Meeting of the Parliament 23 April 2024
I am delighted to be speaking to the motion in my name as a member of the corporate body appointment panel, and invite members of the Parliament to agree to the appointment of Morag Ferguson and Lezley Stewart as members of the Standards Commission for Scotland.
The standards commission is part of the ethical standards framework, and its role is to encourage high ethical standards in public life by promoting and enforcing the codes of conduct for councillors and members of devolved public bodies. It issues guidance to councils and public bodies, and adjudicates on alleged contraventions of the codes referred to it by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.
I turn to our nominees. Morag Ferguson has been a solicitor for more than 30 years, spending most of her career in the public sector, both in the NHS National Services Scotland central legal office and in a number of local authorities. Latterly, she was head of corporate support at East Lothian Council, with responsibility for governance, people services, human resources and corporate communications.
Lezley Stewart has worked for the Church of Scotland for more than 25 years in Dundee and Edinburgh, serving as an ordained office-holder. Most recently, she was employed as the recruitment and support secretary, and ministry support manager, for the Church of Scotland.
I am also delighted to announce that, following an open recruitment exercise, the corporate body will appoint Suzanne Vestri, an existing member of the Standards Commission, as the new convener, with effect from 7 May 2024.
I am sure that the Parliament will want to wish them all every success in their new roles.
I thank the outgoing convener, Paul Walker, and Anne-Marie O’Hara, who was a member for a while. I wish them all the best for their future.
I move,
That the Parliament agrees, under section 8 of the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, to appoint Morag Ferguson and Lezley Stewart as Members of the Standards Commission for Scotland.