Complaint report - Ineffective Succession Planning and Complaint Handling

This investigation was undertaken in response to a stage 3 complaint. The complainant, a former board member of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, believed that decisions about reappointments to the board were not made on the basis of sound evidence and process. The complainant also felt that the Scottish Government’s investigation into his original concerns was not handled well. The conclusions of this investigation partially upholds the complaint.

The Commissioner observed that the Scottish Government has very effective processes in place to ensure that, in the vast majority of cases, ministerial decisions on succession planning are well informed and based on good evidence. Instances of non-compliance in this area are relatively rare and it is his hope and expectation that the findings of this investigation will make them rarer still.