Ethical standards in public life - model code of conduct for board members: consultation analysis

Footnotes

1 For more information on the consultation, including the consultation paper, see the Scottish Government and Citizen Space websites.

2 This includes one respondent who previously reported that they were responding as an individual.

3 In Table 1, where possible, respondents are classified according to the Scottish Government’s national public bodies directory. Given that the Act includes provisions for some public bodies who are not included on the directory (for example, Integration Joint Boards), this classification has been expanded for the purposes of this report.

4 Note that throughout this report, respondents are classed as providing comments or feedback unless they answer ‘no comment’ (or similar) and do not provide any follow-up remarks, or if they leave the relevant field blank.

5 The Nolan Principles are seven key principles of conduct designed to underpin public life. They were created in 1995 by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and comprise the following: selflessness; integrity; objectivity; accountability; openness; honesty; and leadership. The Committee recommended that public bodies should create codes of conduct reflecting these principles. For more information, see the Scottish Government website.

6 According to the current guidance on the Model Code, the ‘objective test’ is a test of “whether an ordinary member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts, would reasonably regard the interest as so significant that it is likely to prejudice your decision making”.

7 Paragraph 6.6 reads ‘Before taking any action as a result of being lobbied, I will seek to satisfy myself about the identity of the person or organisation that is lobbying and the motive for lobbying. I understand I may choose to act in response to a person or organisation lobbying on a fee basis on behalf of clients but it is important that I understand the basis on which I am being lobbied in order to ensure that any action taken in connection with the lobbyist complies with the standards set out in this Code and the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016.’