FOREWORD

The purpose of the SPCB Annual Report is to report to Members of the Scottish Parliament on how the SPCB spends the money allocated to the Parliament and what it has achieved over the year. This is an important role for the SPCB in its interaction with Members who elected it to act on their behalf in providing the property, staff and services required for the Parliament’s purposes. The Annual Report is one way in which the SPCB provides feedback to the Parliament on how it has undertaken its role.

In recent years the SPCB’s Annual Report has primarily consisted of a narrative of the services that have been provided during the course of the reporting year, a summary of the financial accounts and figures on the use of Members’ allowances. It is the latter that has generated the most publicity in the media and overshadowed much of what appears elsewhere in the report. We have therefore taken the decision to publish the Allowances Information as a separate document.

It is also the case that there has been some duplication in the past on material that forms part of the Parliament’s main Annual Report. This year, to avoid such duplication and to make the SPCB Annual Report more focussed, we decided to change the format and emphasis of our Report. This report has been written to focus on results, on what the SPCB has achieved, decisions taken at meetings and the impact these have had on Members and staff. W e have also produced a summary of the annual financial accounts to coincide with the reporting period.

The period covered by this report is 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004. As Members will appreciate, a lot has happened since 31 March this year, not least the small occasions of the completion of Holyrood, the migration to our new home and the Official Opening Ceremony! I hope you will bear with us that we considered it appropriate that these events be reported on in our 2004-05 Annual Report.

I hope that you find this new format helpful in providing an understanding of the issues discussed and decisions taken by the Corporate Body.

Presiding Officer and Chair of the
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

INTRODUCTION

During this reporting period, following the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2003, a new SPCB was elected. Our membership now comprises George Reid MSP, Robert Brown MSP, Duncan McNeil MSP, John Scott MSP and Andrew Welsh MSP.

Portfolio Members

In looking at improving governance arrangements we agreed that we would introduce portfolio arrangements. This enabled SPCB members to have oversight for specific issues and areas; and for those members to answer PQs on their specific areas on behalf of the SPCB.

Under the Scotland Act decisions can only be made by the SPCB or the Presiding Officer or Clerk/Chief Executive under delegated authorities. In practice, the day-to-day running of the Parliament’s organisation has been delegated to the Clerk/Chief Executive. Over the course of the year, however, the portfolio arrangements have proved successful in providing the opportunity for SPCB members to input into the preparation of policies the resolution of issues.

The respective portfolios are as follows: -

• Robert Brown MSP - Finance, governance issues, commissioner related issues and specific projects such as the impact of freedom of information.

• Duncan McNeill MSP - Services directly impacting on members' support, in particular, allowances, procurement, personnel and equal opportunities.

• John Scott MSP- Services directly impacting on members’ support, in particular IT, facilities management and local office support.

• Andrew Welsh MSP - Promotion of the Parliament, including external communications strategy, the public information and education services and the website. Internal communications including the Intranet.

Parliamentary questions

Over the course of the reporting period we have answered 130 written parliamentary questions covering the full range of our activities. Parliament also agreed a change to Standing Orders to allow for an oral Question Time session for Members to question the SPCB on its functions. We expect the first such session to be held in January 2005.

Management Plan

Each year a management plan is prepared setting out the high-level strategic priorities and objectives of the organisation. The aims of the plan are to:

• establish, agree and communicate our strategic priorities, which will assist us in informing decisions on resource allocations;

• provide assurance that the key priorities are being delivered.

Since the establishment of the Parliament, the management planning process has evolved and improved. For 2003, the strategic priorities were developed to recognise a more strategic approach to the plan and to take account of the migration to Holyrood. A list of the strategic priorities and aims we agreed is detailed overleaf.

Strategic Priorities and Aims – 2003-04

SECTION 1: DELIVERING THE NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDING

1.1 Holyrood

The new building continued to feature prominently in the media during 2003-04 with further increases to cost and revisions to the programme. We instigated monthly reports to the Finance Committee to improve the availability of information and the monitoring of these issues and we also entered into direct discussion with the main consultants in relation to their fees and performance. As a result of these discussions we were happy to be able to report that agreement was reached to cap consultants’ fees.

July saw the appointment of Lord Fraser of Carmyllie QC to undertake an inquiry into the cost over-run and delays in the construction of the building. This ran in conjunction with the Auditor General’s review of the procurement strategy and cost control and contractual and project management arrangements. We fully supported these inquiries and ensured that full access was provided to all documents and information within its control. To support this, we revisited the issue of commercial confidentiality and subsequently advised the Finance Committee that we would release details of completed Holyrood contracts.

The key issue as we approached the end of 2003 was maintaining momentum on the Holyrood Project whilst meeting the demands of the Fraser Inquiry and preparing for the auditors. This was achieved with the input of significant amounts of management time.

As progress on construction continued and as more of the building was revealed, we were able to share with Members and the public the many unique and complex elements of the building and look forward to moving in and making it the new home of the Scottish Parliament.

1.2 Planning for Holyrood

Planning for the migration to Holyrood was a huge task and required considerable co-ordination. The Migration Steering Group continued to provide an overview of the various migration scenarios while the Implementation Unit co-ordinated the detailed strategies and liaised closely with the Holyrood Project Team to ensure our migration programme and the construction programme were synchronised. To facilitate this, the format of the construction programme reports was amended to enable us to report to Members and the public against our key migration milestones.

During the reporting period, the majority of the 52 contracts which required to be awarded or re-negotiated as a result of the move to Holyrood were awarded. There were a number of issues to be resolved in relation to The Main Lease Agreement for the City of Edinburgh Council buildings which formed the majority of the interim accommodation. We are pleased to report that the negotiations were finalised and the Agreement signed. We also agreed an extension to the lease option on The Tun accommodation to take account of the final migration programme.

A ‘Live Testing Working Group’ was established to ensure that all aspects of the procedures and systems to be implemented in Holyrood were in place and operational for the first day of business.

The FM Office structure was reviewed and the SPCB approved the creation of new posts in the FM Office, to beef up the team to meet the challenges ahead. A Fire Safety Project Manager and a new Health & Safety Manager were appointed during the period of this report and plans were developed jointly with Personnel colleagues to fill remaining posts during 2004/05.

Throughout 2003/04, FM Office staff worked closely with the HPT and others to pave the way for taking over the new building later in the year. Mobilisation of the Mechanical & Electrical, cleaning and catering contracts began towards the end of the reporting period.

SECTION 2: EFFECTIVE SUPPORT OF PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS

2.1 Services provided by the SPCB

One of our key functions is to provide the services which support parliamentary business. This covers a wide scope and includes services such as security in the Chamber and committees, broadcasting to enable voting to take place and pictures to be transmitted to the public, the official report of proceedings, the facilities to meet, the staff to clerk business and an IT infrastructure to support and facilitate all these aspects.

Over the reporting period we started to formally measure and record our effectiveness in this area and are pleased to report the following performance levels to Members:

• We have consistently produced the Business bulletin by 8am on the day of publication. The same also applies to the official report of plenary proceedings where we have achieved a 100% success rate of making sure it is available to Members by 8am the following day.

• We have also met the publication deadlines for committee official reports on all but a very small number of occasions.

• SPICe has produced 100% of its briefings in time for relevant business.

• 94% of papers for committee meetings were issued on time.

We are continuing to refine and improve the methodology and measurements used to monitor service provision and to expand on the areas on which we will report in the future.

Some specific issues in relation to the support of parliament business which we have discussed at meetings during this reporting period include:

2.1.1 Establishment of new Brussels Office – our European Officer, based in Brussels and appointed on a temporary basis as a pilot scheme, carried out research which demonstrated a clear demand by Members and staff for a permanent office based in Brussels. Its purpose would be to add value to the Parliament’s Edinburgh-based EU work, enabling the Parliament to be more effective in the EU through a visible and well-connected Brussels presence which could both improved our intelligence and increase our influence. The SPCB agreed the proposal in principle and requested a final report covering staffing and accommodation issues.

2.1.2 Freedom of Information – the SPCB submitted a draft FOI Publication Scheme to the Scottish Information Commissioner which received approval without qualification. Further information about FOI in general is provided in Section 3.

2.1.3 ‘Business in the Parliament’ – the SPCB agreed proposals to co-host an event with the Scottish Executive. Based on the model of the White House Conference on Business in the USA, the concept was essentially to host an opportunity for business to debate in the chamber and set out an agenda for the Government/legislature.

2.1.4 Scottish Parliament & Business Exchange - the Board of The Exchange published its Report on ‘The Way Forward’ towards the end of September 2003. It contained the findings and considerations of The Exchange's review of operations, its forward strategy and priority activities. The SPCB discussed the strategy and agreed in principle to build on the current structure by broadening the membership base and thereby the range of opportunities available to MSPs. The SPCB also agreed the development priorities in pursuit of this strategy, together with a development fund contribution of £50k for 2003/04.

2.1.5 Evidence to committees – the SPCB gave evidence to the Finance Committee on a regular basis both to update the committee on progress with the Holyrood building project but also to report on the SPCB budget. Evidence was also given to the Equal Opportunities Committee on progress of the equality framework including our annual equality report. During their inquiry into non-Executive Bills the Procedures Committee took evidence from the Clerk/Chief Executive on our behalf.

2.1.6 British sign Language interpreters – the current policy, which has been in place since December 2000, is to provide sign language interpreters or other related services:

• On demand for plenary debates and committee meetings (providing adequate notice is given to ensure availability of interpreters); and

• Automatically for all debates and meetings “dealing with any disability issues”

We reviewed this policy in consultation with staff and external organisations and agreed to run a pilot to provide a British Sign Language interpreter at First Minister’s Question Time and Question Time.

2.1.7 Travel outwith the UK – under the arrangements for the registration of Members’ interests, where the SPCB approve in advance the receipt by Members of travel, hospitality, etc, the Member does not then have to register that receipt in the register. During the reporting period the SPCB considered 20 such applications and approved the details of the travel and other associated costs.

2.1.8 Vacation of Assembly Hall - in May 2003, our Facilities Management Team co-ordinated the vacation and conversion of the Assembly Hall for a 3 week period to provide for the Church of Scotland General Assembly.

2.2 Commissioners

With the increasing number of Commissioners, our role is now more resource intensive than was anticipated at the outset. During the report period this covered the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (and deputies), Scottish Information Commissioner, and the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner (SPSC). Since the end of the reporting period this has grown to include a Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland and a Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland.

Our role in relation to these office-holders is determine the term of office and tenure, where the office of a Commissioner is vacant, we may appoint a person to discharge the functions until a new appointment is made. We may also remove that person from office by notice in writing and the person will hold office on such terms and conditions as we determine. We determine the remuneration for office holders and pay the expenses incurred by them in the exercise of their functions under the relevant legislation, as well as making pension arrangements.

We have the responsibility to designate the office-holder or a member of their staff as the Accountable officer. Office-holders appoint their own staff on such terms and conditions as they may determine but these terms are subject to our approval. Specifically for the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman she may, in connection with a complaint or request under the Act, obtain advice from any person who in the Ombudsman’s opinion is qualified to give it and pay to any such person from whom the advice is obtained such fees and allowances as the Ombudsman may, with our approval, determine.

The expenditure of the Commissioners in total during this period was just under 7% of the overall SPCB budget so they form a notable element of overall expenditure. The office-holders are independent of the Parliament and the Executive and the legislation establishing the offices makes it clear they are not under the direction of the Parliament or Executive, except for their Accountable Officer functions.

We do, however, consider we have a more general role, on behalf of the Parliament, in ensuring value for money is obtained for the public purse. But, the exercising of that role must, at the same time, recognise the independence and statutory functions of the Commissioner.

While the Clerk/Chief Executive of the Parliament is the Accountable Officer for expenditure paid out to the office-holders to meet their expenses to undertake their functions, they themselves are Accountable Officers (except the Standards Commissioner) in their own right for the expenditure they incur. A protocol has been agreed by the Finance Committee, the office-holders and ourselves setting out the arrangements for dealing with the budget proposals of office-holders.

In setting up their offices we have encouraged the office-holders wherever possible to make efficiency savings in the provision of some of their support services, but recognising we have had to be careful in this area so as not to impact on the independence of the appointee. On staff terms and conditions, we are encouraging the office-holders to employ staff on the same terms and conditions as SPCB staff and to make use of our performance management system. This has a two-fold benefit. First, there is a value for money aspect in that it saves then spending money on consultants to develop systems for them and, second, it enables us to have a good indication at what the staff cost increases will be in the budget figures if they are based on ours.

We also provide an invoice paying service to the office-holders, but are looking to the office-holders to undertake this service themselves on a shared approach from 2005 onwards. The total spend for office-holders including the cost of supporting the selection panel process for the recruitment of the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland and Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland in 2003/04 was £3.36m which was provided for in our overall budget.

SECTION 3: EFFECTIVE SUPPORT OF MEMBERS

3.1 Review of Support Services to Members’ Local Offices

In April 2003, we launched a project to review the use and effectiveness of the services we provide to Members’ local offices. This was largely in response to increasing evidence, among both Members and their local office staff, of some dissatisfaction with existing services. A programme of visits to 24 local offices was carried out to conduct face to face interviews with staff and Members. This sample took account of constituency and regional offices, shared and single occupancy, new and established offices and geographical location. Additionally, it gave due consideration to Members of all parties and independent Members.

The final report, which made 32 recommendations for improving the services to local offices, was completed in December 2003. The key themes which emerged from the review were:

• The provision of standardised IT equipment together with better support and maintenance for local offices.

• Better connectivity from local offices to the Parliament’s IT network.

• Improved induction and other training of local office staff, leading to increased awareness of Parliamentary procedures, processes and support services.

• Improved flow of electronic information between the Parliament and local offices.

• Improved working relations between local office staff and service providers.

Given that our key priority for this period was the completion of, and migration to Holyrood, we agreed that those recommendations which both addressed the key issues but which were largely currently planned and budgeted for should be concentrated on initially. This included providing standardised IT equipment and better connectivity from local offices to the Parliament’s IT network.

We also agreed that Members should continue to be responsible for providing their own staff with job related training. However, it was agreed that induction and training for MSP staff on parliamentary procedures, processes and support services should be improved and provided centrally.

The project to improve the level of IT support offered to local offices is ongoing with completion planned for February 2005. This project will improve support to local offices by refreshing IT equipment in the local offices and aligning it with the standards and refresh cycle of the Parliament Campus. The project will also improve remote connectivity to the Parliament IT network and associated training.

Support for local offices has also been bolstered by the appointment of a Fire Safety Project Manager and a new Health & Safety Manager, both of whom have issued information and guidance with plans to do more in the future.

3.2 Equal Opportunities

On equalities we produced for Members and their staff a series of fact sheets, to provide information about complying with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA). These were issued in hard copy and also made available electronically through SPEIR.

The DDA is a complex piece of legislation which places some very broad duties on Members and their staff. The Act has implications for almost every aspect of a Member’s local office and constituency work. During the report period, the DDA already placed duties on Members and their staff which relate to the way in which they provide information and services to the public. Further duties, relating to the accessibility of premises and employment practices, have since been placed on Members and their staff when further sections of the Act came into force in October 2004.

Each of the fact sheets we produced dealt with a specific aspect of the work of a Member’s office for which disability access issues are particularly important (e.g. the accessibility of the MSP’s local office premises, providing surgeries and home visits, etc).

3.3 Health & Safety

We continue to be committed to promoting health and safety as a priority for all Members and their staff. Members and their staff comprise a significant section of the ‘on-site’ personnel, with Members also having additional responsibilities as employers in their own right. With this in mind we were keen to improve the way health and safety issues were communicated and to provide as much advice and support as possible. During the period of this report this has been being taken forward in the form of discussions with business managers to encourage more involvement/participation.

The Health and Safety Committee continues to meet on a quarterly basis, providing a forum for discussion. The Chief Executive also provides regular updates and advice on health and safety issues through his monthly report to us.

This year saw the roll out of a number of new training packages, including:

• Web-based Fire Safety and Display Screen Equipment (DSE) training packages

• Advanced DSE user training for staff

• DSE assessor training

• Health & Safety Induction training for MSP staff and new starts

• Staff Health & Safety Awareness training

Our on-site Occupational Health Service has continued to provide a comprehensive service for Members, their staff and SPCB staff.

3.4 Other support

Some of the other key functions we provided to support Members and to enable them to undertake their parliamentary functions included:

• the provision of services provided by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe);

• IT and clerking support for committee and plenary business;

• the FM Helpdesk provided a central, one-stop point of contact to resolve various issues.

• allowances to provide assistance to Members with the employment of staff and provision of office accommodation;

• an Equipment and Furniture Scheme; and

• the parliamentary Legal Services.

In relation to these services, SPICe dealt with over 19,000 enquiries of which 99% were answered within the deadlines agreed with Members.

The FM Helpdesk dealt with an average of 3,500 calls per month in the period. The service has been enhanced through the introduction of Meeting Room Booking Software in March, improving the efficiency of booking and allowing users to view room availability on the intranet.

In the first few months of this reporting period, we supplied 37% of items from the Equipment and Furniture Scheme within 10 days of a request. However, we are pleased to report that over the latter months this had risen to 88%.

On allowances, 98% of invoices correctly submitted were paid within 5 days, 99% of reimbursements were paid within 5 days and 99% of travel and expenses claims were processed within 10 days.

The Parliament’s lawyers, among their other duties, provided advice to the Presiding Officer on 32 bills and to the Subordinate Legislation Committee on 635 SSIs.

3.5 Issues discussed and decisions made

The SPCB considered many issues relating to support to Members during this period, some relating specifically to the migration to Holyrood, others being more general. Some of decisions made by the SPCB included:

3.5.1 Mail screening/messenger service – the SPCB considered a number of options for the provision of mail screening and messenger services in Holyrood. We agreed the option to bring the messenger services in-house while the mail screening was outsourced.. We also agreed that there should continue to be a Post Office Counter service in Holyrood.

3.5.2 Use of pre-paid envelopes – the SPCB agreed a policy for the use of pre-paid envelopes in the circumstances where the correspondence was:

a) responding to correspondence received by a Member which relates to Parliamentary or constituency matters;

b) updating individuals or groups on an ongoing basis in relation to matters that they have previously raised with the Member;

c) informing constituents in areas whether there has been a specific problem of developments in relation to that problem; or

d) seeking views by way of a survey or questionnaire from a section of the community which is likely to be affected by new measures which the Parliament is planning to introduce.

3.5.3 Relationship between the SPCB and Members’ staff – the SPCB considered its role in relation to Members’ staff and agreed not to pursue the line of taking on the role of ‘employer’.

3.5.4 Insurance – the SPCB considered the issue of employment insurance and agreed to put insurance in place to cover Members for claims of unfair dismissal. The costs were charged to the Support Fund – Employees and Contingencies in the Allowances Scheme.

3.5.5 Development of the intranet SPEIR - in March 2003, the SPCB considered, and agreed, a strategy document on the future development of SPEIR. The strategy proposed a two phase re-design of SPEIR with phase 1 focusing on an in-house re-vamp of the SPEIR home page. Phase 2 involved the appointment of an external contractor to undertake a full re-design of SPEIR. It was envisaged that the full re-design would focus on the structuring of the information held on SPEIR and the ease of navigation as well as the overall look and feel of the site.

Phase 1 was completed in August 2003 with the launch of the re-vamped SPEIR home page. Then, in October 2003, Calligrafix were appointed to undertake the full SPEIR re-design. Calligrafix started by conducting a user survey to gather feedback from users (including MSPs) on the re-vamped site. This information was used to inform the re-design. The new Intranet site was launched in June 2003.

3.5.6 Development of web site – a Web Developer was appointed in December 2003 to take forward the development of the Parliament’s web pages. Meetings with key internal groups and individuals such as the Internet/Intranet Editorial Board (IIEB), the Presiding Officer and the Parliament’s Equalities Manager were organised. These discussions, and a report from the Beattie Media market research exercise informed the development of a detailed project plan for the re-design.

In addition to this an MSP Focus Group was established to gather views from Members themselves on how the site, and specifically the section on Members, could be enhanced. This Group met for the first time in February. A similar focus group with Committee Clerks was also established to look at the Committee pages along with further general user focus groups.

The driving vision of this project was to create a simple, innovative, accessible, usable and useful Internet site, to be launched for the move to Holyrood.

SECTION 4: WELL RUN ORGANISATION AND MOTIVATED STAFF

4.1 Parliamentary Staff Organisation (PSO)

Part of ensuring that the correct services are being provided to Members is ensuring that the correct support structure is in place. During this period, a review of the work being undertaken by SPCB staff resulted in a reorganisation of the PSO structure. A current chart of the organisation’s structure can be found at page 23. The number of staff in post at the end of March 2004 was 468; the staff turnover was 9%.

4.2 Internal Communications

In September, we supported the Clerk/Chief Executive with his strategy to improve the internal communication among staff. The main aims of the strategy are to make sure that:

• Staff know what is going on in the organisation;

• Staff have more opportunity to feed in views on key policies and issues; and

• Staff are aware of their responsibilities to keep updated on policies, initiatives, etc, that impact on their job.

The strategy is supported by an action plan to ensure that it is effectively implemented. Key amongst the items that feature in it was the introduction of a monthly Chief Executive’s message to staff which is available on SPEIR. Staff have the opportunity to discuss the content at team meetings to be held at least monthly with comments and questions fed back up the line and responded to either locally or on SPEIR if they are of general interest. The Corporate Bulletin, containing information on staff, new jobs, training opportunities, links to recent Notices and details of the coming week’s business, is also available to all users weekly through SPEIR. The strategy will be reviewed regularly to ensure that it remains relevant and effective.

4.3 Risk

During the report period we evolved our risk register to link directly with the aims of the management plan. Our staff monitor the risk register on a quarterly basis drawing to our attention any exceptions. One example was the failure of our payroll contractor to meet a monthly payment of salaries for Members and staff. As a result of this we have looked at all our existing contracts to ensure that our contractors have effective risk management processes in place.

4.4 Freedom of Information

As referred to in Section 4, one of the major issues to be considered by the SPCB during this period was the implementation of the Freedom of Information ( Scotland) Act 2002. The SPCB has been very proactive in this area, ensuring that we have been able to operate in the spirit of the legislation well before it comes into force in January 2005.

One of the aspects of the Act is that all listed public authorities must produce a publication scheme. Publication Schemes are the proactive aspect of making information available under the freedom of information regime. By getting the publication scheme right, we recognised we would help the public access information themselves and considerably enhance the way in which we handle and process information.

A publication scheme is essentially a statement of what information we plan to make available as a matter of course. It gives details of the method of publication and any charges which apply to accessing it. We must then publish the information which falls into these categories. We will do this generally by publishing such information on our website, although we have made arrangements for those without internet access and have regard to those who may require further assistance.

Our publication scheme was approved by the Scottish Information Commissioner to enable us to meet his deadline of 28 February 2004. In our publication scheme we have concentrated on 5 broad headings in the scheme: Parliamentary business; Procedure; MSPs; the Parliament and the wider community; and the administration of the Parliament.

As part of the scheme we have released information which was not publicly previously available. As a matter of course we now list all current contracts over £10,000 setting out the type of contract, its duration, to whom it has been awarded and the contract price or contract value and we have also included our SPCB papers in the scheme, unless they are covered by one of the exemptions provided in the legislation.

4.5 Staff related issues

4.5.1 Staff pay deal – the SPCB agreed recommendations for a 3-year pay deal for staff which was subsequently accepted by the TUS and its members. The package saw the introduction of a number of policies that demonstrated the SPCB’s commitment to developing its staff and supporting them to achieve a good work/life balance.

4.5.2 Working time Recording System – the SPCB was advised that the company contracted to develop, supply and help train the workforce on the use of our chosen WTRS, had ceased to trade. The SPCB had a number of concerns about the proposed way forward and this issue is still being discussed.

4.5.3 Visitor management – this was recognised as being a key area of pressure for resources following the move to Holyrood. In anticipation of this the SPCB agreed the appointment of a visitor management adviser to assist and advise us on the detail of a visitor management policy, including advice on staffing structures and numbers, advice on tours and services to the public and advice to inform a retail strategy.

4.5.4 Handling Enquiries – the Visitor Services review also looked at the way we responded to enquiries including those made by the public in person, by email or other means of correspondence as well as those made by MSPs, staff and the media, with a view to streamlining processes. The advice provided by the review informed the restructuring of the Access and Information Directorate.

4.5.5 Policy on use of email, Internet and other business communication systems – the SPCB agreed a policy on the use of email, Internet and other business communication systems. This policy addressed issues such as commercial and legal effects of e-mail, security, viruses, unauthorised use, privacy and monitoring. In light of the large increase in the number of SPAM emails being received by the Parliament, the SPCB also requested more information and proposals on how the Parliament’s systems could address filtering and blocking of spam emails. Following a trial period, we agreed to continue to filter unsolicited email.

4.5.6 Procurement – the SPCB agreed a statement of principles which highlight how the procurement needs of the Parliament are met professionally, effectively and ethically as well as ensuring that issues such as environment, sustainability equalities and social justice are further incorporated into the procurement process.

4.5.7 Security Team – when determining the new uniform for security staff, we recognised the importance of consulting with staff and taking on board their preferences. This resulted in the new uniform, jackets and trousers/skirts, being a single colour, dark navy, with an identifier or Parliament logo on the lapel or breast pocket. It was agreed that shirts/blouses and ties should be in the Parliament’s corporate colours of purple, silver and sandstone. We agreed that the new uniform should be brought into use for the move to Holyrood.

We also appointed external consultants to advise on how best to respond to the new challenges arising from the move to Holyrood, including the new electronic systems and the new campus. This led to changes being made to the structure of the Security Team.

4.6 Finance

SPCB Expenditure for the 12 Months Ended 31 March 2004

We have prepared separate annual accounts for the 2003-04 financial year that comply with the accounting principles and disclosure requirements of the Resource Accounting Manual. The Auditor General for Scotland has audited these accounts and they will be laid before the Parliament by the end of December. A summary of the expenditure is set out below.

We continued to live within our budgets. We spent £62.7m on our running costs in 2003-04 including £11.1m in non cash items such as depreciation and cost of capital charges. This was £22.0m less than the available budget with part of the difference representing a specific amount of £5.2m in reserves to reduce funding requirement in 2004-05. Changes in the timing of the Holyrood project completion has meant that the SPCB has not yet incurred budgeted costs associated with the planned migration or other projects, amounting to a further £7.2m, and the level of capital charges was also £8.6m lower as a result. The remaining underspend of £1.0m was attributable to the normal administration costs of the Parliament not being fully expended.

The new Holyrood building was of course our most significant capital expenditure project. Work on the building moved forward at a good pace during the year and the project accounted for £127.7m of our capital expenditure.

Capital expenditure of £130.2m in the period was £55.0m (30%) less than the available budget. This was due to the re-phasing of expenditure on the Holyrood project.

The total underspend against budget in 2003-04 is being utilised to reduce the Parliament's funding requirement for future years through the end year flexibility arrangements.

SPCB Expenditure for the 12 Months Ended 31 March 2004

Notes

Note 1: Revenue expenditure of £51.8m in 2003-04 included parliamentary staff salaries of £15.3m and MSP salaries of £9.3m. Members' costs, which enable MSPs to secure staff and accommodation to assist them in the discharge of their parliamentary duties, were £7.9m. A further £3.4m was expended on Commissioners and Ombudsmen salaries and running costs. The remaining £15.9m met the administration and property running costs of the Parliament.

Note 2: Capital charges were introduced by the Resource Accounting Manual to reflect the depreciation in value of assets and the cost of capital.

Note 3: It was agreed that the Parliament should carry forward the underspend using end year flexibility. This reduces pressure on the Consolidated Fund for 2004-05, whilst allowing us to have sufficient funds to prepare the Parliament for the move to the Holyrood Site.

4.7 Financial Assistance for Registered Political Parties

Under the Financial Assistance for Registered Political Parties Order 1999, the registered political parties in the Parliament are entitled to monies to assist their Members to carry out their parliamentary duties. In the financial year ended 31 March 2004 we paid out a total of £331,182 under the Order.

4.8 MSPs' Allowances

The SPCB took the decision that information relating to Members Allowances and expenses should, from this year, form a separate publication from its Annual Report. We have taken the opportunity to bring together, in one table, costs directly attributable to Members of the Parliament in carrying out their parliamentary duties. Costs incurred by Members as a result of pooling/ grouping allowances to meet shared expenses which were previously included in an overall expenditure figure will, for the first time, be published and listed individually for each Member.

The Allowances information for 2003-04 will be published shortly and will be available through SPICe and on the Parliament’s website. Discussions are currently ongoing with all party groups in relation to the format and frequency of future reporting of Allowances information.

SPCB Staff Organisation Structure (pdf)

SECTION 5: PROMOTING THE PARLIAMENT

Many of the issues considered by the SPCB which relate to how the Parliament communicates with the public have been covered under previous headings – support of the Scottish Parliament and Business Exchange, co-hosting the Business in Parliament event, external visits, revision of our web site, etc. Much of our time during the period of this report was taken up with considering how we would manage visitors to our new home in Holyrood. The predictions we had of 750,000 plus certainly focused our minds as we considered proposals for the layout of the public entrance and exhibition area, opening hours and the type of products to sell in the shop. In our next report we will be in a position to advise you on how well we have succeeded in this area.

In January 2004 we created a Corporate Publications Team to review our publications. Their first task was to review all public information publications in advance of the move to Holyrood.

SECTION 6: EFFECTIVE TRANSITION TO THE NEW PARLIAMENTARY SESSION

6.1 Arrangements for the transition period

In advance of the election on 1 May 2003 the SPCB produced guidance to all Members and their staff on the use of parliamentary allowances and services in the run up to and during the election period.

Included within the elections guidance was advice on how dissolution would affect parliamentary services such as Clerking and SPICe, use of IT and other Parliamentary facilities, Members’ staff pay and contracts and Members’ allowances and pay. We also put in place a contract which enabled surplus equipment and furniture to be purchased. Staff of the Parliament also met with most of the party groups to discuss issues covered in the election guidance.

No formal complaints were received by the SPCB about the conduct of any Member in relation to the use of parliamentary services and while we recognise that there were some issues, particularly in relation to IT facilities, which concerned some Members we considered that the guidance was useful to Members and was generally well-received.

Following the election, staff of the Parliament working with the helpful assistance of each of the party business managers put in place arrangements for office space for all new Members. The outcome of the election resulted in a number of changes having to be made in the interim accommodation at George IV Bridge. All new Members were also quickly assigned with passes giving them access to the parliamentary complex and provided with information about the services available in the Parliament.

6.2 First Days Group

A working group had been established in the previous reporting year to ensure that all aspects of dissolution and the elections were covered and that all the necessary procedures and support were in place to make the transition between sessions as smooth as possible for the new and returning Members.

• The specific issues addressed by the group included:

• arrangements for the oath/affirmation taking;

• arrangements and procedures for the election of the PO, DPOs and SPCB members;

• arrangements for the selection of nominees for first Minister;

• production of ‘A Guide for Members’, a ‘Members’ Interests Induction Pack’ and induction information for Members’ staff.

The group also co-ordinated arrangements for a ‘Members’ Fair’ covering the first few days of the new session. This ensured that staff were on-hand to provide information and advice to Members on a one-to-one basis on matters such as security passes, accommodation, personnel issues and allowances.

CONTACTS

Our previous Annual Reports are available on the Scottish Parliament website at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/corporate/anrep-accts/spcb/index.htm

If you have any questions about the Scottish Palriamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) in general or this Annual Report in particular, please contact the Secretariat as follows:

Judith Proudfoot on 0131 348 5307 or Edna Stirrat on 0131 348 6222 (Calls via RNID Typetalk welcome)

For a copy of this Report in a language other than English or in an alternative format (for example in Braille, large print or audio tape), please send your enquiry to: The SPCB Secretariat, The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, EH99 1SP. You can also contact us by fax (on 0131 348 5259) or by email (at judith.proudfoot@scottish.parliament.uk or edna.stirrat@scottish.parliament.uk.