Chief Executive’s Report to the SPCB

September 2015

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Introduction

This report covers activity in July, August and September, and includes the

SPCB finance report for period 4 of 2015.

Some of the items to note include:

• Stage 3 of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill took place on

Thursday 17 September. BSL interpreters were in place in the

Debating Chamber to assist members of the public requiring BSL

interpretation. An overspill facility for the Public Gallery was also

arranged.

• The Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee met in Paisley on 21

September as part of the Parliament Day programme.

• Over 36,000 people visited the Parliament over the summer recess.

This included visitors attending the World Press Photo Exhibition and

the Michael Peto exhibition. The Festival of Politics was attended by

over 4,300 people over its weekend run. These extra visitors had a

positive impact on shop sales.

• Christmas opening hours.

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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SECTION 1 – OVERVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES

Chamber Office

Chamber Desk In light of the focus on improving corporate agility, the Chamber Desk, for the third year running, offered a programme of job shadowing over the summer recess. Nineteen staff at Grades 2 to 6 from across the Parliament participated, each spending a couple of hours with Chamber Desk staff who took them through the work of the team and explained the motions and questions process. During the period up to Christmas recess participants will be given the opportunity to sit with the vote clerk during FMQs in order to experience proceedings at close quarters. The feedback received from participants has been excellent and the Chamber Desk team also gained a lot from the experience in terms of their own development. Over the last three years 80 staff have participated in the job shadowing programme and most offices have now been represented. One member of MSP staff and two modern apprentices also took part. Business Team Stage 3 of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill took place on Thursday 17 September. BSL interpreters were present in the chamber for members of the public who required BSL interpretation to follow proceedings. There was a high level of interest in these proceedings. Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee The DPLR Committee has begun scrutiny of the Succession (Scotland) Bill. This is the second Bill to be designated as a Scottish Law Commission Bill (SLC Bill) and, therefore, referred to the DPLR Committee as lead committee at Stage 1. The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee is currently considering a review of how the SLC Bill procedure has operated, two years on from the introduction of the relevant Standing Orders rule changes. The Scottish Government has announced its intention to introduce a Bankruptcy Consolidation Bill. This would be only the second Consolidation Bill in the Parliament’s history (the first, the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Bill, being introduced in November 2002). The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee is currently considering a proposal from the Minister for Parliamentary Business that the Standing Orders be changed so that the DPLR Committee can be designated as lead committee for consideration of Consolidation Bills (currently the Standing Orders provide for an ad hoc consolidation committee to be established). The DPLR Committee has indicated that it would be content for such a change to be made.

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Committees and Outreach

Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee As part of Parliament Day Paisley, MSPs on the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee met with local people to hear about how their working lives have changed since the 2008 recession. This session will inform an inquiry the Committee is undertaking on the issue of ‘work, wages and wellbeing.’ Education and Culture Committee The Education and Culture Committee hosted an informal discussion with 50-60 senior local authority officials, from education and finance, to discuss school education spending. The key findings will help to inform the Committee’s ongoing scrutiny of the educational attainment gap and its forthcoming work on the Scottish Government’s 2016-17 Draft Budget. European and External Relations Committee Following a scoping session on the implications of the EU referendum and EU reform for Scotland, the Committee issued a call for evidence and will start taking oral evidence in November. It has also agreed to issue a call for evidence on the UK Government’s plans to repeal the Human Rights Act and its replacement by a British Bill of Rights. The Committee is also holding a roundtable on the EU refugee crisis and Scotland’s response. Finance The Committee met informally with members of the House of Lords Select Committee on Economic Affairs on 7 September to discuss their inquiry into the devolution of public finances in the UK. Health and Sport Committee Over the summer recess the Committee used a smart survey to gather views on regulating e-cigarettes as well as seeking written views and also launching an inquiry (at the Marie Curie Hospice in Glasgow) into Palliative Care which received considerable media coverage. The Committee used a Festival of Politics event as well as youth engagement events to gather views (including vlogs) on regulating e-cigarettes. Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee As the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) is one of the largest transport infrastructure and regeneration projects currently underway in Scotland, the Committee has, and continues to ensure, that it carefully scrutinises its progress through regular written and oral updates from the FRC project team. The Committee has visited the project on a number of occasions to see at first-hand the project’s progress as well as allowing it to meet those working on its construction. The Committee’s most recent visit on 9 September helped informed its scrutiny of the project team during the formal update received at its meeting on 16 September.

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Justice Committee After an 18 month hiatus, scrutiny of the Criminal Justice Scotland Bill has resumed with Stage 2 consideration of amendments on matters including corroboration, stop and search, powers of arrest and the age of criminal legal responsibility. The Committee is also scrutinising the Community Justice (Scotland) Bill, introduced in part-response to the findings of the Commission on Women Offenders which concluded that far too many female offenders were being sent to prison but also identified serious flaws in the current community justice system. Public Petitions Committee The Committee held a meeting in Inveraray following site visits in connection with two local petitions. The meeting was well attended with 20-25 members of the public coming along in what has traditionally been quite a hard area to generate engagement. The former MP for the area attended the meeting and in the Q&A session afterwards was complimentary about the petitions process and the willingness of Committees to meet in areas around Scotland. Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee As part of its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, the Committee is undertaking a programme of public engagement events in September during which it will hold a formal Committee meeting on Skye, as well as embarking on fact-finding visits to Fife; Islay; Jura; and the Scottish Borders. These will include public meetings and visits to farms, estates and community projects to discuss the Bill with people who may be affected and who have views and expertise to help inform the Committee’s work. Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee The Committee has launched a committee reform inquiry (by writing to all MSPs) – the range of issues covered will include support and resources for committees as well as structures, remits, etc. Welfare Reform Committee As part of its inquiry into the use of the new welfare powers, Committee members held 3 sessions in Glasgow with different minority groups: Asian women, refugees and Roma groups. As part of the same inquiry, the Committee also hosted an event in the Parliament for all the 'Your Say' witnesses who have given evidence to it in the past 2 years, using them as a focus group to give views on the use of the new powers. In late August the Committee published a further research report from Sheffield Hallam University on ‘The impact of welfare reform on labour market participation and employment in Scotland’. UK and International Relations Office (UKIRO)

Ms Christine Fyffe MLA, former Speaker and current Member of the Australian State Parliament of Victoria, visited at the beginning of September and met with the Convener and clerks of the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to discuss the Code of Conduct for Members.

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The Ambassador of Luxembourg visited the Parliament on 17 September to give evidence to the European and External Relations Committee on Luxembourg’s priorities for the Presidency of the Council of the EU. In advance of his evidence session, he paid a courtesy call on Deputy Presiding Officer, John Scott MSP. Duncan McNeil MSP was selected by the CPA British Island and Mediterranean Region representatives to participate in a post-election Seminar in Anguilla from 10-12 August 2015. Newly elected parliamentarians from Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands attended the seminar which was designed to further develop their knowledge, skills and confidence through the sharing of best practice with experienced, current and former local parliamentarians, experienced Commonwealth parliamentarians and others. Dr Kamalesh Sharma, CPA Secretary-General, visited the Scottish Parliament on 14 August to participate in the Festival of Politics event “The relevance of the Commonwealth in the 21st century”.

The CPA Scotland Branch Executive Committee will host a seminar on “Social Media: Protecting against violence and abuse” which will take place in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 23 September 2015 at 6.00pm. A networking reception will take place immediately after the seminar. Parliamentarians from the Falkland Islands, the UK Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the National Assembly of Wales will also attend as well as representatives from Scottish organisations with a keen interest in this area. Laura Higgins (UK Safer Internet Centre), Susie Hargreaves (Chief Executive, Internet Watch Foundation) and Rupinder Bains (Managing Director, Pinder Reaux) will each present, lead the discussions and answer questions from attendees. It is envisaged that guests will hear enlightening and persuasive presentations on how the proliferation of internet use had brought with it a range of risks for users. This seminar will provide an ideal opportunity for MSPs and senior officials to meet with others to share knowledge and experience in this area in an informal environment. The Presiding Officer will host a visit by the Speakers/Presiding Officers of the UK, Wales and Northern Ireland legislatures to discuss a number of areas of mutual interest. This will likely be the final ‘Quad-lateral’ meeting of POs/Speakers ahead of next May’s elections.

Communications and Research

Public Information and Publications As part of the Business Publications project, desk deliveries of business documents have been replaced for MSPs by pick-up points at SPICe and at the end of MSP Building corridors. There were a small number of enquiries from Members resulting from this, all of which were followed up personally by senior SPS staff. SPS staff no longer receive printed copies of business publications.

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BIT and Broadcasting

New Case Management software offered in Session 5 After a successful pilot we are delighted to be able to offer a brand new case management solution (Microsoft Dynamics CRM) to all Members following the election next year. BIT will offer training on the new system both in the local offices and here in Holyrood. The first phase will be to rollout to new Members post-election. Rollout to returned Members will be scheduled after the initial phase. Human Resources Women in Leadership programme

On 9 September the Women in Leadership programme was launched. It is open to women of all grades in the Parliament who want to develop their leadership skills and make the most out of their career. This is one of a number of initiatives designed to strengthen leadership and capability in the organisation and recognises the Scottish Parliament’s commitment to being a diverse representative organisation. Fifteen women will have the chance to realise their potential and take part in a highly interactive programme supplemented by a range of workshops, discussions, self-reflective feedback on current leadership styles, one to one coaching sessions and a Women in Leadership network.

Registration closes on 30 September and the 15 women will start the programme at the end of October.

We are anticipating a good response from staff. There has already been a lot of interest from women sharing their personal reasons on why such a programme will help with their confidence and help them recognise the skills they already have and those they need to develop. Corporate Body members will be kept up to date on how the programme develops. Facilities, Events, Exhibitions and Visitor Services

Facilities Management

Digital Meeting Rooms New technology has been installed in meeting rooms TG.20/21; TG.24, TG.26 and Q1.03 to create interactive and innovative meeting spaces. The rooms provide “Skype” facilities and allow you to connect mobile devices such as

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laptops and Apple devices wirelessly to a fixed screen within the room so that you can work collaboratively, share information and have video calls from a single space. These rooms are available to book through the Facilities Management (FM) Helpdesk and FM staff will be available to provide assistance and support. Fire Safety Following the transfer of fire safety-related enforcement responsibilities from Crown Enforcement to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the initial fire safety audit took place on Tuesday 30 June. The outcome was satisfactory with no actions required. Members’ staff are now given the opportunity to complete their Fire Safety Induction course on-line prior to commencing work at The Scottish Parliament and should aim to do so within a week of starting in order to maintain individual pass holder status. Maintenance and Projects The summer recess was a busy period for delivering maintenance including the refurbishment of several tea points and timber floors in some parts of the campus. The table in Committee Room 1 was refurbished and trial work was undertaken to improve the operation of the sliding doors in MSP offices. This trial was successful and a further programme of planned works will be undertaken over the coming months. Events and exhibitions

There were over 36,000 visitors to Parliament during the World Press Photo exhibiiton and the Michael Peto Photographs: Politics in Focus, which ran from Wednesday 22 July to Saturday 22 August. Of visitors surveyed, 29% said they visited the Parliament to see the WPP exhibition and 93% said they would recommend a visit to the exhibition. The 2015 Festival of Politics, with an international theme of seeing the world differently, took place from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August and was attended by more than 4,300 people. This year introduced a new film strand and a focus on youth events on the Saturday. Both were successful, contributing to a 50% increase in ticket revenue. There was a total of 34 events including 3 Debating Chamber events and 9 free youth workshops. There was an 86% increase in Twitter followers compared to 2014 and almost 15,000 people engaging on Facebook. A full report will go to the SPCB in due course. The launch of the Corporate Events Venues took place on Thursday 27 August showcasing the Main Hall and the Members’ Room to over 75 prospective clients. The evening event provided guests with an opportunity to sample corporate events packages and to meet the Team. Positive feedback was received from event organisers on all aspects of the event including the venues and hospitality.

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On Wednesday 16 September the Presiding Officer hosted a reception for Members to mark the 50th Anniversary of SCIAF, the official overseas aid and development charity of the Catholic Church in Scotland. The Presiding Officer unveiled four paintings gifted by John Lowrie Morrison in the Members’ Room on Tuesday 22 September. These paintings were painted specially for the Scottish Parliament Art Collection. Forward Look

On Wednesday 30 September the Presiding Officer will co-host a reception with Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Sport, Health, Improvement and Mental Health in the Main Hall for Scottish athletes that participated in the 2015 Special Olympics.

Visitor services

Visitor numbers and tour attendees have remained fairly constant during the year, with tour capacity for guided tours reaching 92% in July and 83% in August. Parliament Shop The Parliament Shop enjoyed buoyant sales throughout the period, with guidebooks, fair trade chocolate and suffragette merchandise continuing to sell well. The trial ‘pop-up’ shop in the Main Hall which included a small range of Peto-specific merchandise and World Press Photo books, generated sales of over £500. When not being used in its pop-up shop configuration, the portable module concerned is employed as a welcome desk close to the point of entry to the Main Hall. Books linked to FoP events generated £1300 of sales and books generally continue to do very well in the Parliament Shop. A new range of branded giftware bearing the SP logo has been introduced. These include branded card-style 4GB USBs and official Parliament tartan business card holders and coasters, and have been chosen with Members and corporate gifts specifically in mind. Christmas Opening The dates for closure of the Parliament building to the general public over the Christmas and New Year period have been confirmed, continuing the pattern of seasonal closure established at the start of the parliamentary session. 2015-16: closed 24 December -3 January (inclusive), re-opening on Monday 4 January.

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These arrangements continue to ensure that staff and other resources are deployed when the demand for visits to the Parliament is highest, the Christmas and New Year period being relatively quiet in terms of visits by members of the public. Full access to the building will be available for pass holders throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

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SECTION 2 – SPCB FINANCE REPORT

Period 4 – July 2015

1. This report is to inform SPCB of general financial activity and expenditure trends in 2015-16.

Executive Summary

Performance against Budget (year to date variance)

a) Total SPCB revenue and capital expenditure

Para 2

& 7

b) Total SPS expenditure Para 8

c) Total project expenditure Para 9

Operation of Financial Controls

d) Key reconciliations up to date Para 5

Other Key Indicators

e) Payment performance Para 6

Key: RAG Status

Financial Commentary

2. The Scottish Parliament’s total revenue and capital expenditure for the first four months of 2015-16 of £23.3m represents an under spend against budget of £1.6m (6.6%), which is outside the SPCB’s target range of 0% to 5% under budget at this stage of the financial year. The overall underspend is higher than the comparable position for 2014-15 of £0.9m (3.7%).

3. As indicated in the Period 3 Finance Report, we have now completed the

transfers of budget arising from the early re-forecasting exercise in June/July (para 12). The next re-forecasting exercise will be in September and reflected in the Period 6 figures.

Performance within target range

Performance outwith target range but acceptable

Performance outwith target range not acceptable

6.6%

..%

8.2%

45.3%8

%

100%

99.5%

G

R

A

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4. The SPCB’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2014-15 were approved at the AAB meeting on 14 August with formal clearance to be sought at the SPCB meeting on 9 September. No significant issues have arisen and an unqualified audit certificate is envisaged.

5. All key reconciliations for the current year are up to date.

6. Payment performance within contract terms for the year to date exceeds the

99% target and the equivalent figure for payment within 10 days is 96.3% for the year to date.

Financial Results

7. The SPCB’s total revenue and capital expenditure per Schedule 1 for the four

months ended July 2015 is £23.3m, which is £1.6m (6.6%) under the approved budget of £24.9m.

Parliamentary Service Costs (Schedule 2)

8. The year to date expenditure for the Parliamentary Service (SPS), at £12.9m, is £1.1m (8.2%) under budget. Parliamentary Service Costs incorporate both capital and revenue projects. The previous year’s expenditure of £12.5m at period 4 was £0.6m (4.5%) below budget. An analysis of the current financial year by main category of expenditure is shown in the two charts below.

6.4

5.1

6.6

4.2 4.3

3.7 3.5

2.6

4.7

2.3

3.1

2.5

3.5

1.2

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

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

%-a

ge

Trend of Total Monthly Underspend

15/16 14/15

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Staff Pay is reported as £114k (1.5%) under budget including Agency staff and contractors.

Expenditure on staff pay to date is £7.7m, £410k / 5.6% higher than the equivalent 14-15 costs of £7.3m.

Staff Related Costs of £229k are reported as £28k (10.7%) below budget, comprising of a Corporate and Job Related Training underspend of £24k. Total Staff Related Costs actual spend to date is £59k higher than for the equivalent period in 2014-15.

Property Costs of £2.3m are £0.3m (10.7%) under the Year to Date budget. The majority of this is in utilities, with £191k attributable to the budget being phased to expect a large water rates payment in July, but the contract is out to tender and due to be awarded in September. This budget will be rephased for period 5.

7,692

229

2,343

1,882

734

7,806

257

2,624

2,000

1,342

7,282

170

2,304

1,761

1,013

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

Total Staff Pay Total StaffRelated Costs

Total PropertyCosts

Total RunningCosts

Total Projects

£'0

00

Parliamentary Service YTD Expenditure £k

Actual 15/16 Budget 15/16 Actual 14/15

608

118

280

28

114

50100150200250300350400450500550600650

Projects

Running Costs

Property Costs

Staff Related Costs

Staff Pay

Underspend £k

Parliamentary Service YTD Under & Overspends £k

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Running Costs of £1.9m are £118k (5.9%) under budget. Main running cost underspends are Printing (£33k), while Mail Services and Postage are £50k over budget.

Project expenditure in the first four months is currently £734k (45.3%) below the phased year to date budget of £1,342k.

Project Reporting (Schedule 3) 9. Schedule 3 shows project spend by category of project.

Total project expenditure is £734k, £608k (45.3%) below the Year to Date budget of £1,342k.

Revenue Projects show a total spend of £679k against a budget of £1,252k, a reported underspend of £573k (45.7%).

The bulk of the reported underspend was in three FM building related projects; £150k in the Service Yard Design, £110k in FM’s M&E 25 Year Plan and £90k in the Roof Anchor Points. This is being followed up with FM to see if the budgets require to be rephased.

The July 2015 forecasting exercise increased the revenue project budget by £94k. This included £30k for redesign of the Service Yard and an additional £67k for the Organisational Development project to cover higher than expected costs of recruiting two grade 4s.

195

74

33

24

(50)

Utilities

Maintenance

Printing

Training

Mail Services & Postage

PS (Excluding Projects) Key YTD Under / Overspends £000k

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The capital projects programme for 2015-16 has seen expenditure of £55k for the year to date against a budget of £90k, an underspend of £36k (40%).

The Digital Parliament Programme has seen expenditure of £354k for the year to date against a £415k budget, an underspend variance of £61k or 14.7%.

The charts below provide an overview of the full year project budget by ‘certainty’ of expenditure.

13%

27%

45%

15%

Project Budget Status July 2016

Spent

PO

Forecast

Not yet allocated

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Innovation Fund/Other

OD & other HR projects

IT & Broadcasting Equipment

Digital Parliament

FM Building & Equipment

Project Budget Status by Portfolio

Spent PO Forecast Not yet allocated

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Members’ Costs (Schedule 2)

10. Members’ costs are analysed in Schedule 2, which shows £7.8m reported cost to July 2015, £502k (6.1%) below the phased year to date budget. (The corresponding underspend figures for 2014-15 at the end of period 4 were £279k, 3.5%). Of this underspend, £453k (10.5%) is on Members’ Expenses. Party Assistance, at £106k, is reported as £45k under the year to date budget.

Commissioners & Ombudsman Costs (Schedule 2)

11. The SPCB’s funding cost for Commissioners and Ombudsman (Officeholders) in the first four months of 2015-16 amounts to £2.7m, which is £10k (0.4%) over the phased budget to July 2015.

Central Contingency 12. The SPCB’s central revenue contingency of £330k has been decreased by a further

£190k as a result of the July forecasting exercise. This was a net transfer of £96k into PS offices (mostly to re-align office salary budgets with latest outturn forecasts) and a £94k transfer to revenue projects – to cover projects including Organisational Development and the Service Yard.

Commitment 13. The actual expenditure plus commitment sits at £37.4m or 85% of the total PS budget

of £43.7m as at the end of July 2015. Almost 60% (£3.3m) of the uncommitted budget relates to revenue and capital projects evenly split across FM Buildings and Equipment, IT and the Digital Parliament.

Actual Spend, 12,881, 29%

Outstanding Commitment, 24,525, 56%

Uncommitted, 6,322, 15%

PS Committed Funds as at July 2015: £k,%