WIREDGOV

Information collected for the February meeting of the MAB reporting on the progress made towards the completion of the various recommendations and commitments being monitored by the board. It is based on information from Scottish Government, NHS Forth Valley and the Scottish Prison Service.

Introduction

Increased transparency is a key part of the remit of the Ministerial Accountability Board (MAB).

This publication contains self-reported information collected for a meeting in February which indicates the progress made in carrying out the recommendations from the Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) into the deaths of Katie Allan and William Lindsay (also known as William Brown). It also covers additional actions promised by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs in response to this FAI. Information about the recommendations from the FAI into Jack McKenzie's death are also included because of the significant overlap.

The information within this publication is provided by those responsible for completing the work (‘Action Owners’) through a dedicated reporting process. These action owners provide updates on key work which has been delivered and planned actions, as well as possible challenges and risks. They provide a ‘delivery confidence RAG (Red-Amber-Green) rating’ for each recommendation to show whether or not progress is on track. This information is then reported to the MAB and helps focus discussions and action to make sure the necessary reforms are going to be delivered as promised.

To be clear, this report is a summary of the information which is sent for the MAB from action owners. The MAB are not involved in determining or approving the RAG rating of each recommendation; these are self-assessments by action owners. The MAB use the information they receive to aid their understanding of action owners’ evaluation of progress for the recommendations or actions they have responsibility for. The MAB may seek assurances about the information they receive by asking for additional information of action owners and bring their own knowledge and expertise to test the information to perform their scrutiny role. This includes recommendations that are self-reported as being ‘completed’. The MAB members do not have inspection powers. Inspection remains the responsibility of HMIPS, who publish reports after prison inspections.

This is the third in a series of progress reports. An updated version will also follow the final meeting of the MAB scheduled in March.

Click here for the full press release