Transparency and open government
We have a long-standing interest in transparency and open government that cuts across all our research and analysis. We have submitted evidence to the Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee inquiry into effective decision-making by the Scottish Government, and evidence on the operation of the Lobbying Act 2016 to the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee.
Latest updates and analysis
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Appointment of new EHRC chair: revisited
Introduction The Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson MP, last week confirmed Dr Mary Ann Stephenson as the next Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)....
2nd August 2025
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Pre-appointment scrutiny of the EHRC Chair: putting current events in context
Update 18 July: the Committees have today published their letter. We will now undertake an analysis of that. On 1 July Westminster’s Women and Equalities Committee and Joint Committee...
14th July 2025
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Scottish Government staff networks: whose voice is heard?
Introduction On 18 March, the outgoing Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government, John Paul Marks, gave evidence to the Finance and Public Administration Committee of the Scottish Parliament, with...
13th April 2025
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Scottish Parliament Committees: the new administration’s final set of appointments
The last set of new appointments that need to be made as a result of the change of First Minister, and ministerial reshuffle, are from the government backbenches to...
14th April 2023
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MBM submission to the Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee inquiry into effective decision-making by the Scottish Government
In December 2022, the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee launched an inquiry into effective decision-making by the Scottish Government. More detail on the inquiry can be found...
8th February 2023
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What does the new coalition government mean for opposition party privileges in the Scottish Parliament?
As a party of government, the Scottish Green Party will now have access to the resources of the civil service, via two junior ministerial roles and two dedicated special...
28th August 2021
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Submission on the operation of the Lobbying Act 2016
In 2020 the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee undertook post-legislative scrutiny on the operation of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016. Our submission to the Committee can...
25th August 2020