Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office, Edinburgh - Briefing Document Twenty

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Parliamentary Officer:Rev Graham Blount
Phone:
0131 558 8137

Briefing Document No 20 - Page 2 of 8

True to its Principles? - Continued.

Accountability:
1. Is the distinction between the Scottish Executive and the Parliament widely understood by the public and the press?
2. Have members embraced their responsibilities as ministers, conveners, and committee members?
3. How are members rising to their responsibilities of representing their constituents and constituencies in Parliament?
4. What is the evidence that the code of conduct has been effective in regulating members behaviour and what measure of reassurance has it offered the public that the integrity of Parliament will be protected?
5. How are the financial systems and audit arrangements in place to ensure that the accountability of the Executive and the Parliament are working?

Accessibility, Openness, Responsiveness
1. Has the Parliament been successful in achieving accessibility and openness through appropriate and innovative consultation procedures?
2. Has it encouraged and facilitated appropriate participation through its committee system, for example wide use of witness sessions?
3. Is there a discernible and workable information strategy in place? How has the Parliament used information and communications technologies to achieve an accessible Parliament?
4. Is the Parliament information clearly understood?
5. Is the Parliament providing the right sort of information?
6. Is the means by which it provides information adequate and accessible?
7. Is the internet site clear and easy to use?
8. What effort has the Parliament made to make an impact - through committees and other means - outside Edinburgh?
9. Has the time for reflection adequately addressed the requirement to incorporate pastoral issues in the Parliament and in view of the pressure on time is it relevant to the Parliament? What else needs to be or could be done?
10. How has the Parliament been able to encourage the participation of schools and young people in its work?
11. What evidence is there that educational authorities view the Parliament as a resource to be incorporated in their syllabuses?
12. Is the present 'working pattern' of the Parliament appropriate?
13. In practise, is the Parliaments routine family friendly? Equal Opportunities
1. How far has the establishment of an Equal Opportunities committee achieved the effective mainstreaming of equal opportunities in the consciousness of the Parliament and Scottish society? Review, self assessment, and monitoring
1. Would it be useful for the Parliament itself to conduct an annual audit of CSG "principles into practice" insofar as these effect the Parliament? The Procedures Committee is also currently spearheading a questionnaire, to be sent to all MSP's asking for their opinions on how procedures are working. This questionnaire will feed into discussions on basic procedure in Parliament, such as the amount of time allowed for speeches and whether there should be a Business Managers Question Time. These questions could also be addressed in responses to the consultation. The Procedures Committee agreed (May 29) that the issue of committees meeting in public or private session will be a part of this inquiry. Concern has been expressed by the SCPO on a number of occasions now at the increasing frequency with which committees are exercising their option to hold private session, and that this is now an issue clearly open for consultation is cause for celebration.