A new parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish Government’s public service reform programme has been announced.
Holyrood’s Finance and Public Administration Committee wants to examine the detail of the reform programme, which is focused on digitalisation, innovation, estates, public body landscape and procurement.
As part of this work, the committee will examine how public bodies are working to achieve the government’s plans to make efficiencies, while ensuring effective delivery of public services, in 2023-24 and beyond.
It will also consider the government’s ambitions to:
- keep the public service pay bill costs at 2022-23 levels and
- return the public sector workforce “broadly to pre-Covid-19 levels”.
Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener, Kenneth Gibson MSP said: “The Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review published in May 2022 set out its high-level spending plans up until 2026-27 to deliver on its ambitions.
“Further information on the government’s plans for reform and workforce levels were expected in the Scottish Budget 2023-24 but did not materialise due to ongoing economic turbulence.
“Our committee therefore wants to look at how public bodies are working to put in place the government’s ambitions for reform.“We also want to establish from where in the public sector reductions in headcount to pre-pandemic levels will be made, and to what timescales.
“Clarity and transparency around these issues are crucial, during what is an uncertain time for the public sector.”
A call for views from public sector bodies, academics, think tanks and other interested parties has been launched today, with a closing date of 1 May 2023.
To inform this inquiry, the committee is seeking written views from Scottish public bodies on their plans for public service reform in their sectors, and others with a view on how the reform programme is working in practice and how it is delivering effective and efficient services.
The committee is particularly keen to hear from:
- all types and sizes of public sector bodies from across the public sector
- others affected by the Scottish Government’s public service reform programme, and
- think-tanks, academics and commentators on progress with, and outcomes from, the reform programme.