Chief Executive’s Report to the SPCB May 2018

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Introduction This report looks at recent activities across the organisation. It includes the SPCB financial report for Period 12 of the 2017-18 financial year and the Q4 performance report. Some of the items worth highlighting include:

Completion of the project to renew the MAQA application for the processing of parliamentary questions and motions.

A busy period for the introduction of Government Bills.

Approval by Parliament of the revised written agreement which implements the recommendations of the Budget Process Review Group.

Publication of a SPICe briefing on the new budget process.

The newly established Committee Engagement Unit (CEU) is working with committees to explore options for increasing witness diversity and seeking representation in both written and oral evidence from under-represented groups.

A highly successful BSL drop-in event held over Friday 17 and Saturday 18 May.

The draft full year financial outturn figures for 2017-18.

If you have any comments or questions on any aspect of this report, I would be happy to discuss them with you. P E GRICE Clerk/Chief Executive

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OVERVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES Parliamentary business In order to improve accessibility of Chamber proceedings, interpretation services were provided for three recent items of business:

BSL interpretation facilities were provided for Stage 3 of the Social Security (Scotland) Bill on Wednesday 25 April;

Gaelic interpretation facilities were provided for the debate on Scotland’s Support for the (UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage on Thursday 29 March; and

Gaelic interpretation facilities were provided for the debate on the National Plan for Gaelic on Tuesday 24 April.

Parliamentary Questions The project to renew the MAQA application for the processing of parliamentary questions and motions has been completed. The system is now web-based, which allows for the possibility of remote access and working by Chamber Desk staff, thereby improving business continuity. Legislative process The Legislation Team has completed a series of workshops offered to staff for each of the party groups on the legislative process (particularly on how best to manage the amending stages). About 60 staff in total from each of the party groups have attended. This is a busy term for introduction of Government Bills. Eight Bills are expected to be introduced over a 3-4 weeks period from late May to mid-June. This is expected to complete the introduction of all the Bills signalled for year 2 of the session by the First Minister's programme statement in September 2017. The introduction of these late in year 2 means that the bulk of the scrutiny work on them for the Parliament will be in year 3. The SPCB will be aware that the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill, which was passed by the Parliament on 21 March, has been referred to the Supreme Court under section 33 of the Scotland Act 1998 for consideration of whether it is within the Parliament's legislative competence. This referral has been made by the Attorney General and the Advocate General for Scotland (the UK Government's law officers). It is the first such referral of a Scottish Parliament Bill. The Presiding Officer is prevented from sending the Bill for Royal Assent until the reference has been resolved. The Non-Government Bills Unit (NGBU) is finalising two short Members' Bills for introduction immediately after the summer recess. Two other Members have secured the right to introduce Members' Bills and work on preparing

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those is under way. Eight other members have lodged draft proposals - consultations are completed for five; three may become final proposals before the summer recess. One Private Bill (Pow of Inchaffray) is currently under scrutiny (at Consideration Stage); one other small Private Bill (Hutchesons Hospital) is likely to be introduced before the summer. Evidence to the Parliament of Canada, House of Commons Procedure Committee Representatives of the Official Report, Broadcasting Office and Public Information, gave evidence to the Parliament of Canada, House of Commons Procedure Committee's study on indigenous languages in proceedings, on 3 May. Committees The Parliament agreed a revised written agreement on 8 May which implements the recommendations of the Budget Process Review Group. The revised written agreement significantly reforms the Parliament's budget process in order to take account of fiscal powers devolved under the Scotland Act 2016 and also the shift in timing of the UK Government's budget to the Autumn. The new process will be in place for the next round of budget scrutiny. The first significant milestone in the new process will be the publication, by the Scottish Government, of a Medium Term Financial Strategy on 31 May. Implementation of the new process is ongoing and included during May a number of events for Members and workshops for parliamentary staff and key stakeholders on the new process.

Committees are now looking at ways to work with the newly established Committee Engagement Unit (CEU) in exploring options for increasing witness diversity and in seeking representation in both written and oral evidence from under-represented groups. The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee will soon publish its Stage 1 Report on the Scottish Crown Estate Bill, which seeks to fulfil a key Smith Commission recommendation and devolve the management of some Crown Estate Scotland assets to Local Authorities, public bodies and community organisations. The Committee's report on salmon farming is continuing to generate a high level of media and stakeholder interest. Parliamentary Engagement International Relations Office The International Relations Office has facilitated visits by the following delegations:

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Courtesy call with the Ukrainian Ambassador and Presiding Officer

Courtesy call from the Israeli Ambassador and Presiding Officer

Courtesy call from the Swiss Ambassador and Presiding Officer

Courtesy call from the Belgian Ambassador and Presiding Officer

Courtesy call from the Italian Ambassador and Deputy Presiding Officer

Courtesy call from the Thai Ambassador and Deputy Presiding Officer

the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance meeting Committee Conveners and Members

General Representative of the Government of Flanders meeting officials and Members

Members of the Icelandic Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee meeting officials and Members

Members of the Parliament of Botswana meeting officials and Members Outward visits have included:

Presiding Officer Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP, Clare Haughey MSP and Johann Lamont MSP visit to Quebec City, New York City and Washington DC

Visitor Services Public tours and 10 Minute Talks continued to be popular with extra Photography Tours being added to satisfy tour enquiries. A highly successful drop-in event on British Sign Language Plans took place at the Parliament on 18 and 19 May. Members of the BSL community including deaf and deafblind constituents and representatives of their organisations came to find out about the work and services on offer from the Officeholders and the Parliament. It was an enlightening experience for all parties and much enthusiasm was generated for future engagement and improvements to plans that will have a real impact on the BSL community. BSL interpreted tours were provided as part of the event. Visitor Services staff also used the opportunity to gather BSL-users’ impressions of their visit to the building which will be considered as part of our information gathering exercises that will support future accessibility development projects. In May, Visitor Services staff completed the Scottish Parliament’s entry in the new VisitScotland Accessibility Guide. This online tool is designed to promote to visitors our wide range of accessible facilities and will build on the positive reputation of the Scottish Parliament as a fully accessible visitor destination. Events and Exhibitions The Presiding Officer hosted a visit by His Excellency Professor Peter Mutharika, The President of the Republic of Malawi to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 26 April. The President addressed a meeting of

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Members, invited guests from the Scotland Malawi Partnership and Cross-Party Group, and members of the Edinburgh Consular Corps before attending a reception hosted by the Presiding Officer in his honour. On Saturday 12 May, as part of the International Academy of Mediators 2018 conference, the Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame MSP facilitated the key speech from Professor William Ury titled Common Good Politics: A New Enlightenment: How Can Mediators Lead the Way? in the Debating Chamber. This event saw a response from the First Minister followed by a question and answer session with Professor Ury. The Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame MSP chaired the Euroquiz final on Monday 14 May in the Debating Chamber. Over 450 schools at P6 age take part in Euroquiz to broaden their knowledge of Europe and the wider world. After winning local heats, the top 31 teams represented their local authority in the national final. Gullane Primary were third; Strathblane Primary School second; and St Mary’s Primary School (Duntocher) first. The Presiding Officer spoke at the launch of Harry Benson: From Glasgow to America on Friday 18 May held at the National Trust of Scotland’s Pollok House, Glasgow. Forward look

On Thursday 7 June Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani MSP will chair the final of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Competition in the Debating Chamber. The Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani MSP will host an event on Saturday 10 June for some of the community groups from across Scotland that have been working on the PROCESSIONS banner project celebrating 100 years since the passing of legislation which granted the first women the right to vote in the UK. The Presiding Officer will host a lunchtime event for Inclusion Scotland – Access to Politics Charter on Thursday 14 June. On Thursday 21 June the Presiding Officer will host the 40th Anniversary John P Mackintosh Memorial Lecture in the Debating Chamber. Web and Social Media

Following on social media, and engagement with our accounts, continues to grow. The @scotparl Twitter account has recently passed the 80,000 mark; there are now over 5,000 Instagram and 30,000 Facebook followers. The Web and Social Media Team has recently added podcasts to the suite of regular online offerings. There has been a renaissance of podcasts in the last 5 years, with over 4.7 million of the UK population downloading podcasts each

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week. They are particularly popular with a younger audience and most often consumed on a smartphone during a commute to work. Whilst they are still less accessible than content available through other channels, in that users have to actively download something, once they have done so they are a captive audience who are much more likely to listen to the entire podcast than they are to watch a minute-long video on Facebook. They are also highly likely to return to our list and download other “episodes”. There are at least 2 episodes added per week - FMQs and other offerings such as interviews with committee conveners or SPICe researchers, and FoP Chamber sessions. We are waiting until we have a more significant back catalogue before promoting this as a service, but in the meantime the Team promote each individual podcast through our other social media channels. So far the uptake has been extremely positive. Each FMQs is downloaded between 80 and 120 times, and Ken Clarke’s FoP session with the PO is the most popular so far with 146 downloads. Parliamentary Services GDPR compliance Work continues with Members and staff aimed at providing support and raising awareness of the changing data protection requirements. In addition, Memoranda of Understanding have now been agreed with the SPCB supported officeholders which will see them sharing the services of the SPCB’s Data Protection Officer, resulting in financial savings. SPICe SPICe has partnered the Academy of Social Sciences, Scottish Universities and the Scottish Government to help set up the Scottish Policy Innovation and Research Exchange (SPIRE). SPIRE will provide tools to encourage collaboration between the academic and policy communities with particular reference to the social sciences. Activities will include an online hub, with relevant written briefings by academics, as well as training for academics to help them become more effective at engaging with and improving policy. This is part of a wider programme of academic engagement, including placements, fellowships, seminars, and panels of experts. SPICe's work with the University of Essex on tax and benefit modelling has been shortlisted for the University of Essex Impact Awards in the category “best impact on UK public policy”. The award ceremony will take place on 21 June. Nicola Hudson will represent SPICe at the awards ceremony.

SPICe hosted a series of meetings of officials from HM Treasury, the Scottish Government, Office for Budget Responsibility and the Scottish Fiscal Commission, on fiscal forecasting. This was a useful opportunity for researchers and clerks to build contacts and knowledge on the operation of

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the fiscal framework. There are plans to continue these arrangements and for further meetings later in 2018.

SPICe published a briefing on the new budget process which covers all of the main changes to the process as well as infographics. SPICe will aim to publish a detailed analysis of the Medium Term Financial Strategy in mid-June.

The SPICe Blog - SPICe Spotlight - continues to develop, providing short, sharp and timely information and analysis. Recent blogs include Live animal exports: ban or no ban?, Economic impact assessment: smoke and mirrors? and Maternal Mental Health. The pilot period for the blog will come to an end in the summer and a decision on whether to introduce it as a permanent service will be made in August. SPICe would welcome the thoughts of SPCB members on the blog. Facilities Management The SPCB may recall that a utility company recently dug up an area of parliamentary land at the front of the building without permission. We are currently liaising with City of Edinburgh Council, who own and manage the on-line utility plan referenced by all the utility companies, to clearly identify the Parliament’s boundaries. In future, any company wishing to carry out work on our land will be directed to speak to FM in the first instance. FM has also been invited to attend a Council-chaired meeting with representatives from the utility companies to reinforce these new arrangements.

https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2018/5/10/Guide-to-the-new-Scottish-budget-process

https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/05/04/live-animal-exports-ban-or-no-ban/

https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/05/04/live-animal-exports-ban-or-no-ban/

https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/04/25/economic-impact-assessment-smoke-and-mirrors/

https://spice-spotlight.scot/2018/05/02/maternal-mental-health/

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SPCB FINANCE REPORT Period 12 – 2018

1. This report is to inform SPCB of the draft full year outturn for 2017-18. The final accounts figures remain subject to adjustment as part of the normal year end process.

Executive Summary

Performance against Budget (year to date variance)

a) Total SPCB revenue and capital expenditure

Para 2 & 5

b) Total SPS expenditure

Para 6

c) Total project expenditure

Para 7

Operation of Financial Controls

d) Key reconciliations up to date

Para 4

Other Key Indicators

e) Payment performance

Para 4

Key: RAG Status

Financial Commentary

2. The Scottish Parliament’s total revenue and capital expenditure for 2017-18 of

£84.2m represents an underspend against budget of £1.0m (1.2%) which is within the SPCB’s target range of 0% to 2.5% under budget for the financial year (as shown in green in the Executive Summary chart). The overall underspend is lower in absolute and percentage terms than the comparable position at this stage for 2016-17 of expenditure of £83.1m which represented an underspend of £1.3m (1.6%). Year-end accounting adjustments and accruals will reduce the level of underspend in 2017-18 further and will be reflected in the final published annual accounts.

3. The SPCB’s central contingency of £231k at the end of period 11 was fully allocated out in period 12 to fund approved project expenditure.

4. All key reconciliations are up to date. Payment performance within contract

terms for the year to date exceeds the 99% target. The equivalent figure for payment within 10 days is 96.7% for the year to date.

Performance within target range

Performance outwith target range but acceptable

Performance outwith target range not acceptable

100%

99.1%

G

A

(0.6)%

%

1.2%

R

(9.0)%

9

Financial Results 5. The SPCB’s total revenue and capital expenditure per Schedule 1 for the year

ended March 2018 is £84.2m, which is £1.0m (1.2%) under the approved year to date budget of £85.2m. This compares with the underspend for the year ended March 2017 of £1.3m (1.6%).

The table below shows actual monthly expenditure (red) up to the end of March. The original monthly budget profile is shown by the blue line.

4.6 3.5

4.2

3.1 3.3 3

2.3

1.7

1.8 1.7

1.2

5.0

3.2 2.6

3.2

2.1

2.9

1.7

2.1

1.6 1.9

1.6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

%-a

ge

Trend of Total Monthly Underspend

17/18 16/17

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12

£ M

ILLI

ON

17-18 Original Budget vs Actual and Reforecast Spend

MonthlyExpenditure todate

CurrentMonthlyBudgetprofile toyear end

OriginalMonthlyBudgetprofile

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Parliamentary Service Costs (Schedule 2)

6. The full year expenditure for the Parliamentary Service (SPS) of £46.6m is £0.3m (0.6%) over budget and is fully funded from the anticipated underspends in the SPCB’s overall budget. Parliamentary Service Costs incorporate both capital and revenue projects. The previous full year’s expenditure of £45.1m was £0.1m (0.2%) below budget. An analysis of the current financial year by main category of expenditure is shown in the two charts below.

25,710

741

7,189 6,259 6,653

25,755

878

7,157 6,386 6,102

23,878

596

7,580

6,363 6,683

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

Total Staff Costs Total StaffRelated Costs

Total PropertyCosts

Total RunningCosts

Total Projects

£'0

00

Parliamentary Service YTD Expenditure £k

Actual 17/18 Budget 17/18 Actual 16/17

(551)

128

(32)

137

45

(600)(500)(400)(300)(200)(100)100200300

Projects

Running Costs

Property Costs

Staff Related Costs

Staff Pay

Underspend £k Overspend £k

Parliamentary Service YTD Under & Overspends £k

11

Staff Pay (including Agency staff, overtime and contractors) is £45k (0.2%) lower than budget for the year to date.

Expenditure on staff pay to date is £25.7m, £1.8m (8.0%) higher than the equivalent 16-17 costs of £23.9m. This increase is due to approved additional staff for BIT, staff for the Register of Lobbyists, and to resource Further Powers in Committee and Spice.

Expenditure on Staff Related Costs is £741k. This is £137k (15.6%) below the budget of £878k. Actual spend on staff related costs is £145k (24.3%) higher than that for the equivalent period in 2016-17. Travel and Expenses are underspent by £46k. Childcare Vouchers are underspent by £24k and Corporate and job related training are underspent by £37k.

Property Costs of £7.2m are £32k (0.4%) higher than budget. This is in part due to approved additional expenditure of £23k in property maintenance and £20k in property advisors. This is offset by a £15k underspend in utilities.

Running Costs of £6.3m are £128k (1.5%) under budget. Key underspends are Advisors (£74k), Equipment Maintenance (£49k), Telephony (£33k), Restaurant Services (£33k), Payroll Contract (£24k) and Publications (£21k). This is offset by approved additional expenditure in IT contract (£33k), Printing (£35k) and Software Support & Annual Licences (£50k).

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Project Reporting (Schedule 3)

7. Schedule 3 shows project spend by category of project.

Total project expenditure to March 2018 is £6.7m, £551k (9%) over the year to date budget. £754k additional project expenditure has been authorised to be funded by SPCB contingency and a forecast underspend in Members budgets.

Revenue Projects show a total spend of £5.1m, an authorised overspend of £278k (5.8%). Digital has spent 98.2% of their annual budget of £2.6m and Facilities Management has over spent by 16.8% of a £3.1m budget. £250k of Chamber Lighting expenditure was reclassified and transferred from capital to revenue in February.

Capital Projects have spent £1.6m for the year against a budget of £1.3m, an overspend of £273k (20.5%). FM and Broadcasting have received authorisation for the additional project expenditure and this is the reason for the reported overspend in capital projects.

Members’ Costs (Schedule 2)

8. Members’ costs are analysed in Schedule 2, which shows £28.2m expenditure to March 2018, £1.1m (4%) underspent against the year to date budget. (The corresponding figures for 2016-17 at period 12 show an underspend of £1.2k (3.8%), although these are not directly comparable due to the impact of

(50)

(35)

(33)

(23)

(20)

21

24

24

33

33

37

46

49

74

Software Support & Annual Licences

Printing

IT contract

Maintenance

Property advisors

Publications

Childcare Vouchers

Payroll Contract

Restaurant Services

Telephony

Job and Corporate related training

Travel & Expenses

Equipment Maintenance

Advisors

PS (Excluding Projects) Key YTD Under / Overspends £k

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election related costs in last year’s figures). We expect the level of reported underspend for 2017-18 to reduce slightly once the full year accounts are finalised, as claims for the financial year are still being processed until mid-May.

Commissioners & Ombudsman Costs (Schedule 2)

9. The SPCB’s funding cost for Commissioners and Ombudsman (Officeholders) as at March 2018 is £9.5m, which is £196k (2.0%) under budget. This includes £78k spent to date on the Officeholders’ accommodation project which will be accounted for through the SPSO’s accounts. Officeholders’ contingency was increased by £28.8k by the Spring Budget Revision from the Scottish Government for a transfer of responsibilities in connection with the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer responsibilities transferred to the SPSO.

Central Contingency 10. SPCB central contingency of £231k at the start of March has been fully

allocated out to FM Projects to cover some of the authorised overspend.

Period 12

March 2018 Financial Schedules

Schedule 1

Current Original

Annual Approved

Actual Budget Variance Variance Budget Budget£'000 £'000 £'000 % £'000 £'000

Parliamentary Service Costs (Schedule 2) 46,552 46,279 (273) (0.6) 46,272 45,279

Members' Costs (Schedule 2) 28,172 29,277 1,105 3.8 29,277 29,277

Commissioners & Ombudsman Costs (Schedule 2) 9,457 9,653 196 2.0 9,653 9,624

Sub Total 84,180 85,209 1,029 1.2 85,201 84,180

Reserves - SPCB Contingency n/a 81 1,000

TOTAL SPCB EXPENDITURE 84,180 85,209 1,029 1.2 85,282 85,180

Year to Date

Period 12


Schedule 2

Current Original

Annual Approved

Actual Budget Variance Variance Budget Budget

£'000 £'000 £'000 % £'000 £'000

Parliamentary Service Costs

Staff Pay 25,710 25,755 45 0.2 25,755 25,339

Staff Related Costs 741 878 137 15.6 878 946

Property Costs 7,189 7,157 (32) (0.4) 7,157 7,742

Running Costs (Including Events & Income) 6,259 6,386 128 1.5 6,386 6,802

Parliamentary Service Costs excluding Projects 39,899 40,177 278 0.7 40,177 40,829

Projects (Schedule 3) 6,653 6,102 (551) (9.0) 6,102 4,450

Total PS Expenditure 46,552 46,279 (273) (0.6) 46,279 45,279

Members' Costs

MSP & Officeholders' Pay 12,142 12,194 52 0.4 12,194 12,194

0 0

MSP Expenses 15,512 16,543 1,031 6.2 16,543 16,543

0 0

Party Assistance 518 540 22 4.0 540 540

Total 28,172 29,277 1,105 3.8 29,277 29,277

Commissioners & Ombudsman

Ethical Standards Commission 838 888 50 5.6 888 838

Standards Commission 238 249 11 4.3 249 259

Human Rights Commission 990 991 1 0.1 991 991

Scottish Information Commissioner 1,567 1,583 16 1.0 1,583 1,573

Public Services Ombudsman 4,445 4,368 (78) (1.8) 4,368 4,304

Commissioner for Children 1,377 1,379 2 0.2 1,379 1,334

Reserves - C&O Contingency 0 195 195 n/a 195 325

Total 9,457 9,653 196 2.0 9,653 9,624

Year-to-date

Period 12


Schedule 3

Project Summary : March 2018 YTD Actual

£k

YTD Budget

£k

Variance

£k

Variance

%

Current Annual

Budget £k

Original

Approved

Budget £k

% Spent of

Total Budget

Outstanding

Commitment

£k

Forecast Funds

Available

Revenue Projects

Allocated 5,050 4,772 (278) (5.8) 4,772 2,304 105.8% 0 0 (278)

Unallocated 0 0 0 n/a 0 1,146 n/a 0 0 0

Total Revenue Projects 5,050 4,772 (278) (5.8) 4,772 3,450 105.8% 0 0 (278)

Capital Projects

Allocated 1,603 1,330 (273) (20.5) 1,330 820 120.5% 0 0 (273)

Unallocated 0 0 0 n/a 0 180 n/a 0 0 0

Total Capital Projects 1,603 1,330 (273) (20.5) 1,330 1,000 120.5% 0 0 (273)

TOTAL 6,653 6,102 (551) (9.0) 6,102 4,450 109.0% 0 0 (550)

By Portfolio: YTD Actual

£k

YTD Budget

£k

Variance

£k

Variance

%

Current Annual

Budget £k

Original

Approved

Budget £k

% Spent of

Total Budget

Outstanding

Commitment

£k

Forecast Funds

Available

BIT and Digital 2,551 2,597 48 1.8 2,597 1,059 98.2% 0 0 46

FM Building & Equipment 3,568 3,056 (512) (16.8) 3,056 1,845 116.8% 0 0 (512)

Other 534 449 (85) () 449 220 118.9% 0 0 (85)

Total Projects Allocated 6,653 6,102 (551) (9.0) 6,102 3,124 109.0% 0 0 (550)

Unallocated Project Budget 0 0 0 n/a 0 1,326 0.0% 0 0 0

TOTAL 6,653 6,102 (551) (9.0) 6,102 4,450 109.0% 0 0 (550)

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Last Quarter

This Quarter

Trend

Parliamentary Business

100% Parliamentary Business takes place as scheduled 99.9% 100%

Support to Members

100% of Members interviewed either Very Satisfied or Satisfied 100% 100%

Engagement & Participation

Operational Public Engagement KPIs are on target

Corporate Governance & Resource Management

% Outturn against SPCB budget for financial year within target range of 0-2.5% under SPCB budget*

2.3% 1.2%

Strategic Priorities on track

Compliance monitoring report on track

Planned Corporate Risk mitigating actions are being implemented

*KPI is 0-5% during Q1 & Q2, then reduces to 0-2.5% during Q3 & Q4

Key: RAG Status On Track (Yes/No)

Increase/No Change/Decrease

R A G

No

of M

em

bers

Inte

rvie

we

d

2 2 4

2

10 9 5

8

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Parliamentary Role

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied1 4 1

5

2

8 9

4

8

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Constituency Role

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

2

Priority Status Progress & Key Achievements Forward Look

Members excelling in their parliamentary and representative roles, including through access to the best available information, delivering the highest standards of oversight and scrutiny

G Support Members in Committee Roles to Ensure Committees Influence & Improve Policy Outcomes: Green

Quarterly reports on committee influence show a number of areas where committee scrutiny has had impact, for example, a number of changes were made to the Social Security Bill as a result of the recommendations of the Social Security Committee. The Finance and Constitution Committee dealt with extensive Stage 2 proceedings of the Continuity Bill within a very short timescale.

Following the publication of the Gender Diversity of

Witnesses Report in February 2018, the Conveners Group agreed the broad strands of an action plan to increase and monitor diversity.

Support Members’ Oversight and Scrutiny Functions & Understand the Legislative Process: Green During Q4, Members‟ training requirements for the new

budget scrutiny process were discussed with Finance and Constitution Committee Clerks, this resulted in plans to hold short introductory training sessions for MSPs led jointly by Audit Scotland and Committee Clerks.

Key Activity will now be incorporated into business as

usual (BAU). The Conveners Group will agree a detailed action plan in

May 2018. Key Activity will be completed. New budget scrutiny process roll out in April 2018, with

delivery of training during April and May 2018.

Seek interest for a final general session on Questioning Techniques for Clerks and SPICe researchers, to be delivered during May and June 2018.

To complement other Members‟ staff courses, training to

support Members and their staff assist distressed constituents, will be planned and delivered by June 2018.

Key Activity to be incorporated into BAU.

G

3


Members excelling in their parliamentary and representative roles, including through access to the best available information, delivering the highest standards of oversight and scrutiny cont‟d

Green Six Academic Fellows for the 2018-19 Programme were

appointed by February 2018.

Review of academic engagement web content was completed in February 2018.

Scottish Parliament and Universities Knowledge Exchange

Seminar held in March 2018 with Knowledge Exchange Officers and academics from across Scotland.

Brexit Breakfast Seminar on the prospective impact of

Brexit on the Scottish Economy held in March 2018. Overall, 15th seminar and 755 attendees to date.

Green

Preparation work undertaken with SPICe and Clerking to scrutinise the National Performance Framework (NPF) during its statutory consultation period which started in March 2018.

Analysis of the quality of Sustainable Development statements (potential or intended impact of the Bill on sustainable development) in Policy Memoranda for Government and Members‟ Bills from 2014-2016 was completed in March 2018.

A drafting meeting to produce a guide for academics wishing to engage with parliaments was held in April 2018 with UK parliaments and assemblies.

The Parliament worked with Scottish universities, Scottish

Government, Royal Society of Edinburgh and Academy of Social Sciences to establish a Scottish Policy Research Exchange (SPIRE) network with the inaugural meeting held on 20 April 2018.

2018-19 Brexit seminar series, based on the theme of

„Preparing for Brexit‟, to commence in May 2018. Key Activity to be incorporated into BAU. Four committees, supported by SPICe, will scrutinise the

NPF (a further four are considering doing so). Scrutiny will be completed by the end of the consultation period in May 2018.

A workshop on how to develop a vision and principles of

good scrutiny was held in April 2018. The workshop outputs will be analysed, with the possibility of a further exercise. Thereafter, final outputs will be taken to Leadership Group (LG). Timescales are to be determined.

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Members excelling in their parliamentary and representative roles, including through access to the best available information, delivering the highest standards of oversight and scrutiny cont‟d

The sustainable development work plan was reviewed in January 2018. Four specific activities were identified to focus scrutiny on: visioning good scrutiny; the Crown Estate; National Outcomes Parliamentary consultation; and Safe Staffing Bill (forthcoming).

The Sustainable Development tool is now being routinely used by the Non-Government Bills Unit to assess the impact of Members‟ Bills on sustainable development, both early in the process to help shape them, and to generate more robust Sustainable Development Statements for Policy Memoranda. Testing in SPICe has also taken place, with further testing planned.

Review support required to co-ordinate Members CPD in conjunction with support required for Members Staff Training: Amber Whilst initial work was carried out during Q4 to review the

support required to co-ordinate Members CPD in conjunction with support required in relation to Members‟ staff training, this activity was not completed by March 2018 as planned.

Mainstreaming sustainable development principles to improve scrutiny across the Parliament is due for completion by July 2019. Key Activity to be incorporated into BAU.

In April 2018, LG agreed a revised timescale for exploring the feasibility of a Members and Members‟ staff learning and development programme to September 2018. Key Activity included in the 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

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The Parliament has the networks, resources, expertise and plans in place to scrutinise effectively proposals for Brexit and other constitutional change

Commission on Parliamentary Reform: Amber Progress against the programme of work is being

monitored. Constitutional Issues Board: Green CIB informed staff of developments, particularly in relation

to the issues affecting EU citizens‟ rights both during and after the transition period of Brexit.

The CIB monitored progress of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill through the Parliament.

In April 2018, LG agreed a revised timescale to report on

the disposal and implementation of all recommendations to December 2018, Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

Put in place resources to support parliamentary

consideration of new powers in accordance with Brexit timetable by May 2018.

During Q1, the CIB will continue to undertake work on the

implications of the UK‟s departure from the EU. Particular focus will be given to the implications of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, the Continuity Bill, possible transitional arrangements and issues related to citizens‟ rights.

Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

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Deliver public engagement activities that improve the quality and visibility of the work of the Parliament

Public Engagement Strategy: Green

SPCB agreed the Public Engagement Strategy in January 2018.

Recruitment for senior posts in the Committee Engagement

Unit (CEU) was completed in February 2018. The Festival of Politics evaluation was considered and the

2018 approach agreed by SPCB in February 2018.

British Sign Language Plan Project: Green

A BSL User Group (including BSL community members) to help develop the BSL Plan was established in January 2018. Meetings were held in January and February 2018 to discuss BSL community expectations.

Parliamentary Officeholders met in January 2018 to agree

the way forward for producing their Office Plans. Existing consultation material was reviewed by end of

February 2018.

Review 2017-18 performance and agree 2018-19 KPIs by

May 2018. Public Engagement Strategy as a Key Activity now incorporated into BAU.

CEU recruitment to be completed by June 2018. Key

Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan. The Year of Young People Programme to be finalised by

May 2018. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

A draft BSL plan and options paper will be developed for LG by May 2018.

Consultation with external stakeholders on draft BSL plan

by May 2018, with analysis of feedback to be completed by June 2018.

Draft BSL plan to be presented to SPCB by June 2018. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

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Scottish Parliamentary Service staff with the capacity and skills to meet the challenges of delivering parliamentary services, in a changing environment

Review of Recruitment Processes: Amber HR staff participated in unconscious bias training in

January 2018. Values and Behaviours Framework: Green Draft Values and Behaviours Framework was completed in

January 2018. Final workshop with the Working Group was held in March

2018 to share the draft Framework.

Organisational Values and Behaviours agreed by LG in April 2018 to be embedded in new recruitment process.

In April 2018, LG agreed a revised timescale for the

recruitment process. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan under Workforce Planning.

Implementation of new recruitment approach to be

discussed and agreed with LG in June 2018, with implementation to be completed by October 2018.

LG agreed Values and Behaviours Framework in April

2018.

Framework to be rolled out by office from April to December 2018.

Values and behaviours to be incorporated into all we do (policies, processes, conversations) by June 2018. Note, slippage in timescale, however, not significant. Key Activity will be completed.

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Scottish Parliamentary Service staff with the capacity and skills to meet the challenges of delivering parliamentary services, in a changing environment cont‟d

Programme to support LG in developing leadership and

management capabilities, both on an individual and collective basis, to support the Parliamentary Service in address future challenges was completed in March 2018.

Leadership and Management Framework created and the following was delivered:

o Development programme for a cohort of Grade 6 staff

piloted in January 2018. o 2 cohort groups for the pilot iLM accredited programme

for First Line Managers (grade 2-4) commenced in December 2017 and January 2018. The programme includes Members' staff.

Scottish Parliamentary Staff Handbook: Green New handbook and contract produced in March 2018.

Outcomes of the LG programme to be reviewed with key

stakeholders by August 2018. Further development will require budget from 2018-19 contingency.

Outcomes of the Grade 6 programme to be reviewed

with key stakeholders by August 2018. If LG wishes to roll out the programme to other Grade 6 staff, budget will be sought from 2018-19 contingency.

The Programme will be completed in June 2018 and a

review with key stakeholders by September 2018. If LG wishes to roll out the programme to other staff, a budget bid will be submitted for 2020-2021.

Key Activities relating to staff development and

training included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan under Workforce Planning.

New handbook available to potential candidates/new

starts from June 2018. Engagement exercise with current staff will take place from May through to October 2018.

The project is now closed, will move into BAU, and will

be tracked under the HR Office Plan. Key Activity completed.

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Diversity & Inclusion Delivery Plan 2018-2019: Green

Equality Monitoring Report 2017 published to legislative deadline in March 2018.

Gender Pay Gap Report 2017 published to legislative

deadline in March 2018. The women‟s organisation, Close the Gap was consulted in the production of the report.

Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2018-19 was drafted

in March 2018 with actions from the published reports. Learning & Development Plan 2018-2021: Amber An organisation-wide (including Members' staff)

Learning and Development Plan covering 2018-2021 to enhance leadership and management capabilities, and digital and IT skills was partially produced at the end of March 2018.

Annual review of the 2017-18 Delivery Plan & production

of 2018-19 Delivery Plan in May 2018. Review of EQIA processes and other equality data in line with new legal duties moving to Year 2 Delivery Plan. Thereafter, Key Activity will be completed.

Review diversity and inclusion on decision making boards; EQIA processes and other equality data in line with new legal duties by April 2018.

Key Activities relating to diversity and inclusion

included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan. An options paper for development for future years will be

produced and considered by LG in June 2018, in order to inform the 2019-20 budget and workforce plan.

L&D Plan for 2018-19 will be presented to LG in June 2018. This will include organisation-wide activities provided by Knowledge Development Advisers. Detailed development activities to enhance management capabilities at no direct cost will be captured and will be open to SPS and Members' staff. The content of the workshops be based on HR policies and practices of the employer and will be delivered by HR staff.

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The Digital Competencies framework was completed in January 2018. The outcome of the Digital Strategy Board‟s commissioned Digital Capability Report is outstanding, therefore, the overall status is amber.

Apprenticeship Programme Review: Green HR Lead and Project Manager in place.

Report of recommendations produced in March 2018.

On receipt of the Report the outcomes will be considered by the Digital Strategy Board (DSB) and an action plan will be agreed to form the next steps.

Key Activity relating to staff development and training

included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan under Workforce Planning.

LG and SPCB to agree recommendations by June 2018. Thereafter, Key Activity will be completed.

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Efficient and effective deployment of our staff, financial and physical resources

Green

Lease negotiations with the landlord of an identified property are progressing and expected to conclude by May 2018.

A Steering Group, comprising all stakeholders, was formed

in January 2018 to take forward space planning. This is being progressed with initial plans developed and initial costs for fit out have been obtained.

Strategy, Planning & Reporting Improvement Process: Green LG agreed to the overall Strategy, Planning and Reporting

Improvement Process approach and the 2018-19 Delivery Plan refresh approach in February 2018.

Lease negotiations to be completed by May 2018.

Space planning, contract for fit out and IT requirements to be finalised by July 2018.


In April 2018, LG agreed the recommendations to take forward relating to Internal Audits review of the Strategic Plan and Delivery Plan‟s governance and accountability arrangements.

2018-19 Delivery Plan was agreed by LG in April and is to be agreed by SPCB in May 2018.


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Efficient and effective deployment of our staff, financial and physical resources cont‟d A modern Parliament, demonstrating a smart, confident use of technology and information to drive improvements in how we communicate and work

Internal Communications Review Report: Green An implementation plan for the Interview Communications

Review was developed in March 2018 setting out timescales for the implementation of the 33 recommendations.

Questions and Motions System: Green All planned development of the new Questions and Motions

Application were completed in March 2018. The project is in support phase.

Web & Online Roadmap to support aims of the Public Engagement Strategy: Green Based on extensive user research, a basic web prototype

(homepage and 3 top tasks) was created and approved by Project Board. The project now moves into delivery phase to create the new website based on this prototype.

In March 2018, the Project Board agreed the

communications approach to engage with senior stakeholders including SPCB in Roadmap and Alpha. In addition, the Roadmap was agreed by Project Board and a summary was presented at DSB.


Project will continue post live support period ending in

April 2018. Thereafter, Key Activity will be completed. Recruit content strategist (contract resource) in April

2018. Technical decisions to agree future content management systems, enterprise search solution and website hosting. From April 2018, commence procurement for Content Strategy and Digital Design Standards.

Engage SPCB Portfolio Member for Digital Services in

project and discuss at SPCB in April 2018. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

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http://www.parliament.scot/CorporateBulletinandChiefExecutivesMessages/LG(2017)Paper070-_Internal_Communications_Review_Report.pdf

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A modern Parliament, demonstrating a smart, confident use of technology and information to drive improvements in how we communicate and work cont‟d

Telephony System: Green Technical design agreed for infrastructure enhancements

and proof of concept / “Model Office” kit procured in March 2018.

Digital Workplace Programme for SPS: Amber

By end of March 2018, approximately 40% of SPS staff and contractors were upgraded to Windows 10 (185 devices/277 users out of 611/694).

Feedback on user experience, training and floor walking support has been very positive. Four separate courses were delivered to 381 SPS staff from 16 offices.

A third of Members and their staff have been upgraded to the latest, fully supported version of Windows 10.

Hardware and licenses procured in April 2018. Infrastructure enhancements implementation to

commence in May 2018 and proof of concept / test lab available by June 2018.

Evaluation workshops engaging SPS and members with

the model office to be scheduled Q1 2018-19. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan. Remaining SPS deployments on track for completion by

November 2018. Members upgrade on schedule for April 2018. Note, a

small number of local offices may need some remedial work.

Further scoping by June 2018 to define the change

opportunities offered by the Office 365 Applications suite. Map out change roadmap for DWP projects and

dependent initiatives. Resourcing challenges continue to affect the pace of delivery through April and probably into May 2018, resulting in the amber status.

Key Activity include in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

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Document Retention Project: Amber During Q4, the Document Retention Policy was

implemented in 1 office - fewer than planned. IT major incidents significantly impacted the availability of IMG and BIT staff for this activity. Assessment of remaining activities currently underway.

As of April 2018, implementation is complete in 11 business areas, partially implemented in 13 and not yet in 5.

Transition to new IT Services Contract: Green Successful delivery of live services from new strategic

partner during January to March 2018. The new contract will save the organisation up to £300k per annum.

Transition of MSP Local Office support ongoing and

planned for completion as part of routine service by June 2018.

Project closure documentation including follow on actions

and lessons learned completed and project formally closed. Key Activity completed.

Committee Agenda System: Green Committee Agenda System (CAS) Business Case

approved by Project Board & DSB in March 2018.

During Q1, the plan is to close the project and pick the policy up as “business as usual” and implement the Document Retention Policy in the following business areas: Chamber, Finance, MRO, Broadcasting, Outreach, IRO, EET, Officeholders, FM, Business Continuity, Allowances, Internal Audit, IMG, HR and ACE/Group heads. Thereafter, Key Activity will be completed.

Commence planning and development phase of the CAS

replacement by end June 2018. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

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Official Report System: Green

DSB approved Business Case and further requirements gathering to take place in March 2018.

Digital Strategy: Green DSB workshops in January and March 2018 established

the projects to be progressed and initial budget allocations, forming the initial portfolio to deliver the digital strategy. Fully funded projects are: Infrastructure Refresh, Security Penetration Testing, Legislation Drafting, MSP Case Management Upgrade, Finance Systems Strategy and Committee Agenda System. Partial funded projects are: Telephony, End User Device Refresh, Development & Test Environments, Website Implementation & Digital Workplace. DSB agreed that Digital Engagement Tools will be funded via the PO‟s Commission Budget. Allocations equate to £1.3m (~69%) of the overall Digital Strategy Budget of £1.86m.

DSB reviewed Digital Strategic Risks - SPS Capacity to

deliver - in January 2018 and - SPS Capability to deliver - in March 2018.

Planning and requirements to begin in April 2018 and scheduled for completion by July 2018. Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan.

DSB to review other potential project priorities and initial

budget allocations in May 2018. This will include the Holyrood Drawing and Building Information Management Systems.

DSB to consider the next tranche of funding for the Web &

Online Strategy in May 2018. DSB to consider the Digital Capability Framework Report

recommendations and next steps in June 2018.

DSB to review risk management strategy for key risk from the Digital Strategy Risk Register in May 2018.

The Digital Strategy as a Key Activity now

incorporated into BAU.

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Online Lobbying Register: Green Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016 fully commenced and

application live from 12 March 2018.

Quality Assurance testing in Q4 identified errors which contractor corrected.

Technical adjustment to administrative functionality

approved by SRO at cost of £6.5k. Legislative Drafting, Amending and Publishing Tool: Amber

Procurement process for live service contract is nearing

completion, with identification of a preferred bidder.

Web API, which allows biannual export of data to the

Parliament‟s Open Data site will complete testing and be available for use with the Register in live environment

Project will be closed by end April 2018. Therefore, Key Activity will be completed.

The LDAPP Programme Board will consider the outcome

of the procurement process in detail and decide how to proceed in May 2018.

Each of the six partner organisations will then consider their approach to developing a business case and seeking agreement in principle within their organisation to proceed with the live services contract. Subject to that approval, the contract will be finalised and signed and live service development begin. The new contract is expected to start in by September 2018.


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Safe, secure and resilient working environments for Members, Members Staff, the Scottish Parliamentary Service & the Public

Security Works & Improvement: Green The supplier for the replacement security system was

selected in February 2018 and on-site work is progressing to schedule.

Eight projects to deliver the physical security recommendations were scoped and costed.

Programme governance arrangements, shared with LG and the SPCB, are in place and the various boards and teams established. The majority of the programme roles are filled with the remaining two roles due to be filled shortly.

Internal stakeholder engagement workshops on the six strands of the programme are underway. Feedback will be used to finalise the remits and communications strategy for the programme.

EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR): Green Rollout of on-line training completed in March 2018.

Data Protection Officer role finalised and allocated to

Head of Resources and Governance in February 2018.

LG signed-off Corporate Responsibilities in February 2018.

Priorities for the replacement security system include

delivery of dual factor authentication at passholder entrances and the security control room upgrade to be completed over the summer recess.

The SPCB to be consulted on the identified projects in May 2018, where approval will be sought regarding options and prioritisation. Work on the agreed projects will commence thereafter.

The programme communications strategy will be finalised by April 2018.

Key Activity included in 2018-19 Delivery Plan. Complete delivery and sign-off of office compliance

plans by April 2018.


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Safe, secure and resilient working environments for Members, Members Staff, the Scottish Parliamentary Service & the Public cont‟d

Cyber Security Defences: Green New „edge‟ firewalls purchased.

Review of network infrastructure to ensure it fully supports

further security changes (e.g. secure Wi-Fi) and telephony modernisation plans.

Project closure documentation including follow on actions and lessons learned completed and project formally closed in March 2018. Key Activity completed.

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Corporate Risk Register

The Corporate Risk Register sets out fifteen high level risks which may act as barriers to the successful delivery of the strategic aims of Scottish Parliament. Corporate risks are identified from a variety of sources including: strategic, delivery and office plans; major programmes and projects; and other known and emerging business priorities such as business continuity high impact risks. Each corporate risk is aligned to a specific aim/(s) within the Strategic Plan for the Scottish Parliament, is scored in terms of likelihood and impact and is designated as high, medium or low both before (inherent risk) and after (residual risk) the application of internal controls and management actions. Corporate risks are also compared to the agreed levels of tolerance that LG has set in order to assess the effectiveness of internal controls and mitigating actions. The appropriateness of risk scores, risk tolerance levels and the requirement scope to add or remove risks is considered by LG quarterly. As at March 2018, seven of our fifteen corporate risks, whilst not considered as high overall, continued to exceed the very low tolerance levels that LG has set for these risks. LG continues to assess and monitor the planned responses to these and other corporate risks and, following the refresh of the 2018-19 Delivery Plan in April 2018, will revisit the controls, actions and tolerable levels for these risks. A updated risk register, consistent with the refreshed Delivery Plan, will be considered by LG in early June 2018.

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Chief Executive’s Report to the SPCB May 2018 › images › SPCB › CE_Report_3...Following on...

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Transcript of Chief Executive’s Report to the SPCB May 2018 › images › SPCB › CE_Report_3...Following on...