Draft Investigations Manual (Public Consultation)

We are seeking the public's views on our office’s draft Investigations Manual (the “Manual”). The Manual is the first of its kind to be shared publicly by our office for consultation and, in its final form, made publicly available. It consolidates all of the procedures and policies for the different types of complaints which are within our office’s remit – from complaints about the conduct of Councillors, Members of devolved bodies, MSPs and lobbyists to complaints made about regulated ministerial appointments to the boards of public bodies in Scotland.

The purpose of sharing the Manual publicly and of seeking views is to align with our commitment to accountability, honesty and transparency and ensuring that our policies and procedures are in keeping with the expectations of the public and our main stakeholders.

We would be grateful for views on the draft Manual, as we are reaching out to those with a role or an interest in the complaints handling process to be sure that all input is considered when we assess whether the procedures, targets and aims set out in the Manual align with public expectations.

The Manual’s consultation paper is available here. This should be read together with the questionnaire available here.

Any responses would be welcome by the 28 of November.