Plenary, 24 Jan 2008
Meeting date: Thursday, January 24, 2008
Official Report
811KB pdf
Information Commissioner
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-1193, in the name of Mike Pringle, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, on the reappointment of the Scottish Information Commissioner.
The Parliament is invited to agree to the motion in my name, on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, to nominate Kevin Dunion to Her Majesty the Queen for reappointment as the Scottish Information Commissioner for four years.
Before putting the motion before the Parliament, the corporate body undertook a reappointment process that was in accordance with recommendations of the Procedures Committee in the previous session of Parliament. One of the recommendations was that an independent assessment of Mr Dunion's performance over the past five years be undertaken and a report submitted to the corporate body. In October 2007, an assessment of Mr Dunion's performance was undertaken by Dr Bernard Kingston, the corporate body's independent assessor. The assessment was based on four main criteria: fulfilment of the functions of the post as set down in legislation; competent management of workload; staffing and budgets; and having a forward plan to meet anticipated challenges. The decisions that Mr Dunion took on individual cases were not considered as part of the assessment process, as that would not have been appropriate given the commissioner's functional independence.
We interviewed Kevin Dunion, and the outcome of that interview was similar to the findings of the independent assessor. We therefore recommend strongly that the Parliament agree to the motion. I thank Dr Bernard Kingston for his report and for his validation certificate to confirm that the reappointment process was in accordance with good practice and that the nomination for commissioner is made on merit.
Scotland's freedom of information legislation is held in high regard throughout the world, largely because of Kevin Dunion's work. New Zealand is looking to adapt much of what we do and several other countries are looking to Kevin Dunion and his staff for help and advice on how to establish freedom of information regimes. Malawi, with which the Parliament has a close association, is one of those countries and is considering basing its freedom of information regime directly on that in Scotland. We are well ahead of what is happening south of the border.
That situation is due in large part to Mr Dunion and his excellent staff. He has never shied away from difficult decisions—the Scottish Executive has not always agreed with or welcomed his decisions. He has seldom been challenged and has never lost a court case. Mr Dunion has done an excellent job in establishing his office. I wish him every success in further developing the freedom of information regime in Scotland in the next four years.
I move,
That the Parliament nominates Kevin Dunion to Her Majesty The Queen for reappointment as the Scottish Information Commissioner from 24 February 2008 until 23 February 2012.
There is no one else to speak, so I have no choice but to suspend the meeting until 5 o'clock.
Meeting suspended.
On resuming—