Review of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) Supported Bodies Landscape

Effective accountability and scrutiny mechanisms

1. How should public bodies measure and demonstrate outcomes, and how should these outcomes be selected and prioritised?
2. To what extent is the current model of parliamentary committee scrutiny of the performance and effectiveness of how commissioners exercise their functions appropriate? How could this be improved and/or standardised?
3. How appropriate are existing lines of accountability for SPCB supported public bodies and how does the process work in practice? What other accountability models should be considered?

Criteria for creating new supported bodies and remit/powers of Commissioners

Over the course of this parliamentary session, the Scottish Government and individual MSPs have proposed the creation of an additional six potential SPCB supported bodies, which would have brought the total number to 14. These are:

1. 1. 1. Victims and Witnesses Commissioner
      2. Disability Commissioner
      3. Older People’s Commissioner
      4. Future Generations Commissioner
      5. Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Commissioner
      6. Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Commissioner or Commission.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will no longer bring forward the final two Commissioners listed above within this parliamentary session.

4. What do you consider the purpose of an SPCB supported Commissioner to be? How does this differ from the role of Ministers, MSPs, or other bodies?
5. Are the powers/remit of existing Commissioners appropriate?
6. Criteria were developed by the Session 2 Finance Committee to help guide decisions on whether to create a new commissioner. These criteria (Clarity of Remit, Distinction between functions, Complementarity, Simplicity and Accessibility, Shared Services and Accountability) are considered by the Scottish Government and Members when proposing Commissioner related bills. Are these criteria currently adequate and how could they be improved?

Barriers to sharing services and offices

7. What are the main barriers to sharing services and offices among public bodies? How can these barriers be overcome to improve efficiency and reduce costs while ensuring that shared services maintain high standards of quality and accountability?
8. What should the optimal operational model and structure for commissioners look like, and what key features should it include?