This section imposes a duty on the Parliament to provide for the investigation of certain complaints of maladministration, and provides that the Parliament may make further provision. Prior to the Parliament making its own provision, the office of Scottish Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration was created to investigate complaints made against members of the Scottish Administration, Scottish public authorities, cross-border public authorities (in connection with devolved matters), and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body under the Scotland Act 1998 (Transitory and Transitional Provisions) (Complaints of Maladministration) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/1351), as amended by S.I. 1999/1595.
As a consequence, devolved public authorities were removed from the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration by amendments made to the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 by S.I. 1999/1820.