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Appendix 1 – Duty to publish information
87. Sections 31 and 32 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 impose duties on public bodies to publish information on expenditure and certain other matters.
Section 31
88. Sections 31(1) and (2) require IPS to publish expenditure incurred in relation to:
| Public relations | 8,023.13 |
|---|---|
| Overseas travel | 0.00 |
| Hospitality and entertainment | 0.00 |
| External consultancy | 0.00 |
89. This expenditure is included, and is not in addition to, the expenditure for 2024-25 listed at paragraph 83. Expenditure on public relations predominantly relates to the cost of producing our inspection reports and other published documents, as well as the maintenance of our website.
90. Section 31(3) requires IPS to publish details of any payment made in excess of £25,000. No such payments were made in 2024-25.
91. Section 31(4) requires IPS to publish the number of individuals who received remuneration in excess of £150,000. No member of staff earned in excess of £150,000.
Section 32
92. Section 32 requires public bodies to publish a statement of the steps they have taken during the financial year to (a) promote and increase sustainable growth through the exercise of its functions; and (b) improve efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the exercise of its functions.
93. The function of IPS is to inspect the operation of COPFS. We consider that section 32 applies in respect of (i) how efficiently and effectively IPS itself delivers its function; and (ii) how we support COPFS in the delivery of its functions.
94. During 2024-25 our staffing costs made up almost 98% of our spend which made it difficult for us to achieve any significant savings in this financial year and despite our best efforts we overspent by £22,190. We continue, however, to seek opportunities to achieve savings, mindful of the need to spend public money judiciously and to seek value for money. IPS already operates with a lean workforce, any reduction in staff would hinder our capacity to carry out our statutory duties. We also continue to have the use of shared services being housed within a Scottish Government facility which serves as an ongoing saving from previous years.
95. Fieldwork costs have also remained very low within this financial year as IPS continues to make good use of online meetings with regard to our inspection work.
96. Given our comparatively small budget, perhaps the most significant contribution we can make to improving efficiency, effectiveness and economy is in the choice of what we inspect and how we encourage and support COPFS to improve the delivery of its service. The need to deliver a more effective and efficient prosecution and death investigation service is a key theme in our scrutiny activity.