A report examined ways of improving productivity in Scotland's public services – focusing on social housing, personal care, and waste management.
Source: Jo Armstrong, Improving Productivity in Scotland's Public Services, Hume Occasional Paper 74, David Hume Institute (0131 667 9609)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Dec
The Scottish Government (led for the first time by the Scottish National Party) announced a draft budget for 2008-09, and spending priorities for the three years to 2010-11. Council tax rates would be frozen: but a pledge to wipe out all student debts was abandoned.
Source: Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007, Scottish Government, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SG press release (1) | SG press release (2) | SG press release (3) | SG press release (4) | COSLA press release | CIH press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Community Care report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2007-Nov
A qualitative study examined public attitudes to regulation, audit, inspection and complaints-handling in respect of public services in Scotland. There was universal support for at least some degree of external scrutiny: but it was recognized that there were some potential disadvantages, including the effect on staff time, increased bureaucracy, undermining trust in professionals, costs, and private sector providers opting out of provision if it became too 'difficult'.
Source: Jane MacLardie et al., Scrutiny and the Public: Qualitative study of public perspectives on regulation, audit, inspection and complaints handling of public services in Scotland, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Date: 2007-Oct
A report examined the aggregate costs of private finance initiative and private-public partnership projects in Scotland. It said that the contracts could be costing around £2.1 billion more than conventional funding.
Source: At What Cost?, Unison (0845 355 0845)
Links: Report | Unison press release
Date: 2007-Oct
An official review made recommendations designed to improve the role of scrutiny within the public sector in Scotland. It outlined how public services could be given greater responsibility to measure their performance to comply with regulation, and called for independent external scrutiny of the National Health Service.
Source: Lorne Crerar, The Crerar Review: The report of the independent review of regulation, audit, inspection and complaints handling of public services in Scotland, Scottish Government, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | SG press release | SCRC press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Sep
Researchers evaluated the first phase of a programme in Scotland designed to invest in new initiatives to improve the employability of parents who had difficulty participating in the labour market.
Source: Ronald McQuaid et al., Working for Families Evaluation: Phase 1 (2004-2006), Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Sep
A report examined how the management of public sector budgets was meeting priorities across the Scottish Executive. Overall, the Executive was found to be 'well-run, forward-looking and seeking to learn and progress'.
Source: Choices for a Purpose: Review of Scottish Executive budgets, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Report | SE press release
Date: 2007-May
A literature review examined what the concept of employee engagement meant for the public sector, and the models that might be relevant to public sector organizations wishing to understand and improve employee engagement.
Source: 4-consulting with DTZ Consulting & Research, Employee Engagement in the Public Sector: A review of literature, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-May
A report summarized the evaluation of a programme in Scotland (Working for Families) designed to improve the employability of parents from disadvantaged groups. It concluded that the project had made significant improvement in the employability of disadvantaged parents.
Source: Employment Research Institute/Napier University (Edinburgh), Working for Families Phase 1 Evaluation (2004-06), Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Apr
Three linked research reports examined public attitudes to public services in Scotland. Improving people's health, cutting crime, and strengthening the economy were perceived as the top three priorities for the Scottish Executive. Trust in devolved bodies was consistently higher than in the United Kingdom government. Views on public services remain mixed: more people thought that the standard of living and the quality of education had increased in the previous 12 months than thought they had decreased, while perceptions of the standard of the health service remained the most negative.
Source: Lisa Given and Rachel Ormston, Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2005: Scottish Executive Core Module Report 1 - Attitudes towards Public Services in Scotland, Scottish Executive (web publication only) | John Curtice, Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2005: Scottish Executive Core Module Report 2 - Trust and Involvement in the Governance of Scotland, Scottish Executive | Lisa Given and Rachel Ormston, Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2005: Scottish Executive Core Module Report 3 - Awareness and Perceptions of Government, Scottish Executive
Links: Report 1 | Report 2 | Report 3 | Technical paper | SE press release
Date: 2007-Jan
A government report said that Scotland could achieve an employment rate in excess of the United Kingdom target of 80 per cent, possibly nearer 82 per cent.
Source: Scotland: Employment and Prosperity, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report | BBC report
Date: 2007-Jan