Chamber and committees

I invite the deputy convener, Jamie Greene, to put a final set of questions and observations to you.

Thank you. We have run way over time, but thank you very much for giving us full answers to the questions that we put, and for having an interchange with us about some of the ideas and suggestions the committee has for where we think that you should direct some of your resources.

Before I bring the public part of the meeting to a close and move into private session, I thank the Auditor General for leading the evidence this morning. I also thank Antony Clark and Mark MacPherson for the insights that you have given us, which have been very useful indeed.

Good morning, and welcome, everyone, to the 12th meeting in 2024 of the Public Audit Committee. The first item for consideration by the committee is whether to take in private agenda items 3 to 8. Do we agree to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

The work programme that we are considering this morning goes up until March 2026, and our expectation is that, by March 2026, the two vessels will be serving the island communities of Scotland. You do not need to answer that.

I will bring in Graham Simpson.

You have also identified children and young people with additional support needs as an area that you want to focus on. Could you give us a bit more detail about why Audit Scotland treats that as a priority area of work?

I am seeing lots of nods around the table for that. The committee’s strong view is that these reports should be a priority in the work that you are doing, because it is a matter of considerable public interest.

I now invite Graham Simpson to put some questions to you.

Thank you very much. I have to comment that it is not uncommon for accountable officers from public bodies to tell the committee at 9.05 am in the morning that they accept all the findings and recommendations, but by about 9.20 am they are denouncing or renouncing some of them. Anyway, Willie Coffey has questions to put to you.

The next public item of business on our agenda is consideration of the Auditor General for Scotland’s work programme covering April 2024 to March 2026. I am very pleased to welcome our witnesses: Stephen Boyle, Auditor General; and, from Audit Scotland, Antony Clark, executive director, and Mark MacPherson, audit director.

We have some comments and questions about your work programme, Auditor General, but before we get to those, I invite you to make a short opening statement.

It is helpful to have that on the record.

I will move us along to another area of work in the pipeline, which is the work that you are expecting to do around care-experienced children and young people. Could you give a bit more detail about that work and why you see that as a priority?

I presume that, in carrying that work out, you will be working with the Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee.