Memorandum of understanding between HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution in Scotland, the Lord Advocate and the Scottish Government's Director, Justice

Staffing

The Chief Inspector will ensure that IPS staff work within flexible management structure and have the skills necessary to meet users’ needs.

Status of staff and condition of service

The Chief Inspector and IPS staff are Civil Servants within the Scottish Government and are employed on the same general terms and conditions of service as other staff of the core Scottish Government. They are also covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme unless they decide otherwise.

Within the arrangements approved by the Scottish Ministers, the Chief Inspector, with the support of the Scottish Government Directorate for People, will have responsibility for the recruitment, retention, and motivation of the IPS’s staff. To the end, the Chief Inspector and Directorate for People shall ensure that:

• the recruitment of IPS staff is based on fair and open competition and equal opportunities
• the level and structure of IPS staffing, including grading and numbers of staff, are appropriate to its functions and the requirements of efficiency, effectiveness and economy
• the performance of IPS staff at all levels is managed effectively and efficiently, through satisfactory appraisal and promotion systems that are reviewed from time to time
• IPS staff are encouraged to acquire the appropriate professional, management and other expertise necessary to achieve the IPS’s objectives
• proper consultation with staff takes place on key issues affecting them
• adequate grievance procedures consistent with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 are in place