Chief Executive s Report to the SPCB December 2018

Transcription

1 Chief Executive s Report to the SPCB December 2018

2 Introduction This report looks at recent activities across the organisation and includes the SPCB financial report for Period 7 of the financial year. Items worth highlighting include: Work by the Legislation Team aimed at helping external organisations to better understand the legislative process. An update on pilots currently ongoing in response to recommendations made by the Commission on Parliamentary Reform. Ongoing EU-related scrutiny work of committees. 3-month pilot starting in January during which a signed interpretation of FMQs will be broadcast. Presentation of the SPCB s Budget submission to the Finance and Constitution Committee. Update on first aid arrangements following the interest expressed at the recent SPCB Question Time. If you have any comments or questions on any aspect of this report, I would be happy to discuss them with you. Paul Grice Clerk/Chief Executive 1

3 OVERVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES Parliamentary business Supreme Court Judgement The Supreme Court judgement on the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity)(Scotland) Bill was published on Thursday 13 December with the Lord Advocate providing a statement in the Chamber that afternoon. Promoting understanding of legislative scrutiny The Legislation Team recently delivered two workshops for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) policy officers network. This network brings together policy and parliamentary officers from voluntary sector organisations across Scotland. Forty people signed up for the workshops to gain a better understanding of the legislative process, with a particular focus on engaging with the amending stages. The events were designed in co-operation with the SCVO and all the members of the Legislation Team were involved in delivering them. This work helps contribute to the Parliament s engagement ambitions and priorities identified by the Commission for Parliamentary Reform. It is also designed to complement work the team has undertaken to support Members on the legislative process through briefings and continuous professional development sessions, and also through delivering workshops to MSP staff. The sessions run for SCVO are a first step for the team in doing more proactively to help external organisations to better understand the legislative process. The objective is to contribute further to the overall effectiveness of legislative scrutiny and it is intended that such sessions will be made available to other external groups. Parliamentary business A number of pilots are currently ongoing to establish the most effective ways to implement recommendations made by the Commission on Parliamentary Reform. Business motion procedure the procedure by which the Parliament decides the business programme has been varied to allow more than one Member to speak on the business motion when it is taken. This is intended to allow non-bureau Members to have the opportunity to raise items of business which they would wish to see in the business programme. The requirement that the Member must speak against the motion has been removed as well as the limit on how long they may speak for. To date this procedure has only been used once, by Ross Greer. The pilot is ongoing until Christmas. 2

4 Committee announcements a slot is scheduled in the business programme each week just before Decision Time on Tuesdays to provide committees with the opportunity to make Members aware of new committee inquiries or reports or to announce the launch of inquiries or findings from reports. To date four committees have used this mechanism. This pilot is also ongoing until Christmas. Strategic planning meetings the Bureau has agreed to hold strategic planning meetings once a term to take a strategic view of the forward business programme. The first of these meetings took place in September and focussed on the planning of Brexit-related business. The plan is to hold another of these meetings in January and again in April. Committees Scrutiny of issues relating to the UK s withdrawal from the EU continues to feature in the work of a number of committees. Currently, the focus has been on scrutinising proposals by the Scottish Government that Brexit-related legislative deficiencies in devolved areas are dealt with through UK secondary legislation under the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (SI Notifications). Committees will also have to scrutinise Scottish Statutory Instruments (SSIs) in relation to Brexit; legislative consent memoranda on UK primary legislation; and common frameworks. On the latter issue, the Finance and Constitution Committee in conjunction with the Futures Forum and the Royal Society of Edinburgh held a conference on post-brexit common frameworks. Parliamentary Engagement International Relations Office The International Relations Office (IRO) facilitated visits by the following delegations: Ali Walker, Clerk to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, joined a small team from CPA UK to deliver workshops on pre and postelection planning and the legislative process at the National Assembly of Malawi in November. This activity was funded by CPA UK CPA Scotland Branch Executive Committee member, Stuart McMillan MSP, attended the CPA International Executive Committee meeting from 6-8 November 2018 in London Maurice Corry MSP attended a meeting in London with the Hon. Noraini Ahmad MP, Chair of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, on 6 November to discuss the Male Champion initiative and other matters. He also met, on 19 November, CPA officials to discuss wider CWP work Parliament s Business Continuity Manager, Tommy Lynch, in collaboration with colleagues from Canadian and Australian parliaments, submitted an article on business continuity to the Parliamentarian quarterly journal (December issue) Presiding Officer met with the Convener of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee, Gillian Martin MSP, and 3

5 Committee member Mark Ruskell MSP, to discuss their experience at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik and how their attendance contributed to the Committee s work programme IRO also supported inward visits by: the newly appointed Japanese Consul General in Edinburgh; the Irish and Russian Ambassadors; delegations from the USA, New South Wales and Venezuela; and a delegation of John Smith Fellows whose one day visit included meetings with Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani MSP, a crossparty representation of MSPs and parliamentary officials. Visitor Services During November 20,345 visitors entered the building, slightly up on the figure of 19,602 for the same period last year. December is traditionally a quieter month but many of our tours continue to be fully booked in advance. 1,498 visitors joined our tours in November, while 598 joined our Ten-Minute Talks. We continue to receive very positive comments from visitors about our services through our Visitor Survey and through external websites, including TripAdvisor, with tours regularly being highlighted. The Architecture tour continues to be a firm favourite. Sales in the Parliament Shop of the magazine accompanying the launch of the Higher Vision exhibition were brisk, with other photography-related books also proving popular. The annual Christmas discount shopping days were popular again this year, with business levels being on a par with previous years. New products featuring the official Scottish Parliament tartan have recently arrived and have proved successful. Improved promotional materials including a map of Scotland, showcasing retail suppliers from across the eight parliamentary regions have also been introduced to highlight the quality of produce available in Scotland. Events and Exhibitions The Their Name Liveth projection event was successfully delivered on Sunday 11 November to strong public and media interest. The projection was designed and delivered by The Projection Studios and delivered as part of a partnership with The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (REMT) and the Scottish National War Memorial (SNWM). The projection honoured the 134,712 men and women listed in the SNWM Roll of Honour and took place between 5.00pm and midnight. Between 2,500 and 3,000 people, covering different generations, attended the event throughout the evening. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive. There was substantial media interest across both national and local press, TV and radio, carrying interviews with the artist Ross Ashton and Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame MSP, a media preview on the Friday and the event itself. Coverage of the event even made it overseas, with a feature in the Wall Street Journal. The event also attracted significant digital audiences with 56% 4

6 of visits to the VisitParliament website from 31 October to 13 November driven by the event page. The Presiding Officer hosted a reception on Tuesday 20 November to launch the Higher Vision Exhibition, with attendees including students, their guests and Members. A programme of daytime talks and activities was attended by 18 students involved in the Exhibition. The exhibition was hosted as part of Year of Young People 2018 in partnership the Scottish Society for the History of Photography and the Scottish Qualifications Authority. On display until 8 February, it features photographs by 26 students from schools and colleges across Scotland that were selected from the Higher course assessment portfolios of over 2,000 students. The photography covers a wide range of themes including the environment and nature; the built environment; portraiture; identity including young peoples lives; and mental health. On Wednesday 28 November the Presiding Officer welcomed the finalists to the National Schools Gaelic Debate Final. This Final was broadcast live on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and for the first-time webcast with 105 people viewing the webcast over the course of the evening. The winner of the 2018 Final was Nicolson Institute, Stornoway. The annual St Andrews Day Debate took place on Monday 3 December in partnership with the English Speaking Union Scotland and the Scottish Government. School pupils from across Scotland worked together to debate through three rounds of topical motions before the grand final in the Debating Chamber chaired by Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame MSP. This was the first year that the teams comprised solely of high school pupils with university students acting as mentors throughout the competition. The final motion was this House would ban anonymity online and was won by a team of pupils from the High School of Dundee and Perth High School. Deputy Presiding Officer Linda Fabiani MSP lit a candle at the Lighting of the Chanukah to mark Hanukkah Rabbi Rubin, Chief Rabbi of Scotland, was in attendance to represent the Jewish Community. The 5 th Scottish Public Service Awards were hosted by the Presiding Officer and Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on Wednesday 5 December, celebrating excellence within Scotland s public service. Our Committee Engagement Unit, along with YMCA Scotland, won the Championing Gender Equality Award for designing and delivering a leadership programme for self-identifying young women. On the evening, former Presiding Officer Rt Hon Sir George Reid was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award recognising his significant contribution to Scottish public service. The Scottish Parliament marked International Human Rights Day and the 70 th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the Equality and Human Rights Committee staging a Human Rights Takeover! in the Parliament. The day started with a chamber session chaired by Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame MSP that included speeches from Judith Robertson, Chair, Scottish Human Rights Commission; Ruth Maguire MSP, 5

7 Convener of the Committee; Bianca Jagger; and the First Minister. There was also a panel discussion with leading Human Rights advocates and experts; and schoolchildren from Oban High School and Hyndland Secondary School reciting poems. Throughout the afternoon delegates participated in breakout sessions. The day concluded with a reception hosted by the Convener to celebrate the 10 th anniversary of the Scottish Human Rights Commission. A video of the speeches can be found at: On Wednesday 19 December the annual Christmas Carol Service took place in the Garden Lobby hosted by the Deputy Presiding Officers. Members, their staff and Scottish Parliament staff were joined by local residents and businesses from the Holyrood Community. Performers at the event included the Royal Mile Primary School, Newtongrange Silver Band and the Coroedina Choir. Following the Service, refreshments were provided in the Main Hall with further singing of Christmas songs and carols. Forward Look The annual Consular Corps Burns Supper hosted by the Presiding Officer will take place on Wednesday 23 January Parliamentary Services Finance On Wednesday 12 December we presented the SPCB s budget submission to the Finance and Constitution Committee. Following extensive planning and prioritisation, this has been set at the level of the indicative forecast advised to the Committee the previous year and appeared to be well received by the Committee. SPICe The Financial Scrutiny Unit noticed a marked increase in budget-related enquiries from across political parties in the lead up to the Scottish Government s announcement of its budget on Wednesday 12 December. SPICe also published a blog to coincide with the announcement. The data visualisation team continues to work on a wide range of projects for committees, SPICe and other colleagues. Public Information Two new animations have been produced: one summarising the revised Scottish Budget process; the other raising awareness of what the Scottish Parliament is doing to prepare Scotland s laws for Brexit. These animations are aimed at members of the public with some existing knowledge of the 6

8 Parliament. The content was developed with input from SPICe, the Web and Social Media Team and Finance and Constitution Committee clerks. British Sign Language versions of 2 more explainer animations on the difference between the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government and on First Minister s Questions have also been produced, extending the range of information resources available in BSL. As well as being added to the website, these will be promoted to the D/deaf community through the Scottish Parliament BSL Facebook Group page. Human Resources first aid Following the significant level of interest shown at the recent SPCB Question Time in relation to first aid, a summary of current arrangements was circulated. The level of interest highlighted the importance of effective first aid being available in places of work and in communities throughout Scotland. Recognising that cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is now viewed as an essential life-skill, and that improved access to early CPR and defibrillation can make an important contribution to avoiding deaths from sudden cardiac arrest, we have recently worked in partnership with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to deliver a series of open access CPR learning sessions here in the Parliament. We are keen to provide more opportunities for this type of training and will support BHF to deliver further learning sessions in the near future. We have also offered training to MSPs and MSP staff who wish to become Scottish Parliament first aiders and highlighted the availability of funding for staff training, which allows MSPs to train local office based first aiders. Currently, the Scottish Parliament maintains one automated external defibrillator (AED) in the garden lobby, to enable its defib team to provide early defibrillation when CPR is required. As CPR skills are now becoming more widely held, it makes sense to consider the availability of AEDs to the wider occupancy of the building as well as to appointed first aiders. For this reason, we are considering the benefit of having further defibrillators and enhanced signage within the building and the possibility of providing a public access defibrillator on the perimeter of the building. This will be subject to consultation with stakeholders and interested parties and will be in addition to the first aid cover provided in terms of H&S requirements. Broadcasting In preparation for the three-month BSL pilot starting in January, during which a signed interpretation of FMQs will be broadcast, the broadcasting team has installed a dedicated BSL studio in the Chamber interpretation booth (which will still allow use when needed for foreign language use). The broadcasting team provided a 3-camera outside broadcast for the live 5 hour webcast of the Parliament s Armistice Day commemorations Their Name Liveth. Output was watched live by over 20,000 people. 7

9 Responding to user feedback as part of its commitment to continuous improvement, the team has added additional functionality to the SPTV clipping service to create better quality and more user friendly material for anyone preparing social media feeds. It has also created a range of videos to support work in a range of business areas, including for HR Diversity Networks, the Gaelic strategy, a number of parliamentary committees, the Higher Vision photography exhibition and Taps Oan promotion. As part of the Gaelic Language Strategy, the team webcast the Radio Nan Gaidheal Gaelic Schools Debate final. 8

10 SPCB FINANCE REPORT Period 7 October This report is to inform SPCB of general financial activity and expenditure trends in Executive Summary Performance against Budget (year to date variance) a) Total SPCB revenue and capital expenditure Para 2 & 5 b) Total SPS expenditure Para 7 c) Total project expenditure Para 8 Operation of Financial Controls d) Key reconciliations up to date Para 4 Other Key Indicators 2.8% 3.6% 1.5% 100% 99.2% e) Payment performance Para 4 Key: RAG Status G A R Performance within target range Performance outwith target range but acceptable Performance outwith target range not acceptable Financial Commentary 2. The Scottish Parliament s total revenue and capital expenditure for the first seven months of of 48.4m represents an underspend against budget of 1.4m (2.8%) which is outwith the SPCB s target range of 0% to 2.5% (as shown in amber in the Executive Summary chart). The comparable position was expenditure of 46.1m which represented an underspend against budget of 1.4m (3.0%). 3. There was a net 396k decrease in central contingency in October from 872k to 476k. 4. All key reconciliations are up to date. Payment performance within contract terms for the year to date exceeds the 99% target. The equivalent figure for payment within 10 days is 97.8% for the year to date. 9

11 Financial Results 5. The SPCB s total revenue and capital expenditure per Schedule 1 for September 2018 is 48.4m, which is 1.4m (2.8%) under the approved year to date budget of 49.8m. Trend of Total Monthly Underspend %-age Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar 17/18 18/ The table below shows actual monthly expenditure (red) up to the end of October and the current reforecast monthly expenditure (green) for the remaining 5 months of the year. The original monthly budget profile is shown by the black line. There are some higher expenditure items scheduled to occur in the remaining 5 months of the financial year: 1.75m in Officeholders Accommodation relocation project over April January, with a peak expected in November and December Members expenses are phased to reflect higher monthly expenditure with a peak expected in the later part of the year Underspend at this stage for running costs is principally due to budget phasing for the Parliamentary Service (SPS). 10

12 Million Original Budget vs Actual and Reforecast Spend Monthly Expenditur e to date P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12 Current Monthly Budget profile to year end Original Monthly Budget profile Parliamentary Service Costs (Schedule 2) 7. The year to date expenditure for the Parliamentary Service (SPS) of 26.0m is 1.0m (3.6%) under budget. Parliamentary Service Costs incorporate both capital and revenue projects. The previous year s expenditure of 25.0m at period 7 was 0.6m (2.4%) below budget. An analysis of the current financial year by main category of expenditure is shown in the two charts below. 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 '000 15,680 15,869 14,919 Parliamentary Service YTD Expenditure k ,262 4,271 Total Staff Costs Total Staff Related Costs Total Property Costs Total Running Costs Total Projects Actual 18/19 Budget 18/19 Actual 17/18 4,033 3,228 3,836 3,208 2,488 2,526 2,419 11

13 Parliamentary Service YTD Under & Overspends k 189 Staff Pay 125 Staff Related Costs Property Costs Running Costs 38 Projects (10) Underspend k Overspend k Staff Pay is reported as 189k (1.2%) under budget including Agency staff and contractors. Staff turnover and the associated vacancies have exceeded the budgeted vacancy assumption in the first seven months of the year. Accordingly, a further 87k of staff pay budget was transferred to contingency in period 7 and this is reflected in the above figure. The expenditure on staff pay to date of 15.7m is 761k (4.9%) higher than the equivalent costs. Expenditure on Staff Related Costs is 354k. This is 125k (26.1%) below the budget to date of 479k. Actual spend on staff related costs is 42k (11.9%) less than for the equivalent period in Training ( 57k), Travel and Expenses ( 35k) and Childcare Vouchers ( 22k) make up the biggest elements of the underspend. Property Costs of 4.3m are 9k (0.2%) below the Year to Date budget. Running Costs of 3.2m are 608k (14.4%) under budget. Main running cost underspends are in IT Contract ( 81k), Equipment Maintenance ( 68k), Telephony ( 46k), Restaurant Services ( 44k), Mail Services and Postage ( 42k), Advertising ( 40k), Printing ( 38k), General Consumables ( 37k), Advisors ( 27k), Stationery ( 24k), Payroll Contract ( 22k) and partly offset by higher expenditure on Software Support and Annual Licences ( 86k). 12

14 81k 68k 46k 44k 42k 40k 38k 37k 27k 24k 22k PS (Excluding Projects) Key YTD Under/(Overspends) k ( 86k) IT Contract Equipment Maintenance Telephony Restaurant Services Mail Services & Postage Advertising Printing General Consumables Advisors Stationery & Copy Costs Payroll Contract Software Support & Annual Licences Project Reporting (Schedule 3): 8. Schedule 3 shows project spend by category of project. Total project expenditure to October 2018 is 2.5m, 38k (1.5%) under the year to date budget. Revenue Projects show a total spend of 1.44m, an underspend of 61k (4.1%) against the phased budget of 1.51m. Capital Projects have spent 1.043m for the year to date, representing an overspend of 23k (2.3%) against the phased budget of 1.02m. The expenditure is mainly in respect of the Security Systems Replacement project. Currently, a net potential overspend of 28k (0.5%) is being forecast in projects. 13

15 0.92% 31.46% 46.2% Spent PO Forecast Uncommitted 21.42% Project Budget Status October 2018 This compares with 41.9% spent, 20.1% on purchase orders, 35% forecast and 3% uncommitted at the same period in Project Budget Status by Portfolio BIT and Digital FM Building & Equipment Security Maturity programme Other 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Spent PO Forecast Uncommitted 14

16 Members Costs (Schedule 2) 9. Members costs are analysed in Schedule 2, which shows 16.6m reported cost to October 2018, 103k (0.6%) lower than the phased year to date budget. (The corresponding figures for at period 7 were expenditure of 16.0m with an underspend of 401k, (2.4%)). Commissioners & Ombudsman Costs (Schedule 2) 10. The SPCB s funding cost for Commissioners and Ombudsman (Officeholders) in the 7 months of amounts to 5.8m, which is 329k (5.4%) under the year to date budget. The underspend in the Officeholders Accommodation project is 253k and is due to timing differences. The unutilised balance in the Officeholders contingency is 300k. Central Contingency 11. The central contingency has decreased by 396k in period 7 from 872k to 476k. This is mainly due to approved budget transfers to BIT ( 294k), BIT projects ( 130k) and Security programme ( 67k) offset by a transfer of 87k from staffing underspends and 8k from non-staffing underspends. 12. Commitment PS Committed Funds as at October 2018: m,% Forecast, 5.4m, 11.3% Funds Available, 0.4m, 0.9% Outstanding Commitment, 16.2m, 33.6% Actual Spend, 26.1m, 54.2% 15

17 This compares with 54.1% spend, outstanding commitment 32.6%, forecast 12.5% and funds available of 0.8% as at October