Schedule 3 — Devolved Public Bodies
Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
3:45 pm

Kenneth Gibson (Scottish National Party)

I shall try my best. May I point out to Trish Godman that Scottish Homes, with 700 staff and a budget of £363 million, will, under the Executive's proposals, be excluded from the bill's scope? However, the Scottish Conveyancing and Executry Services Board, with one member of staff, will be included, so I do not think that the amount of money available is necessarily a criterion. I should also point out to Keith Harding that amendments that are not competent would not be accepted at stage 2 of a bill.

"The Executive and this Parliament expect the highest standards throughout the public service."—[Official Report, 2 July 1999; Vol 1, c 879.]

So said Wendy Alexander on 2 July 1999, when she announced the extension of the ethics bill to include public bodies.

"However, the Committee remains unconvinced that the argument against including the maximum possible number of public bodies in the legislation stands up to scrutiny . . . all devolved public bodies, including Local Enterprise Companies, operating in Scotland and spending public money, should be included within the provisions of the legislation."

So says the Local Government Committee's stage 1 report.

The central argument about which bodies should and should not be included in the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Bill is covered by those two quotations. The Local Government Committee's stage 1 report reaffirmed the essential ambition of the Executive, as set out by the Minister for Communities on 2 July 1999. At the stage 1 debate, I quoted that debate when I stated:

"The minister did not say part of the public service but 'throughout the public service'."—[Official Report, 27 April 2000; Vol 6, c 91.]