the Public Appointments Commissioner for Scotland to be carried out by a single commissioner.

Members will see in the paper that we have previously indicated to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body that we are content with the policy proposal to create a single commissioner post, so we are not discussing that point today. As we have already accepted the principle, would the committee be content to scrutinise the order once it is introduced rather than consider the draft order at this stage?

I am content to go along with that suggestion. I would like one point to be clarified, though. Paragraph 12 of the note on the order says:

“The references in the Code of Conduct to the Public Standards Commissioner will also need to be updated. It is suggested that this might best be done when a revised edition of the Code is required”.

Should there be an interim cover note to address the fact that there will be only one commissioner, until we do a revision? I do not know whether that is possible.

We can get the clerks to have a wee look at that. Would you be happy with that?

Yes.

Are we content not to consider the draft order at this stage, and for the references in the standing orders to the two commissioners to be updated, alongside the other minor rule changes, in a paper that we will consider after Easter?

Members indicated agreement.

That ends the public part of the meeting.

10:03 Meeting continued in private until 11:02.