Committee
Audit Committee, 19 Sep 2000
19 Sep 2000 · S1 · Audit Committee
Item of business
Holyrood Project
Mr Black:
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I consider the absence of risk analysis to be a significant issue.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Understandably, there is much interest—from the Parliament, the public and the media—in the report of the Auditor General for Scotland. To place the report i...
Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
On a point of order, convener. Could you confirm that the report will remain the property of the Audit Committee? I ask because this morning, on public servi...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Mr Wilson, that is not a point of order. Points of order can be made only on questions of the application of standing orders. Much of the press speculation i...
Andrew Wilson:
SNP
Is it in order for the clerks of a committee to engage in an inquiry into the leaking of a report that was the property of the committee?
The Deputy Convener:
Con
I will look into that, but I rather feel that it is not. As you know, we received the report not more than 20 or 25 minutes ago. Thank you for bringing up th...
Mr Robert Black (Auditor General for Scotland):
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The members of the Audit Committee are the first to receive copies of my report, which has just been laid before the Pa...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Thank you. I also thank all members of Audit Scotland for the work that they have done. I realise that we set you all a challenge and asked you to work to a ...
Mr Black:
There was not an attempt to attribute a cost factor to the delay. We have attempted to divide the explanation for costs between the increase in floor area an...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Because every member wants to ask a question, in the interests of fairness I will call members in the reverse alphabetical order of their parties.
Andrew Wilson:
SNP
I repeat the convener's point about the quality of the report and the rigour with which it was drafted.Mr Black, in your final comments you mentioned the nee...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Do you wish to answer that question, Mr Black, as it was slightly wide of your statement?
Mr Black:
I am sure that the Audit Committee wishes to pursue that issue more fully on a subsequent occasion. I am able to say that the Scottish Executive's view is th...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Could we have a question from the Liberal party, please?
Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD):
LD
I echo the comments of the convener and Andrew Wilson in thanking the Auditor General and his staff for a detailed and interesting report. I have two brief q...
Mr Black:
With regard to Mr Robson's first point, the word "unique" is sometimes over-used, but it is applicable in this case. Certainly we found no instance—and I kno...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Are there no questions from Labour members? I am sorry, Cathie—I did not see you.
Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab):
Lab
Did my Tory blue jacket confuse you, convener? I thank Mr Black for his report. I look forward to reading it in detail and to coming back to the committee to...
Mr Black:
Yes. As I describe in the report, I am satisfied that significant improvements have been made to the arrangements for project management and oversight. It is...
Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con):
Con
Mr Black, in your statement you talked about the absence of risk analysis. Is that simply a consideration or is it a significant or a very material considera...
Mr Black:
I consider the absence of risk analysis to be a significant issue.
The Deputy Convener:
Con
In deference to our visitors, I invite Ms MacDonald to ask a question.
Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
Thank you, convener. I also thank Mr Black for his report. I have wanted to see such a report for a while. Point 20, on page 7 of the report—
The Deputy Convener:
Con
As a point of clarification, I remind members that we are not to get into the body of the report in great detail at this stage.
Ms MacDonald:
SNP
No—I only want to ask Mr Black for his opinion. How important was the fact that the Treasury guidelines were ignored in relation to the management of the pro...
Mr Black:
Paragraph 20 on page 7 refers to the appointments of the consultants. The conclusion that I offer on that point is that while there were some shortcomings in...
Ms MacDonald:
SNP
May I ask—
The Deputy Convener:
Con
Is this a brief follow-up question?
Ms MacDonald:
SNP
Yes. If ignoring the Treasury guidelines was not the main factor in relation to rising costs, what was?
Mr Black:
There is no single explanation. I hope that I have demonstrated both in the report and in my comments today that the Holyrood project is very complex to mana...
The Deputy Convener:
Con
I remind members that there will be an opportunity to examine the Auditor General further on the detailed content of the report in the future. With that in m...