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Annex A
Glossary of Key terms
Accountable Officer
The Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Executive is the Principal Accountable Officer ( PAO) for the Scottish Administration by virtue of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. Accountable Officers are personally answerable to the Parliament for the exercise of those functions determined by the Principal Accountable Officer . The essence of the Accountable Officer's role is a personal responsibility for the propriety and regularity of the public finances for which he / she is answerable and for the economic, efficient and effective use of all available resources. The functions of Accountable Officers designated by the PAO are set out in the Memorandum to Accountable Officers from the Principal Accountable Officer and the Memorandum to Accountable Officers of Other Public Bodies.
Best Value
Best Value arrangements exist to secure continuous improvement in the performance of functions by public service organisations. Continuous improvement seeks to balance quality and cost considerations, and is achieved with regard to economy, efficiency, effectiveness, equal opportunities arrangements, and sustainable development.
Community Planning
Community Planning has a key role in improving public service delivery in Scotland, placing communities at the heart of decision making, leading to healthier, safer, more vibrant communities. Building upon a tradition of partnership working, Community Planning aims to:
- Make sure people and communities are genuinely engaged in the decisions made on public services which affect them; allied to
- A commitment from organisations to work together, not apart, in providing better public services.
Efficient Government
Efficient Government is a programme of activity that places a greater focus on improving efficiency in public services and is a central part of the Scottish Executive's programme of investment, reform and modernisation. An efficiency improvement is any activity that improves the ratio of outputs to resource inputs. Public service organisations should identify opportunities for efficiency improvements as part of their annual corporate and business planning processes and include these in an efficiency plan along with the arrangements for measuring, monitoring and reporting efficiency savings. They should also have efficiency performance indicators such as the cost per unit/service which allows them to continually monitor the efficiency of their operations. Efficient Government will have succeeded when efficiency is fully part of a culture of continuous service improvement - everywhere in the Scottish public sector.
EFQM Excellence Model
The EFQM Excellence Model was developed by the European Foundation for Quality Management ( EFQM). It is widely used as a framework for continuous improvement activity by private, public and voluntary sector organisations, as well as for judging prestigious quality awards.
Public Bodies ( NDPBs)
Bodies which have a role in the processes of national Government, but are not a Government department or part of one, and which accordingly operate to a greater or lesser extent at arm's length from Ministers.
Public Service Reform
The ambition for public services in Scotland is to deliver what we know to be world-class services, built around the needs and aspirations of the people who use them. The values underpinning our commitment to public services are that they must:
- promote social justice and equality ; and
- build for the future - fostering sustainable change, which supports a growing economy, a better environment and strong communities.
Public services will be user focused and personalised, drive up quality and encourage innovation through continuously and demonstrably improving efficiency and productivity, joining up services and strengthening accountability.
The Scottish Administration
The Scottish Administration comprises the Scottish Executive - the Scottish Ministers (including the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland) - plus junior Scottish Ministers and offices in the Scottish Administration which are not ministerial offices (eg the Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages for Scotland, the Keeper of the Records of Scotland, the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland).
Scottish Public Finance Manual
The Scottish Public Finance Manual ( SPFM) is issued by the Scottish Ministers to provide guidance to the Scottish Executive and other relevant bodies on the proper handling of public funds. It is mainly designed to ensure compliance with statutory and parliamentary requirements, promote value for money and high standards of propriety, and secure effective accountability and good systems of internal control.
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