Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Official Report 806KB pdf

Standards Commission for Scotland (Reappointment of Member)

The next item of business is consideration of motion S4M-09349, in the name of Liam McArthur, on the reappointment of a member of the Standards Commission for Scotland.

I speak to the motion in my name as a member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, to invite members to agree to the reappointment of Matt Smith as a member of the Standards Commission for Scotland.

The commission has five part-time members. As I am sure that members are aware, its role is to encourage high ethical standards in public life. It does that by promoting and enforcing the codes of conduct for councillors and members of devolved public bodies. In addition to promoting the codes, the commission receives reports from the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland following his investigation into alleged breaches of the codes. If the commission upholds the commissioner’s findings, it determines, in accordance with the legislation, the sanction to be applied.

Under the Scottish Parliamentary Commissions and Commissioners etc Act 2010, members of the commission are reappointed by the SPCB with the Parliament’s agreement. The SPCB sat as a reappointment panel on 30 January 2014. I chaired the panel and the other members were Linda Fabiani and David Stewart. I thank Tony Swabe for confirming by way of a validation certificate that the nomination is made on merit following a fair and robust reappointment process that conformed to good practice. Details of the information that was considered by the SPCB and the criteria on which Matt Smith was assessed are set out in the report lodged by the SPCB in the Scottish Parliament information centre.

Matt Smith will, we believe, continue to ensure that high ethicaI standards are upheld in public life. I am sure that the Parliament will want to thank him for his contribution to date and wish him well in his work as a commission member.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees to the reappointment of Matt Smith as a memberber of the Standards Commission for Scotland under Schedule 7 of the Scottish Parliamentary Commissions and Commissioners etc. Act 2010.

The question on the motion will be put at decision time.