Framework agreement with Education Scotland

External accountability

Published
12/02/2021
Last updated
19/08/2026

The Executive Committee 

The Executive Committee, as defined by the CLD Charter, will provide advice and support to the Chair to challenge constructively the Council and how it operates. They will also provide the Director of the Council and Education Scotland’s Chief Executive with an independent perspective on the Council’s work, including evaluating its effectiveness.

Parliamentary Committee attendance 

The Director and the Chair of the Council may be called to appear before Committees of the Scottish Parliament to account for the discharge of the Council’s responsibilities under the terms of this Framework Document.  The Chief Executive of Education Scotland may also be called to appear as Accountable Officer.    
                                      
The Director of the Council is also responsible for putting into effect any relevant recommendations of the Committees of the Scottish Parliament which are accepted by Scottish Ministers.  

Arrangements for dealing with parliamentary correspondence

Scottish Ministers will encourage MSPs to communicate directly with the Director of the Council on operational matters within her authority.  The Director will also provide any 
necessary information to support the answer of Parliamentary Questions and/or deal with any 
other Parliamentary business for which the Council is responsible.

Complaints process and the Ombudsman 

The Director of the Council is responsible for ensuring that an effective complaints procedure, in line with the statement of principles published by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO), is in place and published.  Anyone not satisfied with the way the Council has responded to a complaint may raise their concerns with the SPSO.  The Director of the Council will ensure that any actions arising from investigations by the Ombudsman are appropriately and promptly addressed.  

Freedom of Information  

The Director Of the Council is responsible for ensuring that the Council publishes its information in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2000 and for handling Freedom of Information (FOI) requests in accordance with Scottish Government’s FOI policy and procedures.  

GDPR 

Each party is required to comply with its obligations under the GDPR.   

In this document, “GDPR” means the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC’