Key issues and risks

During the period, the Commissioner identified the following key risks for the office.

Reduction in overall public spending leads to a reduction in funding
Risk: Reduction in funding or restrictions on staffing levels impacts our ability to effectively and efficiently deliver our statutory functions.
Mitigating Action: Ensure the organisation is managed efficiently, effectively and economically. For example, identify adjustments to expenditure, improve productivity, explore shared services with officeholders and wider public sector and ensure effective use of all resources.
Significant changes to officeholder landscape resulting from Committee review, additional directions, etc
Risk: Wider public sector review leads to the functions of the office being abolished, reduced or transferred to another organisation.
Mitigating Action: Maintain networks and horizon scanning to ensure changes in Government and Parliamentary direction are identified in good time. Introduce ways of measuring the impact of our work and demonstrate the difference that we make.
Complete disruption to our IT systems
Risk: Inability to carry out any functions due to the impact of cyber-attack, national power outages or accidental damage resulting in loss of most or all records/IT systems.
Mitigating Action: Maintain and implement a range of business continuity and information technology policies, staff training and external accreditation. Decentralise services and regularly test backup systems.
One or more key staff members become incapable of fulfilling their role in the medium to longer term.
Risk: Ongoing absence of key staff members affects our ability to complete key tasks and acquit our statutory functions.
Mitigating Action: Develop and implement an effective workforce resilience policy and plan, ensuring staff terms and conditions are designed to maintain staff wellbeing, that office procedures are well-documented and up to date and that there is sufficient cover for all key tasks and functions with relevant training for staff.
Move to 35-hour working week, in line with Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) terms, adversely impacts service delivery.
Risk: Reduced working hours leads to failure to effectively deliver our functions within reasonable timeframes and quality standards. Compressed workload adversely impacts staff.
Mitigating Action: Improve productivity without impacting our services. Record changes to procedures and their impact on productivity and regularly consult with SPCB and other officeholders on managing the transition.

Further information about management of risks is given in the Governance Statement.