| ANNEX F |
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| DRAFT
INFORMATION STRATEGY FOR THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT |
| Basic Objective |
| The Scottish
Parliament is committed to providing an Information
Service aimed at ensuring that the Parliament is as open,
accessible and participative as possible. Only
well-informed citizens can maximise the opportunities
which this presents for individuals and organisations to
contribute to the democratic process. Only well informed
MSPs can contribute fully to the governance of Scotland.
An information strategy, and a well-resourced information
service, are vital to the achievement of an ongoing
dialogue between Parliament and the People. |
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| Goals for the Parliament's external
information services |
- to ensure that the
public, regardless of gender, age, race, religion
or disability, has access to information about
the Parliament and its activities;
- to increase the
Scottish public's knowledge of, and interest in,
Parliament, its work and the democratic avenues
which will allow them to contribute to the
decision-making process;
- to contribute to the
creation of a greater awareness of and respect
for the work of the Scottish Parliament and its
place in the context of local and national
government;
- to provide
information in forms which are concise, clear,
accurate and attractive.
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| Goals for the Parliament's internal
information services |
- to ensure that all
MSPs and staff of the Parliament have easy access
to the information they need for the effective
performance of their duties;
- to give effective
support to MSPs and staff of the Parliament in
their external information activities concerning
the work of the Parliament;
- to respond
courteously, promptly and accurately to all
requests for information.
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| Guiding principles |
| As mentioned
above, the Parliament is committed to a style of
governance which is welcoming and accessible. In
practice, this means that: |
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- information on the
Parliament's functions, work and decisions should
be accessible to civic, voluntary and
professional organisations, the media, the
educational system, local and public authorities,
and businesses;
- there must be a
Public Information Service dedicated to the
provision of such information, whether the
enquiry comes by post, telephone, fax, e-mail or
in person;
- the information
provided by the Public Information Service must
be:
factually correct;
current;
non partisan;
easily available, relevant and understandable, taking
into account the needs of the relevant client group;
- the Parliament must
take an active role in working with schools,
libraries, Citizens' Advice Bureaux, and other
organisations, groups and individuals identified
by the Parliament in supplying information about
the work of the Parliament;
- the Parliament should
establish an annual target setting/performance
review system for measuring its effectiveness
against the background of the general Public
Information principles and goals outlined in this
Strategy document.
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