Section 5 Standards of Behaviour
5.1 Ethical Standards in Public Life
The Scottish Ministers have high expectations of those who serve on the Boards of public bodies and the way in which they should conduct themselves in undertaking their duties. You must meet those expectations by ensuring that your conduct is above reproach. The first report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (the Nolan Committee) identified seven key principles of conduct which underpin public life and recommended that public bodies should draw up Codes of Conduct incorporating these principles. The Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 identified nine key principles which underpin public life in Scotland putting ethical standards and probity at the heart of decision-making in Scotland.
The ethical framework introduced by the Ethical Standards Act, sets out the standards of conduct required, ensures that there are clear and consistent procedures in place for dealing with any alleged misconduct and that such issues are dealt with fairly and objectively.
The key elements of the ethical framework include:
- A Standards Commission for Scotland and a Chief Investigating Officer to oversee the ethical framework;
- Codes of Conduct for Members of Devolved Public Bodies on a statutory basis for those bodies listed in Schedule 3 of the Act;
- Other Codes for smaller bodies; and
- Publicly available Registers of Members' Interests.
Through this ethical framework, the Scottish Ministers aim to ensure fairness, openness and, above all, confidence in Scottish public bodies and all who serve on them.