Resource Accounts 2002 - 2003

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THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTARY CORPORATE BODY

ANNUAL RESOURCE ACCOUNTS 2002-2003
(12 months ended 31 March 2003)

FOREWORD TO THE ACCOUNTS

These resource accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Direction By The Scottish Ministers given on 15 July 2002 in accordance with section 19(4) of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000.

HISTORY AND STATUTORY BACKGROUND

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) was established in May 1999 under Section 21 of The Scotland Act 1998 (the Act). The SPCB is made up of the Presiding Officer, and four other members of the Scottish Parliament elected by the Parliament. The SPCB has appointed a Clerk (who is also the Chief Executive) in accordance with section 20 of the Act, and other staff of the Parliament. The SPCB is independent of the Scottish Executive.

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES

The SPCB has a duty to provide the Scottish Parliament, or ensure the Parliament is provided with the property, staff and services required for the Parliament's purposes. This allows the Parliament to fulfill its constitutional role of scrutiny over the Scottish Executive.

The SPCB provides the infrastructure which enables MSPs to undertake their duties both at the Parliament and in their constituencies. It provides the facilitiies and staff to allow the Parliament and its Committees to meet and encourage public participation in the process.

The SPCB has ultimate responsibility for the construction of a permanent home for the Parliament at Holyrood.

REVIEW OF THE MAIN ACTIVITIES

The main activity of the SPCB and its staff during the year was the continued support of the work of the Parliament. In the fourth and final year of its first parliamentary session the Parliament scrutinised and passed 22 bills, which have now become acts. These comprised 16 Scottish Executive bills, 3 member's bills, 2 committee bills and 1 private bill. In addition to the programme of legislative scrutiny, the Parliament's committees undertook nearly 40 inquiries, questioning the actions and activities of the Executive, engaging in European issues, and examining the Executive's spending plans.

The Parliament has continued to hold committee meetings throughout Scotland, involving local people in issues that affect them. One of the highlights of the year was the meeting of the Parliament in Aberdeen in May 2002, when Her Majesty the Queen addressed the Parliament.

The net resource outturn for 2002-03 was £58.7m. Salaries for parliamentary staff, MSPs and other office holders accounted for £22.6m of this total as disclosed in Note 2 to the Accounts. Members costs, which enable MSPs to secure staff and accommodation to assist them in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties were £7.5m as disclosed in note 4 to the accounts.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman and the Scottish Information Commissioner were created by acts of the Scottish Parliament during 2002-03 and, although the bodies operate independently, the SPCB is responsible for funding their activities. The SPCB has also taken on direct responsibility with effect from 1 April 2002 for the payment of ministerial salaries, which were previously met within the Scottish Executive budget.

The new Holyrood building remains the most significant capital expenditure project for the SPCB. The building is scheduled for completion of construction and occupation in the 2004-05 financial year. The Holyrood Project accounted for £97.5 million of the SPCB's total capital expenditure of £100.1m during the year.

The first parliamentary session of the Scottish Parliament ended on 31 March 2003.

IMPORTANT EVENTS OCCURRING AFTER THE YEAR END

There were no material events occurring after the year-end that affect the accounts.

INDICATION OF LIKELY FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

The key future development for the Parliament is the delivery of the permanent home for the Parliament at Holyrood. There will continue to be significant capital expenditure on the Project. There will also be major staff commitment required to develop the services provided from the new Holyrood site and to ensure a successful move into the new Holyrood complex.

PENSION LIABILITIES

The treatment of pension liabilities and details of the relevant pension schemes are set out in the statement of accounting policies (note m).

SUPPLIER PAYMENT POLICY

The SPCB's policy is to comply with the Confederation of British Industry’s Prompt Payers Code. The target is for payment to be made within agreed payment terms or 30 days of receipt of invoices not in dispute for goods and services received. Average payment performance for 2002-03 was 66.7% (2001-02 60%).

THE SPCB AND SENIOR MANAGERS

The Members of the SPCB were:

The Senior Management employed by the SPCB during the 2002-03 financial year and up to the date of signing the accounts were:

Note 2 to the Accounts contains information about the salary and pension entitlements of the named individuals.

At the end of the financial year 48 staff (43 staff in 2001-2002) were on secondment from the Scottish Executive and other organisations.
All other staff appointed to the SPCB for the year 2002-03 were recruited on the basis of fair and open competition and in accordance with locally agreed arrangements.

The SPCB is an equal opportunities employer. It is firmly committed to providing equal opportunities for all of our staff irrespective of age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origin.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

" The SPCB is committed to promoting health and safety as a priority issue. Its aim is to take appropriate and reasonable steps to ensure that it conducts its business in such a way that employees and other people who may be affected by its work are not exposed to risks to their health and safety."

To deliver this policy, the SPCB has established a Health and Safety Committee; developed procedures necessary to form a robust Health & Safety management system; and is currently delivering a comprehensive training programme to enable all staff and other users of the Parliament accommodation to meet their Health & Safety responsibilities.

AUDIT

The accounts are audited by auditors appointed by the Auditor General for Scotland in accordance with section 10(5) of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000.

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