This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Accounts Commission Appointments
01/10/1998
Local Government Minister Henry McLeish today reappointed Frank Kirwan, Geoffrey Millar, Wendy Goldstraw, Elizabeth McLean and Bruce Merchant as Members of the Accounts Commission for Scotland. The Minister also appointed Mr Merchant as Deputy Chairman following the retirement of Malcolm McIver after ten years with the Commission.
Mr McLeish said:
"The Accounts Commission plays a hugely important role as a financial watchdog for public spending in Scotland. It secures audit for all local authorities and NHS bodies and is an essential part of ensuring scrutiny in the spending of taxpayers' money.
"The members I am reappointing today have a wealth of expert knowledge and have used this well in their role with the Accounts Commission. I am looking for them to build on this work and continue to apply their experience fully to the job in hand.
"Not only will the Accounts Commission benefit from this continuity of purpose, but the public will be reassured that they have the right people overseeing the spending of their money."
Mr Kirwan and Mrs Goldstraw were first appointed in October 1994, with Dr Millar, Miss McLean and Mr Merchant joining a year later. All are reappointed for a period of four years, and the current salary for members is £3,588 per annum. The Deputy Chairman receives a salary of £7,228.
The Accounts Commission remit is to:
· secure the audit of all the accounts of local authorities and National Health Service bodies in Scotland;
· consider reports made to them by their senior officer, the Controller of Audit;
· to make recommendations to the Secretary of State, local authorities and NHS bodies in accordance with the audit provisions of the Act;
· undertake value for money studies in local government or the NHS; and
· determine, in the context of the Citizen's Charter, performance indicators for local authority services.
BACKGROUND
1. Frank Kirwan is the Director of Privilege Insurance Holdings Ltd. and Chairman of Crystal Media Group. Wendy Goldstraw is the General Manager (Scotland and NI), Post Office Counters Ltd. Dr Geoffrey Millar is a consultant opthalmologist. Elizabeth McLean is retired and a former Chief Area Nursing Officer for Lothian Health Board. Bruce Merchant is a solicitor.
2. The Accounts Commission for Scotland was established in September 1974, under the provision of section 97(1) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (as amended). The Commission's remit was extended by section 36(1) of and Schedule 7 to the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 which transferred responsibility for NHS statutory audit to the Commission from 1 April 1995.
3. Members of the Commission serve in their personal capacity, and not as nominees or representatives of any interest group. By statute, the Commission comprises between 11 and 15 Members including the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
4. The other Members of the Commission are Professor J P (Ian) Percy (Chairman), Marcia Campbell, John Mullin, Donald McNeill, Margaret Thomson, Robert Maiden, Brian McGhee, Rosalyn Marshall and Ian Stewart.
News Release: 1971/98
1 October 1998