Chamber and committees

Normally the decision is ajoint one between the employing member and the Training and DevelopmentManager, having regard to the particular development needs of the individualconcerned.

The SPCB does not plan to conduct such a survey of MSPs' staff. The equal opportunities audit of SPCB staff was carried out to ensure that the SPCB was meeting its own obligations under equal opportunities legislation as an employer.

In relation to employment of MSPs' staff, it is the relevant MSP who is the employer. The responsibilities and potential liabilities arising from legislation, including equal opportunities legislation, therefore rest with individual MSPs. Consultation with MSPs' staff on equality-related employment matters, and responding to the findings of such consultation, would therefore be matters for individual MSPs to take forward with their own staff.

The SPCB has issued best practice advice to Members on their obligations as employers and service providers. Members are also free to seek advice on any equality related matter from either the Personnel Office or the Equalities Manager as appropriate.

The SPCB does not adviseMSPs’ staff of training opportunities that are available to SPCB staff unlessthere are spaces on a classroom based course which may be of relevance to MSPstaff.

As employers in their ownright, Members are responsible for the training and development of their staff. They do not therefore have equal access to training courses being offered toSPCB staff.

The payback period in a publicprivate partnership project will depend on the specific project, however PPP contractsfor accommodation facilities typically last 25 to 30 years. The long term natureof PPP projects means that the whole life costs under the contract are agreed locallyand parcelled up into manageable, affordable, annual payments all agreed in advance.

Potential publicprivate partnership projects should be appraised in terms of their overall valuefor money compared to conventional procurement. Treasury Taskforce PPP guidancedoes not currently recommend the use of distributional impact analysis, althoughthis is under consideration for the future. Displacement of economic activity isnot considered as the degree of displacement is unlikely to be affected by the choiceof procurement route.

The Green Book applies to appraisaland evaluation in central government. In some cases where the Scottish Executive provides financial support or approval for individual projects to localauthorities it is a requirement that guidance that is consistent with Green Bookprinciples is followed.

The Scottish Public Finance Manual(SPFM) requires public sector bodies such as the Scottish Parliamentary CorporateBody, the Scottish Executive and relevant bodies sponsored by the Scottish Executive to secure and maintain best value. The characteristics of an organisationwhich secures best value include systematic approaches to risk management, assetmanagement, strategic procurement, and the integration of review and options appraisalinto management arrangements. Public bodies are also reminded that recommendationsshould be based on financial analysis and whole life costs.

Bestvalue is a statutory duty for local authorities by virtue of the Local Governmentin Scotland Act 2003 (the Act) and guidance on best value characteristics has statutorystatus by virtue of the section 2 of the act.

TheSPFM is consistent with and recognises the latest edition of the HM Treasury GreenBook. It also includes specific guidance on appraisal and evaluation and major investment.While the guidance is aimed primarily at constituent parts of the Scottish Administrationit is equally applicable, so far as appropriate, to all other bodies subject tothe requirements of the SPFM. In addition Scottish health boards are required tohave regard to the Scottish Capital Investment Manual, which is relevant to thedevelopment of capital projects.

TheSPFM does not apply formally to Scottish local authorities, although it is availableto them for reference. Like other public bodies they are also encouraged to haveregard to any guidance deemed relevant and appropriate to their circumstances whetheror not it is published by the Scottish Executive.

Theact also requires local authorities to have regard to generally recognised, publishedCodes of Practice in the arrangements they make to secure best value; and, morespecifically, to have regard to codes which are given statutory designation by Scottishministers. Most of these codes are relevant to investment appraisal and include:

ThePrudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities published by CharteredInstitute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)

TheCode of Practice for Treasury Management, also published by CIPFA

Following the Public Pound, published jointly by the Accounts Commission for Scotland andthe Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Response times are affectedby the number of appointment rounds being handled at any given time and theaccompanying level of public interest.

According to data providedby Response Handling Ltd, the average time taken to answer in-bound calls duringthe last six months has been as follows:

Month	Duration
October 2003	10 seconds
November 2003	12 seconds
December 2003	5 seconds
January 2004	10 seconds
February 2004	3 seconds
March 2004	14 seconds

 

After a competitive tenderingexercise, a one year contract was awarded on 2 February 2003with an option to extend it for a further 12 month period. This option was takenup and the contract has been extended to 1 February 2005.Action to re-tender for the period from 2 February 2005onwards will commence shortly.

A detailed Service Level Agreementis in place. The Executive receives customer feedback reports from the contractorand operates its own “mystery shopper” programme to ensure that the service is functioningsatisfactorily.