Thank you, convener.
The purpose of the draft order before the committee today is to amend the schedule to the Public Records (Scotland) Act 2011 to ensure that the records of the designated public authorities are managed in accordance with the act.
The schedule lists the designated authorities that are subject to the act’s provisions on improving records management. The authorities that are listed must comply with part 1 of the act, which, among other record management practices, requires that proper arrangements are in place to ensure that records created by, or on behalf of, a named authority are subject to a records management plan that has been agreed by the keeper of the records of Scotland.
The draft order amends the list of designated authorities in the schedule, adding those that have been created or modified, or whose names have been changed, and removing those that have been abolished since the act came into force. It is necessary to update the schedule to ensure the effective management of records under the act.
The keeper consulted and obtained agreement from the public authorities affected by the proposed amendments. The keeper continues to work with the proposed designated authorities to assist their preparations to fulfil the statutory responsibilities incurred by being listed in the schedule.
As detailed in the business and regulatory impact assessment that was undertaken, the financial implications of the draft order will be minimal. The draft order will financially impact only those bodies that do not already have records management arrangements in place. Of course, having such arrangements in place is a requirement of the act. As I said, those bodies have been consulted and are content with their inclusion on the list and the financial impact that that will have. Furthermore, those organisations that already have records management provision will not incur any significant cost as a result of being listed in the schedule to the act.
The draft order will play a vital role in ensuring that the policy objectives of the act are met. By amending the schedule as proposed, we will ensure that all public records created by those authorities are properly managed and safeguarded for future generations.
I am happy to respond to any questions that members of the committee may have.