Meeting of the Parliament
Meeting date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Official Report
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Information Commissioner
The next item of business is consideration of motion S4M-01865, in the name of Christine Grahame, on behalf of the selection panel on the appointment of the Scottish Information Commissioner.
16:51
The motion that I will move is in my name, on behalf of the selection panel that was established under our standing orders. It invites members to nominate Rosemary Agnew to Her Majesty as the new Scottish Information Commissioner.
The selection panel was chaired by the Presiding Officer. The other members of the Scottish Parliament on the panel were Margaret Burgess, Helen Eadie, Alison McInnes, Mary Scanlon and Maureen Watt—all women, who incidentally selected a woman, but members should read no more into it than that.
The Parliament is not subject to the code of practice on ministerial appointments to public bodies, but we follow the guidelines to ensure that best practice is observed and that the process is fair. On behalf of the panel, I thank Louise Rose, the independent assessor, who oversaw the process and has provided the Parliament with a validation certificate confirming that the process complied with good practice and that the nomination of the commissioner is made on merit after a fair, open and transparent process.
Our nominee, Rosemary Agnew, was the panel’s choice from a strong field of candidates. We received 33 applications and shortlisted six candidates for interview. Rosemary Agnew is currently the chief executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission. Previously, she held posts as an assistant local government ombudsman and as the head of the economics and business faculty at the Northern Consortium of universities in England.
The commissioner’s role is important. The commissioner is responsible for enforcing and promoting Scotland’s freedom of information laws, which give people anywhere in the world access to information that is held by more than 10,000 public authorities in Scotland. Rosemary Agnew will bring to the post a range of skills and experience, including an understanding of the challenges that freedom of information presents to those seeking and providing information.
I believe that Rosemary Agnew will prove to be an effective and fair commissioner who will bring to the role enthusiasm and a determination to continue to ensure that the freedom of information regime in Scotland remains highly regarded throughout the world. I am sure that the Parliament will want to wish her every success for the future in her new role.
I think that the Parliament will wish to record its thanks to Kevin Dunion, the first Scottish Information Commissioner—incidentally, I nominated him on behalf of the panel the first time round—who was appointed in 2003 and has successfully helped to establish a strong and internationally respected freedom of information regime in Scotland, and to wish him well for the future.
I move,
That the Parliament nominates Rosemary Agnew to Her Majesty The Queen, for appointment as the Scottish Information Commissioner.
16:54
As a member of the selection panel, I am delighted to speak in support of the motion. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The Scottish Information Commissioner must enforce and promote that law, which we know has been beneficial in so many ways to individuals around Scotland. The financial problems facing public authorities make it all the more important that transparency and accountability are watchwords as we go forward. It is a key time to take over the role of commissioner.
Rosemary Agnew is committed to the principles of transparency and accountability that are enshrined in freedom of information law and I believe that she has a deep personal commitment to contributing to a culture of openness in the way in which public services are delivered in Scotland. Through her experience and personal interest, she is aware of the issues and challenges that freedom of information presents to those who seek and provide information and of the scope of the application. I believe that she will carry out her role with the utmost fairness and diligence and I commend the nomination to the Parliament.