���˿���

We are doing our own investigation into that, because we feel that there might be conflicts of interest in how some inquiries are undertaken. For example, people might go to the media demanding the expansion of an inquiry in which they have a pecuniary interest.

I have a couple more questions on this topic and then we will conclude, because we are over time.

The AGS said in relation to performance reporting:

“While we recognise improvements have been made to the reporting in 2023/24, the performance report needs to be more transparent with a golden thread linking all aspects of performance and providing an overall view of progress. Without clear targets against which activity can be measured, it remains difficult to form an overall picture of the performance of the Scottish Government.”

He went on to say:

“Aligning funding to priorities is essential for effective decision making. The continuing revisions and development of policy limits the ability to be transparent, provide continuity and report achievement across the key priorities. There is an absence of clearly defined performance measures with measurable targets for all priority areas.”

Do you agree with that, and would you say that it is absolutely critical that measurable targets are included when looking at priority areas and how the Scottish Government delivers?

In Estonia, they tend not to recruit so much from the private sector, but they have people from there working for six months in the civil service, and vice versa. They do a lot of that.

This has been a long session. I thank you for answering our questions. Do you want to make any further points before we wind up the session?

It is on page 21 of the report.

We have to put that into perspective as well. The Scottish Fiscal Commission might not be as good as the institutions in countries such as the Netherlands or, indeed, as good as the OBR, but it is a lot better than those in countries such as Finland, France, Germany, Portugal and Greece, as we can see from the list that you have on page 12 of your report.

I call Michelle Thomson.

But surely that is taken as read. To be honest, that is not really a priority for Government; it is just the nature of the position that you are in. The principle of serving the Government of the day would be taken as read wherever you were in the civil service structure, would it not? I do not want to put words into your mouth, but if you were Joe Griffin—if you were to remain in post—what three things would you like to see being achieved over, say, the next year or so?

You talked about how accountability for decision-making and the delivery of outcomes has moved to a dashboard rather than a system of mandate letters, which is what the previous First Minister was keen on. How does that new approach support transparency and what are its advantages?

I will ask one more question before I bring colleagues in. Frankly, the most recent Scottish Parliament election was more of a Dutch auction than any of the others that I have experienced under devolution, in that increasingly unfunded promises were made right across the board.

You highlight that,

“In publishing its forecasts, assessments and reports, the Commission must have regard to relevant Scottish Government policy and will not consider what the effect of alternative policies would be”.

The commission is not allowed to consider what the effect of alternative policies would be, but do you think that it would be more effective if it was able to do that? I know that that is a difficult balancing act, but other independent financial institutions provide such advice. Would it be helpful if the commission was able to look at policies and say things such as, “That’s just nonsense—we’re not going to be able to afford that”?

We heard from the Public Audit Committee that around £280 million has been saved through reform over the past couple of years and that it is proposed to save £300 million over the next couple. You are trying to encourage and support empowerment in cost recovery and revenue raising through measures such as the tourism and cruise ship levies. In which specific areas have you saved money and how much has been saved? Will you give us one or two examples, as well as some examples of areas in which money is likely to be saved in the future?

Good morning, and welcome to the 10th meeting in 2025 of the Finance and Public Administration Committee. We have received apologies from Ross Greer.

The first item on our agenda is an evidence session with John-Paul Marks, the permanent secretary to the Scottish Government, on issues relating to public administration in Government. Mr Marks is joined by Scottish Government officials Lesley Fraser, director general corporate; Gregor Irwin, director general economy; and Jackie McAllister, chief financial officer. I welcome you all to the meeting, and I invite Mr Marks to make a short opening statement.

I will.