Annexe 1 - The principles and focus of scrutiny in Session 5
Approach to working: The Committee agreed it would seek to:
develop a consensual approach to working
avoid duplication of Scottish Government work streams
focus on holding Government agencies to account
engage in agenda setting
develop an innovative approach to working (open to committee bills, sub groups, working informally)
focus on impacts and outcomes
embed financial scrutiny throughout its work
consider a strategic approach to the work of the committee towards the end of the first year
Working practices: The Committee agreed it would seek to:
work as far as possible in public
continue to have ‘open’ conversations with stakeholders working informally and formally in a variety of ways and locations
precede or begin inquiries with evidence from academic/expert panels
focus on pre-inquiry scoping/exploratory work to clearly define the issue/question(s) and desired outcomes and impacts
identify the most efficient way of achieving the desired outcome and avoid a standardised approach to inquiries
avoid duplication of evidence (private and public, oral and written)
establish a positive relationship and a regular informal ‘catch up’ meeting with the Cabinet Secretary (convener to discuss with the Cab.Sec.)
identify opportunities for cross committee and collaborative working and establish a dialogue with other committees in the Parliament in areas of shared interest
focus on short reports with key recommendations to maximise impact
include the approach to monitoring and review of individual pieces of work in the initial approach papers
committee meetings to be preceded by an informal pre-brief, time to be formally scheduled to discuss evidence within the meeting (if required) and regular post meeting informal catch up on issues of interest
Briefing and Support: The Committee agreed to:
use academics and experts to support the committee’s understanding of issues within its remit
identify where commissioning research could be effective to support the work of the committee
be provided with contextual and issues-based briefing with short questions or areas to explore for evidence sessions
focus procedural briefing at the appropriate point...