Holyrood committee urges greater transparency in civil service decision-making

The report marks the first time a Holyrood committee has assessed the inner workings of the civil service

MSPs on the Finance and Public Administration Committee have published a report into effective decision-making

Scotland’s most senior civil servant must have greater transparency in driving understanding of Scottish Government decision-making, a Holyrood committee has said.

MSPs on the Finance and Public Administration Committee have published a report into effective decision-making after it heard evidence from permanent secretary John-Paul Marks and Deputy First Minister Shona Robison.

The report recommends the civil service clarifies what its processes are to encourage meaningful internal engagement amid concern that the processes “only make sense to a small number of policymakers”.

It also recommended a shift from the traditional model of the civil service which values “agile generalist skills”, towards a focus on a range of “specialist skills”.

During the evidence sessions with Mr Marks in May, he defended the civil service’s “impartial” work on Scottish independence prospectus papers.

He also said examples where minutes were not taken during key meetings, such as those involving Fergus Marine shipyard, were “regrettable”.

The report marks the first time a Holyrood committee has assessed the inner workings of the civil service and Scottish Government administration.

The report also seeks Mr Marks’ view on whether a central body is needed to bring oversight across the Scottish Government to ensure continued professionalism working civil servants.

Committee convener Kenneth Gibson said: “The findings in our report are intended to support the Scottish Government in providing greater understanding and transparency over how it takes decisions. This is important if we are to create a better informed, more nuanced and less adversarial environment.

“Greater understanding and transparency will enable everybody – inside and outside of government – to learn what works well and what doesn’t.

“If government decision-making processes only make sense to a small number of policymakers, then, most others outwith government are excluded from evaluating or indeed contributing towards the decision-making process

“While we welcome recent developments to enhance the capabilities of civil servants, allied to that must be a coherent and systematic way to assess the quality of how decisions are made.

“This is essential to identify where decision-making processes need improvement and where skills need developed. It should also drive up quality, ensuring it is more consistent across the Scottish Government.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government is committed to openness and transparency and recognises that scrutiny is essential for effective governance.

“We welcome the Finance and Public Administration Committee’s report on effective decision making and will consider its recommendations.”