Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20607 on 30 April 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government is committed to understanding the experience of applicants for public appointments, and to using different application and selection methods to enhance the diversity of our public bodies.

We have fully supported and worked in collaboration with the Commission for Ethical Standards in Public life in Scotland on the content of the questionnaire about applicants experience in 2012 and 2013. This research has been published and can be found on the: Commission for Ethical Standards and Public Life in Scotland website.

The Scottish Government’s Public Appointments Centre of Expertise have used the applicant research to inform actions on our continuous improvement agenda. This includes a project on improving the applicant tracking system, making it simpler for applicants to apply online, improving the quality and availability of feedback offered to applicants and the use of social media to publicise appointments.

We will also use the research to understand more fully how applicants view different application and selection methods. No other formal evaluation has been carried out in addition to the 2012 and 2013 surveys. However the 2013 survey has shown significant improvements from 2012 in the views of applicants about almost all aspects of the process. This includes improvements in applicant experience of the application and selection processes. Applicants have also reported that they feel feedback and the overall experience has improved. There is still work to be done and we will use the research to inform our future improvement work.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20607 on 30 April 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The initial costs of the DVD production including 1,000 copies was £2,705 in June 2009. Since then a further two reprints have been ordered of 200 copies each time costing £994.92. The total costs for DVDs production and reprint to date is £3,699.92. We have distributed approximately 1300 copies of the DVD to date through various awareness events organised by Scottish Government or through events we have been invited to attend.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20607 on 30 April 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20617 on 30 April 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at;

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20607 on 30 April 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Awareness raising work and its impact on increasing diversity on public boards is being considered as part of the programme of activity being developed by the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme board. Options for this will be considered in conjunction with specific stakeholder advisory panels as these are developed by the programme board.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to a programme of activity to enhance the diversity of Scotland’s public boards and the Scottish Government staff body. To drive forward this agenda, the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme Board was established on 9 December 2013. It is intended that the programme board will consider diversity in its widest sense but there will be a particular focus on women in the early part of the programme. Although not within its formal remit, the board will take a close interest in the outcome of the forthcoming consultation on the issue of women’s representation on boards, including the role of quotas.

The remit of the Programme Board is being addressed through three specific strands of work. These cover actions aimed at increasing the diversity of Public Boards and of Scottish Government staff and at influencing change in board representation in the wider public and private sectors. The three strands are:

Leadership and Partnerships: The programme board aims to bring together interventions from across the Scottish Government to increase the representation of women and other under-represented groups on regulated public boards and within the Scottish Government. It will also seek to influence board compositions in organisations outside government through working in partnership.

Practical Change: This is focusing on ministerially appointed, regulated public boards. These are the boards that Scottish Ministers have direct control over and reliable statistics with which to measure success. By implementing specific practical changes to systems and processes, we intend to make ministerial public appointments more diverse, aiming to be broadly reflective of the Scottish population by 2017.

Scottish Government Employees: The work being progressed under this strand is designed to enable the Scottish Government to become an exemplar employer and to ensure that as an organisation we are broadly reflective of the Scottish population by 2025.

A programme of activity is currently being developed by the Scottish Government, in conjunction with the programme board and stakeholders. Action plans and targets are still in the developmental phase. Connecting with users experiences and raising awareness amongst influencers will be key to the success of the programme. To help develop and support this, the programme board is considering setting up specific stakeholder advisory panels. The membership and remit of those panels will be decided by the programme board in the coming months.

The membership of the board is as follows:

Alyson Stafford, Director-General Finance – Chair

Barbara Allison, Director-General Governance and Communities

Sarah Davidson, Director for Human Resources and Organisational Development

Catherine Dyer, Chief Executive Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Kenneth Hogg, Director for Local Government and Communities

Graeme Dickson, Director-General Enterprise, Environment and Digital

Sandy Begbie, Non-executive Director

Annie Gunner Logan, Non-executive Director

The agenda and minutes of the programme board will be published online shortly.

Diversity data has not been captured for the members of the Public Boards and Corporate Diversity Programme Board, therefore it is not known if any board members are disabled. However the board intends to ensure that the views of disabled people and staff are considered and taken account of through appropriate stakeholder engagement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20607 on 30 April 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.