chief executive’s report to the spcb november 2013justice sub-committee on policing on the back of...

Chief Executive’s Report to the SPCB November 2013

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Introduction This report covers activity up to the end of the year and includes the Finance Report for Period 6 of 2013-14. Some of the items to note include:-

The RACCE Committee will consider an ECHR order as a result of a ruling by the UK Supreme Court that a specific part of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003 is not compatible with ECHR.

The success of Parliament Day Arbroath which took place on 4 November

and the annual Business in the Parliament Conference which took place on 21-22 November.

Continuing good progress towards achieving carbon and environmental targets for 2013/14.

A busy and successful period for Visitor Services. If you have any comments or questions on any aspect of this Report, I would be happy to discuss them with you. P E GRICE Clerk/Chief Executive

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SECTION 1 – OVERVIEW OF PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITIES Chamber and Reporting NGBU As of mid-November, two NGBU-drafted Members’ Bills (Defective and Dangerous Buildings – David Stewart MSP, and Assisted Suicide – Margo MacDonald MSP) have been introduced and a third (Reform of Criminal Verdicts – Michael McMahon MSP) is nearing introduction. The Assisted Suicide Bill, in particular, has required significant time and care to develop, given the complexity and sensitive nature of the subject-matter.

NGBU is currently supporting three Private Bill committees. The Portobello Park Bill, which has attracted 66 objections, has required particularly careful handling, with NGBU working in close collaboration with solicitors. The Burrell Collection Committee has demonstrated how a Private Bill can be given thorough and robust scrutiny in the absence of formal objections.

NGBU clerks have been working closely with SPPA Committee clerks and others to improve the procedures for handling Hybrid and Private Bills.

NGBU continues to support Members in developing proposals for Members’ Bills, and is investigating how current online resources could be used to reduce the resources involved in collating responses to consultation exercises. Chamber Desk The self-service system has now been in place for a year and the usage has surpassed our hopes for the system at the outset. 71% of all submissions to the Chamber Desk are now made through self-service, fully justifying the decision to reduce the size of the admin team. The clerks have begun speaking to both high users of the system and high users of email to determine what can be done to further improve usage of the system, particularly with the submission of oral questions. Committees and Outreach Public Audit Committee The Committee will be taking evidence on the mergers of Scotland’s Colleges from a range of colleges, Scottish Funding Council and the Government and following up on the process of police reform with evidence from all the key stakeholders. In addition the Committee will be continuing its work on the audit consequences of the Scotland Act 2012 looking at the Scottish rate of income tax and the forthcoming Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Bill. Welfare Reform Committee The Committee continues to concentrate on the so-called ‘bedroom tax’, hearing a petition from Govan Law Centre and taking evidence from local

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authorities who are managing Discretionary Housing Payments to mitigate its impact. Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment (RACCE) Committee The RACCE Committee expects to consider the Scottish Parliament’s second only European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) order, and the first to be subject to non-emergency procedure, as a result of a ruling by the UK Supreme Court that a specific part of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003 is not compatible with ECHR. Public Petitions Committee The Committee continues to receive good coverage of its evidence gathering into child sexual exploitation and is aiming to publish its report early in the New Year. Equal Opportunities Committee The Committee has completed oral evidence-taking on the Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Scotland) Bill and has commenced consideration of its draft Stage 1 report. The Committee has also finished taking evidence on the Draft Budget 2014-15, with a focus on funding and access to services for people with disabilities. The report will be considered and finalised in mid- to late November. Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee In direct response to recommendations resulting from the Committee’s inquiry into Community Transport, the Scottish Government announced a £1m vehicle replacement fund to be accessed by community transport operators, together with a doubling of funding for the Community Transport Association (CTA) and other positive action to assist these voluntary services. The CTA has acknowledged that these positive benefits would not have been delivered had it not been for the Committee’s inquiry. Justice Committee The Committee has entered a busy period of work, having to schedule additional meetings to get through the business. It completed its scrutiny of the Draft Budget 2014-15 and took evidence on the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on Women Offenders. It also considered the operation of the offences under the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 following receipt of a number of submissions raising concerns regarding the operation of the Act. Consideration of this issue is ongoing. Justice Sub-Committee on Policing On the back of mounting concern about diminishing local flexibility and closure of police counters, the Sub-Committee heard evidence on local policing from the Chief Constable and Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland on 31 October. It has since launched a call for views on the impact of police reform on local policing and intends to hold a number of visits to see first-hand the effects of reform on local communities. The Parliament has given the Sub-Committee some flexibility to be able to start its meetings at the same

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time as Members’ Business on Thursdays where necessary. The trial will run until 20 December. Parliament Day Parliament Day Arbroath took place on 4 November 2013. Local Secondary pupils from Arbroath Academy and Montrose Academy enjoyed outreach education sessions in the week before the event. On Sunday 3 November, 102 invited guests joined the Presiding Officer and MSPs at a reception at the Webster Memorial Theatre. Pupils from Arbroath High School provided a programme of musical entertainment and young people from PRAXIS Life Skills Centre gave an insightful and informative presentation. On Monday 4 November, the focus was on the Finance Committee. 16 organisations attended workshops, allowing local business people to have their say on the proposed 2014-15 Scottish budget. 68 people attended the formal meetings. The Presiding Officer visited four organisations:- Angus Training Group, Iain R Spink (Arbroath Smokies), Mackays Boatyard and Darling’s Coffee Shop run by ENABLE Scotland. A networking lunch was held at Dundee and Angus College with 24 guests, making the Presiding Officer one of the first visitors to the new college. Nanette Milne MSP visited St Thomas’ RC Primary school where she was quizzed by pupils on a range of topics. The events were supported by the Media Relations Office, securing strong local coverage in the lead up to and following the day itself. All our media activities were supported by our web and social media outlets. UK and International Relations Office (UKIRO) On 29 October, the newly appointed American Ambassador to the UK, Mr

Matthew W. Barzun, paid a courtesy call on the Presiding Officer on his first visit to the Scottish Parliament. The Presiding Officer also accompanied him to a private viewing of the Andy Warhol exhibition.

The Ambassador of Croatia, His Excellency Dr Ivan Grdešić, paid a

courtesy call on Presiding Officer on 31 October. Dr Grdešić also gave evidence to the European and External Relations Committee on Croatia’s recent accession to the European Union.

The Hon Linda Reid MLA, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of

British Columbia, paid a courtesy call on the Presiding Officer on Thursday 7 November, accompanied by the Parliament Clerk, Craig James, and Sergeant-at-Arms, Gary Lenz. Their visit focussed on parliamentary outreach and security arrangements in the Parliament.

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The President of the Parliament of Wallonia (Belgium), Mr Patrick Dupriez, visited the Parliament on Tuesday 19 November for a meeting with the Presiding Officer. The President met with the Deputy Convener of the Welfare Reform Committee and the Convener and Members of the Public Petitions Committee.

The Canadian High Commissioner (and former Premier of British

Columbia), His Excellency Mr Gordon Campbell, paid a courtesy call on the Presiding Officer on Thursday 14 November. Private, political meetings have also been arranged with the Deputy First Minister and Party Leaders.

The Ambassador of Poland, His Excellency, Mr Witold Sobokw, visited the

Parliament on Wednesday 20 November, and had a courtesy call with the Presiding Officer.

Communications and Research Media Relations Office, Web and Social Media The Media Office is working with the Scottish Community Broadcasting Network (SCBN) to deliver a weekly series of interviews with Committee Conveners highlighting the work and role of parliamentary committees. More generally, we have recently secured coverage for the following:

- The Equal Opportunities Committee’s Stage 1 Report on the Equal Marriage Bill;

- The Burrell Committee’s preliminary report; - The Justice Committee’s consultation on whether forced marriage

should be a criminal offence; and - The Education Committee’s report into Children in Care.

Information Governance Our second quarterly FOI statistics have been submitted to OSIC for the period July to September 2013. All FOI requests and reviews have been answered within the statutory timescale and there were no appeals during this period. Public Information and Publications Tests of the alert messaging system, which can be used to contact MSPs, SPS staff and contractors in the event of an incident, were successfully carried out with onsite contractors on 28 October and with MSPs on 13 November. Where the SMS test messages were not delivered, we followed up with the recipients to identify the reasons for the problem. 94 MSPs have now added mobile phone numbers to the e-HR system, which provides the data used for the alert messaging. SPICe

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Ishani Erasmus will join the Scottish Parliament on secondment on 18 November as the new Sustainable Development Scrutiny Officer. This secondment is jointly funded with the Scottish Government, and will run until August 2014. Ishani has previously been involved with some of the wellbeing work carried out by the Futures Forum. Related to this, SPICe has been offering some input to the upcoming CPA event in London on sustainable development and parliamentary scrutiny of the issue. Facilities, Events, Exhibitions and Visitor Services Facilities Management Environmental Performance The SPCB is progressing well towards its carbon and environmental targets for 2013/14. The targets for carbon, electricity, gas, water and landfill are on course to be achieved. Building Maintenance and Projects A number of high profile projects recently completed include: relocation of the parliament shop; installation of swipe access on the lifts and stairwell door on the ground floor of the MSP building to improve accessibility; and installation of a new cycle gate at the Vehicle Entry System. Work is currently on-going to enable the relocation of the parliament exhibition to the space previously occupied by the shop. Fire Safety A recent review of our PEEP (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan) procedure has been completed by stakeholders and a new streamlined process has been approved by Leadership Group. The purpose of the PEEP process is to ensure the safety of individuals, working in or visiting the building, who may require assistance in the event of an evacuation. All building users who may require assistance are encouraged to contact the Fire Safety Advisor to discuss their PEEP. Events and Exhibitions The Andy Warhol: Pop, Power and Politics exhibition attracted over 22,000

visitors during its four week run and has received much positive feedback. Over 500 people participated in the screen printing workshops. A full evaluation will be provided to the SPCB in due course.

The Andrew Carnegie: The legacy that changed the world exhibition will remain on display in the Main Hall until Saturday 25 January 2014.

On Wednesday 13 November the Deputy Presiding Officer Elaine Smith

MSP and the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism Fergus Ewing MSP hosted the annual VisitScotland parliamentary reception. The event titled Scotland Welcomes the World focused on the final arrangements

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being put in place for 2014 (Commonwealth Games, The Ryder Cup and Homecoming Scotland).

The annual Business in the Parliament Conference took place on

Thursday 21 and Friday 22 November in the Parliament. The event included a pre-conference dinner and a conference for approximately 200 delegates. The theme of the event was Maximising economic growth during a time of financial constraint. The keynote address was given by Ross McEwan, the new Chief Executive of RBS.

On Wednesday 27 November the BT National Gaelic Schools Debate

Final, now in its 15th year, will be hosted by Deputy Presiding Officer John Scott MSP.

The painting gifted by the Irish Parliament, Liam Belton’s Kilclooney

Dolmen, Donegal, has been temporarily removed from Q1.04 for conservation.

Forward Look The St Andrew’s Day Debate will take place in the Debating Chamber on 2

December hosted by Deputy Presiding Officer John Scott MSP. Psalmsong by Alison Kinnaird will be returned to its normal Main Hall

location w/c 16 December following completion of the new building entrance and exit.

The annual Christmas Carol Service will be held on Wednesday 18

December. The event will be attended by members of the Holyrood community and building users.

The annual Consular Corps’ Burns Supper hosted by the Presiding Officer

will take place on Wednesday 22 January. Visitor Services It was a very busy quarter due, in the main, to the temporary exhibitions

held in the public areas. Comparing the period August to October 2012 with the same period in 2013 shows an increase of over 20,000 visitors (or 22%) to 119,062 visitors. Queues were successfully managed by Visitor Services, Security and Events staff, with the co-operation of those attending to view the exhibitions.

Retail sales enjoyed a rise in overall income during the exhibitions, with

Great Tapestry and Warhol merchandise proving popular. Total sales during October, when the Warhol exhibition was open, increased by 101% to £35,041 compared to October 2012.

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Sales of the Official Parliament Guidebook also rose during this period, showing that visitors to the temporary exhibitions were also interested in learning more about the Parliament.

The shop relocation has encouraged an increase in footfall to the shop

and Visitor Services will monitor footfall-transaction conversions to see how sales proceed following the popular Christmas shopping events.

HR and Security Security The operation of the new building entrance is going well. We are reviewing and monitoring our operational procedures to take account of visitor and stakeholder feedback. BIT and Broadcasting Members’ Web Application The Business IT Office has developed an application for Members to use on their websites which displays their last ten parliamentary speeches, questions, motions and votes. The application can be tailored to provide any combination of the four information sources (speeches, questions, motions and votes) and provides links to further relevant information on the website.

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SECTION 2 – SPCB FINANCE REPORT

Period 6 – September 2013

1. This report is to inform the SPCB of general financial activity and expenditure trends in 2013-14.

Executive Summary

Performance against Budget (year to date variance)

a) Total SPCB revenue and capital expenditure

Para 2 & 7

b) Total SPS expenditure

Para 8

c) Total project expenditure

Para 9

Operation of Financial Controls

d) Key reconciliations up to date

Para 4

Other Key Indicators

e) Payment performance

Para 6

Key: RAG Status

Financial Commentary

2. The Scottish Parliament’s total revenue and capital expenditure for the

financial year 2013-14 of £36.3m represents an under spend against budget of £1.2m (3.1%), which is inside the SPCB’s target range of 0% to 5.0% under budget at this stage of the financial year. The overall underspend is lower, in percentage terms, than the comparable position for 2012-13 of £1.2m (3.5%).

99.7%

90.0%

2.3%

R

3.1%

Performance within target range

Performance outwith target range but acceptable

Performance outwith target range not acceptable

A

G

0.4%

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3. As previously indicated, we have completed an exercise to review the current year forecast outturn for Parliamentary Service costs, including all major projects, and have incorporated the results in the Period 6 Finance Report.

4. Key reconciliations for the current year are up to date apart from the main payroll control account which has been prepared up to period 5. We are in discussion with HR to move the lead responsibility for this reconciliation to Finance and anticipate Finance taking responsibility for this from the October reconciliation onwards. The SPCB’s annual accounts have now completed the audit and review process and were published with an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor General for Scotland on 8 October.

5. The Finance Office has been liaising closely with the Scottish Government

(SG) since the upgrade of SEAS in April 2012. A log of issues has been maintained and good progress has been made recently in resolution of key items. Steps are in hand to address the remaining items with the SG in the process of allocating resource to address these now. Opportunities for further development will be investigated in 2013-14 with a SG project for a new reporting tool (Insight) provisionally planned for late Q4. We anticipate being part of the project team on this implementation. A separate log of 2013-14 issues is being maintained to monitor progress once action has been agreed with the SG.

Original upgrade

April 2012

New issues logged this year

Total

Issues logged 75 9 84

Remaining issues at period 5 5 4 9

Prioritisation:

High 0 0 0

Medium 5 3 8

Low 0 1 1

6. Payment performance within contract terms exceeds the 99% target for the year to date and the equivalent figure for payment within 10 days is 88.6%.

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Financial Results 7. The SPCB’s total revenue and capital expenditure per Schedule 1 for the six

months ended September 2013 is £36.3m, which is £1.2m (3.1%) under the approved budget of £37.5m.

Parliamentary Service Costs (Schedule 2)

8. The cumulative expenditure for the Parliamentary Service (SPS), at £20.9m, is £0.5m (2.3%) under budget. This incorporates both capital and revenue projects. The previous year’s expenditure of £17.9m at period 6 was £0.5m (3.0%) below budget. An analysis of the current financial year by main category of expenditure is shown in the two charts below.

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Staff pay is £199k (1.8%) under budget. The staff cost underspend is spread across a few groups with the largest staff underspends being in Communication and Research (£59k), Chamber and Reporting (£35k), and OSSP (£38k).

Staff Related costs of £255k are reported as £77k (23.2%) below budget, with Travel and Expenses accounting for £45k and Training for £28k. The reported underspend is partly attributable to a delay in processing corporate credit card transactions, which will reduce during the year as we fully implement the more streamlined processing arrangements for the new corporate card. Total Staff Related Cost reported spend is over £100k higher than at the corresponding period in 2012/13.

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Property costs of £3.7m are £28k (0.7%) under the Year To Date budget – principally £28k in Property Advisors.

Running costs of £2.7m are £182k (6.3%) under budget. Main running

cost underspends are against Events (£71k) as a number of purchase orders had not been put on the system by month end as well as some genuine underspends in areas such as World Press Photo and The Travelling Exhibition; other underspends in Stationery and Copy Costs (£37k) and Publications (£24k). Mail Services and Postage costs are running ahead of budget for the first 6 months, but are expected to stay within the full year budget.

Project Reporting (Schedule 3):

9. Schedule 3 shows project spend by category of project.

Revenue Projects show a total spend of £263k against the year to date

budget of £273k, a reported underspend of £10k (3.5%). We have rephased the unallocated revenue project budget across some new projects including a number of FM projects in relation to the 25 year maintenance plan. £1.34m of the original approved £1.5m budget has now been allocated to specific revenue projects, with the remaining £160k released to the SPCB’s general contingency as part of the forecast outturn exercise.

The capital expenditure programme for 2013-14 has seen expenditure

to date of £3.219m against the year to date budget of £3.223m, an underspend of £4k or 0.1%.

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Expenditure of £3.1m in respect of the ESF construction in the first six months of 2013-14 takes the total ESF expenditure up to £5.9m. The project remains on track with the new entrance completed and operational during August 2013 and the new exit completed in mid-October 2013 - all within budget. The overall capital project budget has increased by £743k to £3.743m as a result of a transfer of funds from the SPCB’s central contingency.

Overall, 68.5% of the total allocated annual project budget has been spent and a further 13.4% committed by the end of September 2013.

Members’ Costs (Schedule 2)

10. Members’ costs are analysed in Schedule 2, which shows £11.6m reported

cost to September 2013, £663k (5.4%) below the phased budget. (The corresponding underspend figures for 2012-13 at the end of period 6 were £432k, 3.7%). Of this underspend, £571k (9.0%) is on Members’ Expenses. Party Assistance at £195k is reported as £31k under the phased budget.

Commissioners and Ombudsman Costs (Schedule 2)

11. The SPCB’s funding cost for Commissioners and Ombudsman (Officeholders) for the year to date amounts to £3.8m, which is £12k (0.3%) below the phased budget, (2012-13 figures as at September 2012 were an underspend of £204k or 5.1%).

Central Contingency

12. The SPCB’s central revenue contingency has been reduced to £50k from £590k following the forecasting exercise. This comprises a transfer of £583k to fund project budgets, offset by £43k released from office’s line budgets.

Commitment

13. The amount committed across the Parliamentary Service (including projects)

stood at £39.1m or 92% of total annual PS budget.

Period 6 September 2013 Financial Schedules

Schedule 1

Current OriginalAnnual Approved

Actual Budget Variance Variance Budget Budget£'000 £'000 £'000 % £'000 £'000

Parliamentary Service Costs (Schedule 2) 20,933 21,434 501 2.3 42,528 42,078

Members' Costs (Schedule 2) 11,561 12,223 663 5.4 24,511 24,511

Commissioners & Ombudsman Costs (Schedule 2) 3,842 3,854 12 0.3 8,059 8,059

Sub Total 36,336 37,511 1,175 3.1 75,098 74,648

Reserves - SPCB Contingency 0 0 0 n/a 50 500

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 36,336 37,511 1,175 3.1 75,148 75,148

Year to Date


Schedule 2Current OriginalAnnual Approved

Actual Budget Variance Variance Budget Budget£'000 £'000 £'000 % £'000 £'000

Parliamentary Service Costs

Staff Pay 10,750 10,949 199 1.8 21,943 21,977

Staff Related Costs 255 332 77 23.2 830 808

Property Costs 3,725 3,753 28 0.7 7,905 7,995

Running Costs (Including Events & Income) 2,721 2,903 182 6.3 6,767 6,798

Parliamentary Service Costs excluding Projects 17,451 17,938 487 2.7 37,445 37,578

Projects (Schedule 3) 3,482 3,496 14 0.4 5,083 4,500

Total PS Expenditure 20,933 21,434 501 2.3 42,528 42,078

Members' Costs

MSP & Officeholders' Pay 5,565 5,625 60 1.1 11,250 11,250

MSP Expenses 5,801 6,372 571 9.0 12,806 12,806

Party Assistance 195 227 31 13.8 455 455

Total 11,561 12,223 663 5.4 24,511 24,511

Commissioners & Ombudsman

Ethical Standards Commission 366 347 (19) (5.4) 797 797

Standards Commission 117 116 (1) (0.5) 226 226

Human Rights Commission 464 472 8 1.7 909 909

Scottish Information Commissioner 736 708 (27) (3.9) 1,394 1,394

Public Services Ombudsman 1,537 1,585 48 3.0 3,207 3,207

Commissioner for Children 622 625 4 0.6 1,226 1,226

Reserves - C&O Contingency 0 0 0 n/a 300 300

Total 3,842 3,854 12 0.3 8,059 8,059

Year-to-date


Schedule 3

Project Summary : September 2013 YTD Actual £k YTD Budget £k Variance £k Variance % Current Annual Budget £k

Original Approved Budget £k

% Spent of Total Budget

Outstanding Commitment £k

Funds Available £k

Revenue Projects Allocated 263 273 10 3.5 1,340 600 19.7% 285 792 Unallocated 0 0 0 0.0 0 900 0.0% 0 0Total Revenue Projects 263 273 10 3.5 1,340 1,500 19.7% 285 792

Capital Projects Allocated 3,219 3,223 4 0.1 3,743 3,000 86.0% 395 130 Unallocated 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0% 0 0Total Capital Projects 3,219 3,223 4 0.1 3,743 3,000 86.0% 395 130

TOTAL 3,482 3,496 14 0.4 5,083 4,500 68.5% 680 922

By Portfolio: YTD Actual £k YTD Budget £k Variance £k Variance % Current Annual Budget £k

Original Approved Budget £k

% Spent of Total Budget

Outstanding Commitment £k

Funds Available £k

IT 127 123 (4) (3.5) 447 0 28.5% 8 312FM Building & Equipment 226 239 12 5.2 1,091 600 20.7% 243 622Engagement (1) 0 1 n/a 0 0 n/a 0 1ESF Capital Construction 3,084 3,084 0 0.0 3,366 3,000 91.6% 387 (104)Information Management 45 50 5 9.8 179 0 25.4% 42 91Artwork / Other 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 n/a 0 0

Total Projects Allocated 3,482 3,496 14 0.4 5,083 3,600 68.5% 680 922

Unallocated Project Budget 0 0 0 0.0 0 900 0.0% 0 0

TOTAL 3,482 3,496 14 0.4 5,083 4,500 68.5% 680 922

Land & Buildings professionally valued at £306.5m at 31 March 2010. No change in artwork. WIP represents spend on External Security Facility. IT Systems and Software, and Equipment, include additions which are more than offset by depreciation.

NoteVAT debtor for Q4 2012-13 was received on 15 July and for Q1 2013-14 on 11 September.

0500

1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000

Mar-13 Jun-13 Sep-13 Dec-13 Mar-14

(£k

)

Quarter

Debtors

Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income Trade Debtors VAT

01,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,000

10,000


(£k

)

Quarter

Fixed Assets (Excluding Land & Buildings)

Artwork & donated assets WIP IT systems & software Equipment

Note

NoteScottish Consolidated Fund creditor equal to bank balance

Bank balances kept within target

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000


(£k

)

Quarter

Creditors

Scottish Consolidated Fund Other creditors Trade creditors Accruals

-00

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500


(£k)

Quarter

Cash At Bank

Commercial bank accounts & cash Government Banking ServiceMinimum Target Maximum Target

Schedule 6 Income from Catering Operation and from Parliament Shop

Analysis of Catering Costs and Subsidy

2013-14 YTD (6 months to Sept 13)Garden Level Restaurant Coffee Bar

Members' Restaurant Members' Bar

QBH Lounge

Parliament Café Events

Internal Hospitality

Internal Meetings Total YTD Budget

YTD Variance

Current Annual Budget

Original Approved

Budget

£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000

Income 159 38 11 3 23 79 144 22 31 511 520 (9)

Less:- Direct Outlet Costs (231) (29) (26) (7) (46) (68) (73) (29) (33) (541) (550) 9

Net Contribution to Trading Profit/(Deficit) after direct outlet costs (71) 9 (15) (3) (23) 11 71 (7) (2) (30) (30) 0

Less:- Indirect Costs

Generic Labour 1 & Other Overheads 2 (239) (247) 8

Net subsidy (269) (277) 8 (519) (519)

Notes:Note 1 - Generic Labour includes: All management roles and some support rolesNote 2 - Other Overheads includes: All equipment purchases and maintenance; all administrative costs (inc. Management Fee) and all sundry costs.All figures are exclusive of VAT

Shop Trading Account

Total YTD BudgetYTD

Variance

Current Annual Budget

Original Approved

Budget

2013-14 YTD (6 months to Sept 13) £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000

Sales 156 160 (5) 264 224

Cost of Sales (1) 68 51 18 144 135

Net Contribution 88 110 (22) 120 89

Direct Salaries 41 63 (22) 91 91

Other Direct Costs (2) 2 2 0 12 4 Total Direct Costs 43 65 (23) 103 95

Net Contribution/(Subsidy) after direct costs 45 44 0 17 (6)

Notes(1) Cost of sales is the cost to the Parliament of items for sale in the shop(2) Other direct costs are expenditure incurred directly in the operation of the shopsuch as stationery and credit card and cash uplift charges.As a result of the Visitor Services Office review, reduced staffing levels in the shop have been implemented during 2012-13 to reduce staffing costs.This statement does not include general overhead costs, e.g. for a proportion of business rates, utility costs and other operational and support costs.

Parliamentary Business

100% Parliamentary business takes place as scheduled

Organisational Performance Framework

2013-14: Quarter 2

Cover Page

The Parliamentary Service

% Outturn against SPCB budget for financial year within

target range of 0 - 5% under SPCB budget

Efficiency targets delivered as planned

Strategic activities on track

Compliance monitoring report on track*

Planned Strategic Risk Management activities on schedule**

Public Engagement

Operational Public Engagement KPIs are on target:

participation, openness, reaching out and understanding

This

Quarter

This

Year

Members Feedback

Number of interviews conducted

Trend

15 29

N/a

1

üü

100%

Increase/No Change/DecreaseKey: RAG Status

On Track (Yes/No)

A G

ü û

R

3.1%

ü ü

ü

ü

100%

û û

Note: * Compliance monitoring is amber due to delays in the completion of all office inspection reports and in

implementing all recommendations in a health and safety management system audit report. There has been

no legal non-compliance.

** Current Strategic Risk Management activities on schedule, but Strategic Risk Register being revised by LG to

ensure it captures the latest risks

ü

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Quarter 32012-13

Quarter 4 Quarter 12013-14

Quarter 2

1

6 6

56

9 118 9

Parliamentary Role

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Quarter 32012-13

Quarter 4 Quarter 12013-14

Quarter 2

1 1

9 8

910

68

4 5

Constituency Role

Very Satisfied

Satisfied

Dissatisfied

Very Dissatisfied

ü ü


Support Parliament in

implementation of

Parliamentary reform

Support committees to

implement Conveners

Group Programme for

Change

The Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee’s

review of the reforms to sitting patterns is underway. To date,

submissions from the Conveners Group and one political party

have been received, further submissions are anticipated. Evidence

received will be considered after October recess. The Committee is

expected to report on the reforms and further adjustments may be

recommended. The Presiding Officer is also committed to on-going

reform and is planning to work with others to continue

improvements to the Parliament’s operations. Both initiatives will

require on-going support from Clerks and others as they progress.

On 12 September 2013, the Conveners Group, for the first time,

questioned the First Minister on his legislative programme. The

session was arranged as part of the on-going reforms being

pursued by the Presiding Officer and was well received by

Conveners and the media.

Tri-annual reports will be produced for the Conveners Group,

providing a range of statistics on Committee activities as well as

examples of best practice and lessons learned on Committee

reforms. The first such report is expected to be considered at the

Group’s November meeting.

Following agreement from the Conveners Group, professional

design work was undertaken over the summer recess which

resulted in the production of a revised Committee report design and

associated template. This improved version will be presented to the

Conveners Group in October 2013 with implementation as soon as

possible thereafter. Further development work will be undertaken to

consider more radical changes in the longer term, designed to fit in

with the Digital Parliament programme.

A pilot exercise to provide support to Members who wish to access

Committee papers digitally ended prior to October recess.

Participating Members of both the Infrastructure and Capital

Investment and Health and Sport Committees received papers in a

format which allowed for improved ease of use on digital devices,

instead of hard copy papers. Measures included the provision of

navigation menus to allow easier and quicker access to and

between individual papers. A report on the outcomes of the pilot will

be presented to the Conveners Group in November 2013, together

with recommendations on the future use of digital Committee

papers.

In addition, work has been taken forward in relation to Parliament

Days, please refer to “Implement the Engagement Strategy”.

2

Strategic Activity Status Action Update


2013-14: Quarter 2

Plans and Strategies

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2013-14: Quarter 2


Strategic Activity Status Action Update

Members

Develop and deliver a

Member focused IT

Strategy

Ensure services continue

to enable and support

Members effectively

Major milestones achieved in this reporting period include

successful pilot of technologies to improve the performance of

current broadband lines to local offices, continuation of

development of mobile device environment including planning to

deliver better integration of devices and the Parliament network

services, completion of training and installations for all case

management pilot areas and further development of the IT strategy

which will support the Digital Parliament objective. All projects

remain within allocated budget at this time.

Fifteen MSPs participated in the Members Survey for quarter 2,

results are summarised on the cover page. The overall trend in

satisfaction levels remains consistent to previous quarters, with all

Members either very satisfied or satisfied for both Parliamentary

and Constituency support. We shall continue to monitor the results

and any emerging trends.

The Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme for

Members remains at green with courses continuing to be

developed and run. The first speechwriting course was held in

September 2013 and will carry on in the next quarter. Feedback is

being sought from participants to ensure that the course meets

Members’ needs while any practical issues raised can assist when

planning future courses.

The Leadership Group (LG) and the SPCB were recently updated

on the work and have agreed to continue the programme, albeit

with a pause around the referendum. Costs for using external

providers are being met by existing budgets while the work will

continue to be progressed by the Committee Office using current

staffing resources. The eventual aim is to roll-out a range of tried

and tested courses at the beginning of Session 5.3


Cont’d

Effective response to

changes in Parliament’s

powers

Effectively manage the

construction,

commissioning and

handover of the External

Security Facility (ESF)

A report is due to be presented to the SPCB on 27 November

2013 on use of Parliamentary resources in the lead up to the

Referendum and the SPCB will be advised on consideration of

other parliamentary policies at their meeting on 11 December 2013.

A report will also be made to the AAB on 11 December 2013

updating them on work done to date.

The construction work on the External Security Facility project,

including the new exit, is now complete. The new facility was

operational from 23 August 2013 with the exit being completed and

all hoardings removed by 9 October 2013. Spend to date as at 31

October 2013 was £6.09m, with total budgeted costs of £6.48m.

The project remains on time and on budget. The project closure

report was presented to the SPCB on 30 October 2013.

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Strategic Activity

4

Action UpdateStatus


2013-14: Quarter 2


Members Cont’d

Deliver a digital Parliament A On 26 June 2013, LG agreed that IMS and Digital Parliament

should be managed under a single programme and roles and

responsibilities were agreed. Over the reporting period the Digital

Parliament Programme Board and Programme Manager have

been monitoring progress on live projects and working with offices

to define the scope, blueprint and project structure for enabling

channel shift projects: Print & Publication strategy; PDF

Production; and Paper Reduction.

In September 2013, the Programme Board agreed that a draft

business case for the Print & Publications strategy would be

submitted at the 4 November 2013 board meeting. An update on

progress to date on the current pilot of the Committees Pack

would also be provided. Initial scoping for Paper Reduction and

the Website strategy and Online Channels has also commenced.

The Documents and Records Management project has been

focused on delivering enabling business changes with particular

effort being spent on delivering the technical platform and

information management policies which have been agreed by the

Project Board in principle for the pioneer. An updated policy for

Protective Markings is being referred to the Programme Board

(and possibly to LG) given that its implication impact wider than

the project. A paper on the pioneer project timeline, objectives,

critical success factors and benefits is planned to go to the

Programme Board in late November 2013 prior to LG meeting on

9 December 2013.

The Data Architecture business case is being reviewed with

updated estimates on resources and benefits underway. The

revised business case was presented to the Programme Board on

4 November 2013, together with the updated high level design

document.

LG discussed an update on progress in developing the Digital

Parliament Programme on 7 October 2013 and agreed on the

need to quantify the anticipated benefits and clarify the likely

timescale for delivery of the initial projects. LG accepted the high

level of commitment that would be required from its members and

other senior managers at this initial stage to plan the programme

under the direction of the SRO and the Programme Board so that

benefits, projects and resources could be fully defined.

Action UpdateStatus


2013-14: Quarter 2


Strategic Activity

Implement Parliament Days in local communities – Following the

success of the first 3 Parliament Days, in September 2013 the

Public Engagement Board (PEB) agreed to the proposed 2013-14

and 2014-15 Parliament Day schedule taking into account the

European elections, Referendum and UK elections. With the

intention that a Parliament Day will be held in each of the 8 regions

by the end of the current Parliamentary session, Conveners were

invited by the PEB to indicate whether their Committees would like

to be involved in future Parliament Days. The 4th Parliament Day

was held in Arbroath on 4 November 2013 with the Finance

Committee as its focus.

Develop a web and social media plan to promote Parliament online

- The plan is now in place and analysis completed on the

effectiveness of social media during the 2012-13 Parliamentary

year. The refreshed plan is on schedule to be presented to the

PEB in November 2013.

Develop a Public Information plan - Public feedback is being

collected and analysed. Discussions with other offices on working

together to maximise efficiencies is on-going.

Open up Parliamentary data for others to use – The PEB agreed in

September 2013 that responsibility for this project will be

transferred to the Digital Parliament Programme which has now

been initiated. A business case is being brought forward to the

Digital Parliament Board in November 2013.

Develop our own reporting role – The Media Relations Office and

Broadcasting Office have commenced working collaboratively on

this area and have produced some promotional clips for use by

online media. For example, since the start of the new

Parliamentary year the Scotsman online have for the past month

been taking the business round up films for every Tuesday/

Wednesday/Thursday. Roles, responsibilities and resources have

been agreed as part of the Broadcasting Office Review. The PEB

will receive an update in November 2013 in relation to the

Engagement Strategy.

Public

Implement the

engagement strategy

5

The Parliamentary

Service

Develop and deliver

learning and development

to support strategy

LG agreed on 26 August 2013 that an annual L&D plan would be

produced to ensure that corporate L&D aligned with the needs of

the of the organisation. LG approved the 2013-14 L&D plan. The

agreed top corporate L&D priorities for 2013-14 were (1)

management skills for staff (2) developing Parliamentary and

political awareness. This project is now complete and it becomes

business as usual, with a 2014-15 plan being produced in quarter

1, 2014-15.

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6

Action UpdateStatus


2013-14: Quarter 2


Strategic Activity

The Parliamentary

Service Cont’d

Maximise innovation and

continuous improvement

Implement the information

management strategy

Develop and deliver

organisational agility

Develop proposals for

income generation

Following the SPCB’s approval of the revised strategic plan for

2013-14 on 5 June 2013, offices were invited to refresh their

existing 2013-14 Office Plans by 31 July 2013. Data collated from

the plans is currently being analysed to inform innovation and

continuous improvement activities which will be presented to LG in

November 2013. Thereafter, new targets will be set for innovation

and improvement within the organisation.

On 26 June 2013, LG agreed that the Information Management

Strategy and Digital Parliament should be managed under a single

programme. Please refer to the “Deliver a digital Parliament”.

On 26 August 2013, LG considered and agreed all aspects of the

organisational agility project. Communications will be undertaken

in autumn 2013, including the publication of the agility framework.

The expectation is that the project will be completed by quarter 3.

The project is progressing well with several research visits

undertaken and engagement with LG and other key stakeholders

complete. Recommendations on appropriate use of the Members’

Restaurant and any areas for considerations will be discussed as

necessary with LG and the SPCB. Dialogue with potential clients is

planned in the meantime. The discussion with the SPCB will also

address any implementation plans.

Exhibition-specific merchandise in the Parliament shop has proved

particularly successful during the Great Tapestry exhibition, with

additional exhibition-related events (including book signings)

generating further income. Great Tapestry goods sold in large

numbers but also generated knock-on sales improvements for

other ranges, especially the Scottish Parliament Guidebook,

resulting in shop turnover increase over the same period last year

of 372% during the exhibition opening.

Additional shop promotions (guidebook promotions and discount

vouchers) also achieved sales increases during August 2013,

although extended opening hours during August did not generate

any significant income improvements.

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