Plenary, 13 Sep 2006
Meeting date: Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Official Report
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Deputy Scottish Public Services Ombudsmen
The next item of business is consideration of motions S2M-4770, S2M-4771 and S2M-4772, in the name of John Scott, on the reappointment of deputy ombudsmen.
I speak to the motions in my name as a member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body reappointment panel, to invite members to agree to the appointment of Eric Drake, Carolyn Hirst and Lewis Shand Smith for a second term as deputy Scottish public services ombudsmen.
The SPCB has lodged a brief report to assist members in considering the motions. When the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 was passed, the SPCB determined that three part-time deputy ombudsmen should be appointed to assist the ombudsman and that their initial appointment should be for four years. Their initial role was to assist the ombudsman with the merger of the former ombudsmen's offices into a new one-stop shop for handling complaints about public services in Scotland. They were appointed for their knowledge and expertise in particular sectors covered by the ombudsman's office.
As the deputies' role is to assist the ombudsman, in considering the deputies for reappointment we considered it prudent to seek the ombudsman's views on whether having three part-time deputies to support her continued to be appropriate. We accepted the ombudsman's view that, although the existing structure had worked well during the transition to a one-stop shop, having four Crown appointees in a relatively small office appeared to be disproportionate and that a better model would be for the ombudsman to be supported by salaried employees in senior posts, which would provide the necessary flexibility for the office to respond to changing circumstances and demands. We therefore determined that the deputies' reappointment should be for 12 months from 30 September 2006.
The deputies were considered for reappointment by a selection panel made up of SPCB members. The Presiding Officer chaired the panel. The other members were Kenny MacAskill, Duncan McNeil and me. An independent assessor was appointed to oversee the process. I am pleased to say that the assessor, Dr Bernard Kingston, has provided a validation certificate to confirm that the process conformed to good practice and that the deputy ombudsmen are being nominated on merit. On behalf of the SPCB, I thank Dr Bernard Kingston. He brought a wealth of appointment experience and was of enormous assistance to us in ensuring that we complied with good practice and that the process was both robust and fair.
I believe that the deputy ombudsmen will continue to be committed and effective in their support of the ombudsman in the next 12 months, in what will undoubtedly be a challenging transitional year for the office. I am sure that the Parliament will want to wish them every success in their second term in office.
I move,
That the Parliament nominates Lewis Shand Smith to Her Majesty The Queen for reappointment as Deputy Scottish Public Services Ombudsman from 30 September 2006 until 29 September 2007.
That the Parliament nominates Carolyn Hirst to Her Majesty The Queen for reappointment as Deputy Scottish Public Services Ombudsman from 30 September 2006 until 29 September 2007.
That the Parliament nominates Eric Drake to Her Majesty The Queen for reappointment as Deputy Scottish Public Services Ombudsman from 30 September 2006 until 29 September 2007.