New report on revising the Scottish Parliament and Government’s Written Agreement on Intergovernmental Relations
Published: 27 January 2025
27 January 2025: A new report by Professor Nicola McEwen and Dr Coree Brown Swan recommends that a review of the Scottish Government-Scottish Parliament Written Agreement on Intergovernmental Relations should seek to strike a better balance between confidentiality and transparency, to strengthen the ability of the Scottish Parliament to hold government to account.
The report - The Scottish Government-Scottish Parliament Written Agreement on Intergovernmental Relations: Still Fit for Purpose? - was commissioned by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government to help inform a review of their Written Agreement on Intergovernmental Relations and has now been published by the Scottish Parliament Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee.
It shines a light on the challenges that MSPs had in scrutinising intergovernmental processes, including in relation to the Fiscal Framework and the Deposit Return Scheme.
The report makes a number of recommendations to strengthen the Agreement. These would help to ensure greater openness and accountability of the Scottish Government’s participation in IGR.
Professor Nicola McEwen said:
“The original Written Agreement has been in place since 2016. At the time of its introduction, it represented a significant breakthrough that made Scotland a leader in the UK with respect to the transparency and scrutiny of intergovernmental relations (IGR). But it hasn’t been properly implemented and it hasn’t kept pace with the changing nature of devolution.
Against the backdrop of Brexit and COVID-19, and in light of the new more complex devolution environment, our report offers suggestions for reform to help make the Agreement fit for purpose once again.”
Dr Coree Brown Swan said:
“It was a pleasure to speak with members and officials on the review of the Written Agreement. There is always a need for a safe space and private for governments to meet, but we found a genuine desire to improve transparency and enable scrutiny. Our recommendations would help Scotland’s devolved institutions be at the forefront of democratic scrutiny in IGR once again.”
Read the full list of recommendations in the report:
For more information, contact Kimberley.Somerside@glasgow.ac.uk, Policy Engagement Lead at the Centre for Public Policy.
First published: 27 January 2025