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Key roles and responsibilities
The Minister for Transport
The Minister for Transport is accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Through the Parliament, he or she is directly answerable to MSPs about delivery of the Scottish Executive's national transport priorities. How this accountability operates in detail is set out in Financial and other accountabilities.
The Scottish Ministers determine the policy and financial framework within which Transport Scotland works. Under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998, they have overall responsibility for Transport Scotland.
Key responsibilities of the Minister for Transport are:
- Holding the Chief Executive to account for the performance of Transport Scotland.
- Setting the National Transport Strategy for Scotland, and setting Transport Scotland's objectives and targets within that.
- Setting Transport Scotland's budget in the light of the Executive's spending plans for transport overall.
- Approving this Framework Document.
- Approving the Transport Scotland Corporate Plan.
- Approving annual business performance targets and measures as part of the Annual Business Plan.
- Receiving Transport Scotland's Annual Report and audited financial accounts from the Chief Executive, and laying these before the Scottish Parliament.
Transport Scotland Chief Executive
The Chief Executive is Transport Scotland's Accountable Officer. He or she has direct responsibility for the operational management of Transport Scotland, for which he or she is directly accountable to the Minister for Transport. The Chief Executive therefore has a responsibility to keep the Minister for Transport updated on Transport Scotland's performance, through regular and effective dialogue. He or she includes the Head of ETLLD in this dialogue where necessary or appropriate.
Key responsibilities and accountabilities of the Chief Executive are:
- Delivery of Transport Scotland's functions, as determined by Scottish Ministers.
- Acting as Accountable Officer for the efficient and effective management of Transport Scotland's resources.
- Ensuring that, in advising on or delivering policy relating to Transport Scotland's resources, all relevant financial considerations and Scottish Executive guidance, including issues of propriety, regularity or value for money, are taken into account. Where necessary the Chief Executive should bring any such issues to the attention of Scottish Ministers or Scottish Executive officials.
- Presenting annual audited accounts for Transport Scotland as prescribed by the Scottish Executive Principal Accountable Officer for the Scottish Administration. In signing these accounts, the Chief Executive takes personal responsibility for their proper presentation.
- Management and development of staff, ensuring they have the tools, expertise and resources required for Transport Scotland to deliver successfully.
- Setting in place appropriate operational structures, business systems and procedures, including systems for financial management and control, internal audit and risk management arrangements.
- Replying to correspondence from MSPs on operational and contractual matters within Transport Scotland's delegated responsibilities; and providing the Minister for Transport with the information needed for the Minister to reply to written or oral Questions in the Scottish Parliament.
- Provision of advice to Scottish Ministers on transport functions which are the responsibility of Transport Scotland for the following purposes, in consultation with ETLLD where necessary or appropriate:
- Informing development of the Executive's transport policies.
- Preparing responses to all Parliamentary Questions, and to Ministerial Correspondence where an MSP is dissatisfied with a reply from the Chief Executive, or where the subject in whole or in part does not fall within the delegated responsibility of Transport Scotland.
- Preparing material for Ministerial briefings.
- Responding to Parliamentary Committees on matters within the delegated responsibility of Transport Scotland, working jointly with ETLLD and others where required - see Financial and other accountabilities.
Transport Scotland management
The Chief Executive is supported in the day-to-day management of Transport Scotland by his or her senior team. In addition, there will be at least two non-Executive Directors appointed in line with public appointment policies and procedures.
The Head of Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning Department
The Head of ETLLD is the Departmental Accountable Officer, responsible for advising Ministers on the performance of Transport Scotland and the Chief Executive, and for advising Ministers on Transport Scotland's corporate and business planning, its performance against targets, and the overall budget.
The Head of ETLLD also carries out the annual appraisal of the Chief Executive in accordance with current arrangements for members of the Senior Civil Service. He or she will not normally intervene in the day-to-day running of Transport Scotland unless there are exceptional circumstances. He or she will also represent the interests of Transport Scotland within the wider Scottish Executive, and ensure that the Chief Executive is briefed on those issues which may affect Transport Scotland's operations.
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