| CHAPTER 10 |
| MAKING IT HAPPEN |
10.1 This Chapter sets out the steps to be taken to service and support the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive and outlines the associated capital and running costs.
A home fit for the Scottish Parliament
10.2 The building the Scottish Parliament occupies must be of such a quality, durability and civic importance as to reflect the Parliament’s status and operational needs; it must be secure but also accessible to all including people with special needs; it must promote modern and efficient ways of working and good environmental practice.
10.3 It will be an important symbol for Scotland. It should pay tribute to the country’s past achievements and signal its future aspirations. It must be flexible enough to accommodate changes over time in operational requirements. Quality and value for money are also key considerations.
10.4 The accommodation must allow Scottish Parliamentarians and their staff to work efficiently harnessing the best of modern technology. People must be able to see and meet their elected representatives and to watch the Scottish Parliament in operation. Provision needs to be made to permit easy reporting and broadcasting of Parliamentary proceedings so that people throughout Scotland can be aware of its work and decisions.
10.5 Scotland’s Parliament will be in its capital city. Edinburgh is the natural centre of government in Scotland. The bulk of the staff who will transfer to the Scottish Executive and be answerable to the Scottish Parliament already work there.
10.6 The Government are looking carefully at options available in Edinburgh which can best meet the criteria set out above. These will include new buildings as well as the conversion of existing ones. One of the options will be the Old Royal High School on Calton Hill. It is an existing building which has been widely regarded as the inevitable choice for the Parliament since it was prepared for this purpose in the 1970s. There are, however, serious disadvantages associated with the Old Royal High School. Public accessibility is poor - particularly for people with disabilities; there is little suitable space within the main building for people to meet their representatives; space is so limited that MSPs and their support staff would need to have their offices elsewhere; and there is an inherent lack of flexibility in the accommodation.
10.7 As part of the evaluation of sites for the Parliament, the Government are considering a range of funding options. The objective will be to secure suitable accommodation at a reasonable cost. The options include traditional funding, under which the capital costs would be met from public funds; using the Private Finance Initiative, under which responsibility for building the Parliament would be passed to the private sector; or some other form of joint public/private sector venture where the Scottish Parliament building itself would be publicly owned but where private sector partners would offset some of the costs of the project. It is not possible to say precisely how much the accommodation would cost until a final decision is made on where to locate and how to build or refurbish the Scottish Parliament building and on the most suitable funding option. Because of the range of sites under consideration and the variety of funding methods potentially available it is necessary to express the cost as a range of between £10m and £40m. The start up costs will be met from existing public expenditure plans.
Staffing
10.8 The Government intend that staffing arrangements for supporting the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive should reflect the highest standards of public service: integrity, political impartiality, objectivity, accountability, recruitment on basis of fair and open competition and promotion on merit.
10.9 The Scottish Parliament and Executive will inherit responsibility for the staff of The Scottish Office and other Scottish Departments operating in Scotland. The establishment of a Scottish Parliament will not create a large additional bureaucracy.
10.10 Staff serving the Scottish Parliament will be servants of that Parliament. It is provisionally estimated that a total of up to around 200 staff could be needed. Functions to be provided will include committee clerk services, reporting of the Parliament’s procedures, library services, as well as security, messengers, catering, cleaning, administrative and other support services.
10.11 As the Executive’s powers will broadly include all areas of policy currently within the remit of The Scottish Office, its staff will be drawn largely from the existing staff of The Scottish Office and its Agencies. All officials of the Executive will hold office under the Crown on terms and conditions of service which will be determined in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Management Code - thereby remaining members of the Home Civil Service. Where necessary, the terms and conditions of officials becoming part of the Executive will be appropriately protected.
10.12 Established arrangements for interchange with other Government Departments will also remain in place as will present arrangements governing movement between the Scottish Office and its Associated Departments and agencies. These arrangements will give the Scottish Executive the support of a tried and tested civil service machine, and access to a wide pool of talent and experience. They will also contribute to fostering good working relationships between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government.
10.13 The Scottish Executive could need a small increase in staff over and above current Scottish Office staff numbers, to deal with new responsibilities currently falling to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury; new responsibilities for policy development presently undertaken by Whitehall Departments; and to respond to the Scottish Parliament.
10.14 The Secretary of State will need the support of a small staff, as will the UK Scottish Law Officer. In both cases, this will be a matter for the UK Government.
10.15 So far as is practicable the views of individual officers will be taken into account when staffing arrangements are made.
10.16 All staff working in the new structure will continue to have access to trade union membership. The existing Civil Service unions will continue to be recognised for collective bargaining purposes and the present consultative arrangements and structures operating in The Scottish Office and its Associated Departments and Agencies will be adjusted where necessary to take account of the new arrangements.
Running costs
10.17 The total additional annual running costs - including salaries and allowances for MSPs, staff costs and accommodation costs - are estimated to be between £20m and £30m. These costs, which will be met from the assigned budget, are modest when compared with the annual current Scottish Office budget of £14,000m. The Government believe that, at around £5 per head, the annual running costs represent a first class investment. For the people of Scotland, it is an investment in democracy and in government which will respond to their needs and reflect their hopes.