Chamber and committees

Do you know when you will get back to pre-pandemic levels of completion?

Good morning. Key message number 1 in the report says:

“We are making progress in returning the timeliness of our financial audit to pre-pandemic timescales but have more work to do.”

As I read them, the figures in the report are that, two years ago, 82 per cent of audits were delivered to schedule. A year ago, it was 75 per cent, and in this report, it is 51 per cent. That does not sound to me like progress, but perhaps you could explain those figures.

Okay. Thanks. In his opening remarks, Professor Alexander talked about the organisation considering “our purpose”. I think that most of us would consider the primary purpose to be to carry out audits of public bodies. From those figures, it appears that you are not making the progress that we would want to see. I would like to understand from you the extent to which that is to do with timeliness issues among the bodies that you are auditing versus timeliness issues in your own organisation.

That is the decision that you took as cabinet secretary.

We have got a final couple of questions from Willie Coffey.

One issue that was highlighted last year, which is not just an issue in South Lanarkshire College and can exist in other public organisations, is to do with training, including induction training, for board members who are involved in the governance of those organisations.

In paragraph 18 of the report, reference is made to induction training that was organised in early 2022 and then in the spring of that year. My question is twofold. First, do you have any evidence that those induction sessions made a difference? Secondly, David Hoose mentioned that six new board members are in the process of being recruited. Do you know what the induction arrangements will be for them? Are programmed induction events and other support mechanisms in place to make sure that the people who are involved in the governance of the college understand what their roles and responsibilities are? Auditor General, I turn to you first.

Thanks, and that is perfectly acceptable, because we understand that you are not long in post. We are happy to receive information in writing to ensure that the information that we have is accurate.

Obviously, you were in post at the time that the request for written authority was made, and it was based on the report that was produced by Teneo, as we understand it. Did you get direct access to that report?

Who made that decision?

You vetoed the release of that report.

Agenda item 2 is consideration of evidence on the written authority that the Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy issued in recent weeks. I am delighted to welcome our witnesses this morning. The cabinet secretary, Neil Gray, is joined by Kate Hall, who is the deputy director of strategic and industrial assets, and Colin Cook, who is the director of economic development, in the Scottish Government.

We have a number of questions to put to you, cabinet secretary, but, first, I invite you to make a short opening statement.