Chamber and committees

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is currently examining proposals from a number of external providers for the provision of stress prevention training courses to its staff in the financial year 2002-03.

There are nineteen members of staff within the department's Information Systems Unit as at February 2002. This number includes staff working in the national Help Desk support facility based in the Glasgow Procurator Fiscal's Office.

Arrangements for relief cover are made by line management. Measures may include the transfer of staff from other offices, the temporary appointment of ad hoc (often recently retired) fiscals, and the appointment of casual staff. In addition, the Fiscal Offices may work with other Criminal Justice Agencies to seek to manage court commitments accordingly.

On 4 March, I announced the appointment of a Chief Executive and Crown Agent Designate who will work with senior management to take forward implementation of the recommendations on strategic planning and planning for change of the recent review of the management, allocation and planning of resources at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The department does not currently operate a staff suggestion scheme.

Most legal staff in promoted posts have responsibility for managing the workload and reporting on performance of their subordinates. Two main training courses are provided: one covers topics such as teambuilding, managing teams, time management and motivation. The other deals with performance management including diversity and equal opportunity issues. In addition, legal staff with responsibility for preparing annual appraisal reports on their staff are required to undertake appropriate training.

The survey was commissioned to provide systematic information about the pressure on staff in the department. The results have been made available to staff and trade unions and, in confidence, to the Justice 2 Committee in order to inform the committee's enquiry into the department.The report will not be published but management will use the information, working in partnership with staff and trade unions, to address the managerial, structural and cultural issues facing the department as they take forward the recommendations of the review, published on 4 March 2002.

Regional Procurators Fiscal are required to visit offices in their regions when they will aim to meet all staff. They also hold regular meetings with local fiscals. Regional Procurators Fiscal and senior staff will also endeavour to meet all staff when it is important to take forward key initiatives such as the response to a recent Pressure Audit report and the Scottish Health at Work initiative.

Information has been sought from every Procurator Fiscal's Office and Crown Office Headquarters about the number of computer workstations (PCs) required by staff. Our policy is to provide all members of staff, who need them, with direct access to a PC on their desks. The department currently has approximately 1,300 PCs for use by staff.

Staff vacancies are advertised in the Department's Staff Notice. When external applications are sought for trainee solicitors, Depute Fiscals and precognition officers, adverts are placed in the Herald, Scotsman and The Firm Law Magazine. Specialist posts, such as IT and audit, are also usually advertised in the national press and are trawled in other Government Departments. Administrative posts are advertised in local newspapers and job centres. Copies of adverts are sent to the Racial Equality Councils.