Achi news desk-
The move comes just months after the same group of MSPs, led by SNP MEP Kenneth Gibson, published a damning assessment of the Scottish Government’s handling of public finances.
His report published in November warned of a key lack of focus on “affordability” within the decision-making process and criticized ministers for short-term thinking.
The Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill was introduced by the Scottish Government in June last year and aims to ensure that investigations into police misconduct are more transparent and effective.
It will require Police Scotland to have a statutory code of ethics, including a duty of honesty, and would make changes relating to dealing with police conduct, including procedures dealing with senior and former officers .
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The legislation will also increase the functions of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) and introduce an advisory board for the PIRC.
Financial papers published by the government alongside the bill estimated that the reforms would have ongoing annual costs of between £520,474 and £1.41million.
However, evidence given to the committee by Police Scotland suggests that the reforms would cost the police force alone a minimum of £5 million.
A paper to the committee noted: “In its submission to the committee’s call for views on the financial memorandum (FM) Police Scotland stated that the figures relating to Police Scotland provided in the FM were “significantly underestimated significant”, and that “Police Scotland calculates the projected financial impact of the proposed bill to cost around £5m, before unknown recurring and additional costs are realised.”
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Appearing before the finance committee, Graham Thomson, head of legislation and departmental development, admitted to the committee last month that the original costs had not taken into account inflation and salary increases when the original estimated costs were calculated.
Mr Thomson told the committee that the government intended to provide an update on the costs after the later stage two of the parliamentary process,
But the committee convener, Kenneth Gibson, SNP MSP, said that would not be acceptable and told the senior officer that it would have to be published before the bill goes to a stage one vote, when MSPs vote on principles the measure. The deadline for that vote is June 21.
“I am very surprised that the updated financial memorandum is planned to take place after phase two,” Mr Gibson told Mr Thomson.
“An updated financial memorandum for any bill should be with us before stage one. I do not believe that what is proposed is appropriate at all, and I hope that work will be done to ensure that what I have ‘to suggest happening.’
Labour’s Michael Marra told Mr Thomson that the financial memorandum was “not fit for purpose as it stands”.
He insisted that the costs quoted in the paper were “out of step” with what MPs had been told.
Mr Marra said: “The evidence would show that the costs are up to three and a half times higher than those you have presented so far.”
Mr Gibson, meanwhile, said the figures in the financial memorandum dated back to 2022, adding that it was “confounding” that old data had been used.
He told government officials: “We’re being presented with a set of figures that don’t really mean anything.
“You are effectively saying that the financial memorandum, all 22 pages of it, is not worth the paper it is written on.”
Mr Thomson said the government will “look to update parts” of the financial memorandum.
He told the committee: “I won’t accept that it’s not worth the paper it’s written on, but I think there are elements that we will update.”
The officer had said earlier that he recognized “that there is a difference between the costs stated in the financial memorandum and the evidence you have received as a committee”.
He added that officers were “working to amend that financial memorandum with the intention of publishing a revised version”.
The criticism of the costs came as the officers also came under the law for using framework legislation for the Bill – which means that regulations will only decide key details later.
Mr Gibson complained that “many of the provisions of the bill require subordinate legislation to be fully implemented” as he questioned why these had not been included in the legislation itself.
SNP Member of Parliament, Michelle Thomson, said that using framework legislation was a “significant risk” to the country’s purse.
He said this was because the costs involved may not be fully known until later, with the committee unable to “look at them in detail”.
He said: “We have seen an increasing number of framework bills, and framework bills pose a significant risk to the country’s stock market.
“From a public purse point of view, they are a very significant risk to waste of money.
In fact, if it were me, I would develop a detailed risk assessment of using a framework bill for this type of legislation, purely from a financial perspective.”
Mr Marra said that “there has been a very noticeable increase in the number of framework bills that Parliament is looking at”, with Conservative MSP Liz Smith adding: “I don’t know how many framework bills we have in this Parliament now , but it’s a lot.”
Mr Thomson said officials involved in the bill “have not personally had any discussions about the impact of framework legislation”.
But he added that it was felt that the “best way” the measure could be implemented was through such legislation.
He said he would “take the point” the MLAs were making, but added: “There is a possibility there is a question there for ministers as well.”
A Scottish Government source said that following further information provided to the Finance and Public Administration Committee by Police Scotland, a revised Financial Memorandum will be provided to the committee to support the Phase 1 Police scrutiny (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Measure.
The source added that it is up to Parliamentary committees to confirm who and when they would like to invite witnesses to give evidence.
MSPs on the finance committee have examined three other framework bills during the current parliamentary session, namely the National Care Service Bill, the Circular Economy Bill and the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.
