Scottish Commission for Public Audit, 28 Jun 2007

Meeting date: Thursday, June 28, 2007

Official Report 88KB pdf

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Work Programme

I thank Mark Brough and my colleagues. As the only Scottish National Party member of the commission, I am relieved that there was no embarrassing silence when members were asked to nominate a convener. I am sure that we will all get on swimmingly.

As it is lunch time, I am sure that we will want to trot through the business that is ahead of us.

Hear, hear.

There are some matters on which we must focus our minds, principally an away day and our initial work programme. I will begin by addressing some practicalities. I understand from an earlier discussion that I had with Mark Brough that previously the commission met in the evenings. However, the previous commission's legacy paper suggests that we get a slot in the timetable. I also understand that most members have commitments on Tuesday and that Charlie Gordon has a commitment on alternate Wednesday mornings to the Audit Committee. We still have to decide how often we will meet, but would Wednesday mornings that do not clash with meetings of the Audit Committee be acceptable to members as a time for meetings?

Members indicated agreement.

That is grand. What are members' views on the principle of our having an away day? I am sure that all members have had a chance to glance at the legacy paper, which raises a number of procedural issues that we may wish to consider at an away day, such as establishing a relationship with Audit Scotland and the auditors, Haines Watts, especially in relation to any potential future effectiveness, efficiency and economy review.

Do we need to take a whole day? Might a half day not too far away be enough?

The nods from members suggest that they agree that a half day would more than suffice. I am not entirely sure where would be near for most members. I seek members' guidance on whether a central belt or Edinburgh location would be preferable.

I am totally biased—I prefer an Edinburgh location, but perhaps one away from the Parliament.

I go along with that.

I, too, am perfectly happy with that.

I am in the heart of Scotland, so anywhere along the central belt corridor is fine for me. The consensus appears to be that we should meet in the Edinburgh area, but not necessarily in the Parliament.

I would be quite happy with Glasgow.

Derek, where are you based?

Edinburgh or Glasgow is fine for me, so the central belt is perfectly okay.

I am fine with that, too.

Glasgow is equally okay with me, if that is more convenient for members and there is a suitable location.

We will leave it to Mark Brough to liaise individually with members after the meeting. Will a date in August be okay, or will members have to consult their diaries? George, do you have a preference?

I would prefer not to hold the away day in August because that is about the only month that I will have free this year.

It depends on what the date clashes with, but I think that it should be just before we start back.

Do you mean right at the very end of August?

Yes. I do not know what else is on then, but I suspect that we will find—

That is the very last week of the recess.

Yes. I do not know whether that would clash with anything else.

Again, I ask Mark Brough to liaise with individual members later on that.

On the initial workload and outstanding issues, my understanding is that Audit Scotland has responded to the report of the previous Scottish Commission for Public Audit, so we must consider that. We must also consider any revisions that are required to the current year's budget and Audit Scotland's provisional expenditure estimates for the 2008-09 financial year. We will wish to consider taking evidence from Haines Watts, as I understand that we now have the annual accounts from Audit Scotland and that they have been published on the Parliament's website. Does that appear to members to be a reasonable programme for the agenda of our next meeting?

Members indicated agreement.

We can consult members on a meeting date in early September. We should all be back from holiday then, bright eyed and bushy tailed. The advice that we were given is that we should schedule another meeting in early or mid-November to consider budgetary requirements.

We have no other items to consider, so I wish you all happy holidays.

Meeting closed at 12:52.