Under Schedule 1, paragraph 3 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002, the commissioner may, with the approval of the SPCB, appoint any person to provide services by assisting or advising the commissioner in carrying out the commissioner''s functions and may pay such fees or allowances to that person as the commissioner may, with the like consent determine. Following a competitive tendering exercise undertaken by the commissioner, the SPCB approved the commissioner''s determination to appoint legal advisers on 16 September 2003.