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I want to touch on three broad areas. First, over the years, this committee has received section 22 and 23 reports from you, which are obviously in-depth audits, on which we have based our scrutiny. Over the past couple of years we have increasingly been getting briefings from you in the form of blogs. What kind of balance do you anticipate in the future between your in-depth audits and the briefings in blogs? Given that this committee has performed scrutiny against those briefings and blogs, to what extent can we rely on the rigour of the audit principles behind them when we do that?

My last question is on the police and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. I think that your best value reports are quite good. [Laughter.] Well, I am Scottish—that is why I said that.

I know that you are doing research and development work and a best value audit on policing. Can you give me a bit more information about the research and development that is being done and the timescales you are working to in relation to the fire and rescue service? Obviously, both emergency services are vital for the country, and the committee has a huge interest in them.

I would just highlight the high level of public interest—and indeed the committee’s interest—in both areas. I would therefore be hoping for something on this as soon as is feasible.

In the evidence that we have taken, it was made clear that decisions on procurement were not always based on the cheapest price but on the cheapest price over a period—the theory being that you spend money now to save money in the future. However, the current financial pressures will put that approach on the back burner, realistically. Everyone is looking to the short term and at closing the budget gap now. How do we monitor that? How do we understand that issue and manage it?

I will continue with the topic of resources. We have heard from contracting authorities about pressures being caused by the lack of resources such as time and skills. Those resources are needed to maximise effective procurement and commissioning practice. How do the Scottish Government and other bodies effectively pool and share procurement resources? How could that be improved to better support contracting authorities?

Minister, we are all aware of the tremendous challenges that every organisation faces because of the financial situation and tight budgets. Is there a danger that pressures on the public finances will dilute the importance of the quality aspects of procurement activity?

I hear what you say about the ideal approach, but the evidence that we have been getting is that some of the key contracting authorities in Scotland are struggling in relation to having the resources and the skills to do the work. We asked one panel whether the cheapest deal should be taken or the deal that would give savings over a period, consistently and sustainably. The problem for some of the authorities was that they do not have the resources to do the more complex calculations that are important for long-term investment. How can you support them in that?

Thank you, convener. I simply direct members to my declarations in the register of members’ interests, where I have indicated that I am a registered landlord for one property.

Good morning, minister. I would like to explore one or two issues around RAAC. Your letter on 9 April was very helpful in the update that it gave on the continuing work with Aberdeen City Council. However, the Scottish Housing Regulator’s survey found that 13 social landlords, nine of which were councils, have now identified the presence of RAAC in some of the homes that they provide to tenants.

If I recall correctly, RAAC was originally brought in back in the 1940s. Equally, drawing on information that I have from other committees that I sit on, it was never intended to last more than 30 years. Since the 1980s, there has been a stream of alerts from professionals drawing attention to the fact that RAAC was coming to the end of its life. Of course, that predates the Parliament, so I am not clear what happened when those initial warnings were given. I do not know how the Scottish Office at the time dealt with that.

However, coming back to RAAC and the councils, the matter is quite serious—it is serious in my constituency of Midlothian North and Musselburgh—so I would like to know what steps you are taking to support the councils that are affected to deal with the risks arising from the historical use of those materials. We are going back decades here, so we do not really know the scope of the RAAC problem, and it might take years to find that out. What support are you giving the councils?

As far as East Lothian Council is concerned, I would appreciate the opportunity to develop that discussion with you.

The cost will not be insignificant. Private residents will obviously face massive costs and they are probably unlikely to get tremendous support from the Government or local authorities. Therefore, we are mainly looking at housing authority and council houses. We are going back to the late 1940s, so how do we identify them? How do we ensure that the houses are identified and that they are safe for the tenants who are in them? Given what I said about the original plan that RAAC would have only a 30-year lifespan, how valid is it to say that they are safe?