Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

218 Staff commission for Scotland

(1) The Secretary of State, after consulting with such bodies representative of existing local authorities or of staff employed by such local authorities as appear to him to be concerned, shall, not later than one month after the passing of this Act, establish a staff commission for Scotland for the purpose of—

(a) considering and keeping under review the arrangements for the recruitment of staff by relevant authorities and for the transfer in consequence of the provisions of this Act or any instrument made under it of staff employed by relevant authorities which cease to exist by virtue of Part I of this Act;

(b) considering such staffing problems arising in consequence of, and such other matters relating to staff employed by any body affected by, any provision of, or of any instrument made under, this Act as may be referred to the commission by the Secretary of State ; and

(c) advising the Secretary of State on the steps necessary to safeguard the interests of such staff.

(2) The Secretary of State shall be deemed to have consulted the bodies mentioned in subsection (1) above for the purposes of that subsection if he has consulted before the passing of this Act bodies representative of existing local authorities or of staff employed by them.

(3) The Secretary of State may give directions to the staff commission as to their procedure and to any relevant authority with respect to the furnishing of any information requested and the implementation of any advice given by the commission and with respect to the payment by a new local authority of any expenses incurred by the commission in doing anything requested by the authority.

(4) Any expenses incurred by the staff commission under this section and not recovered from a local authority shall be paid by the Secretary of State.

(5) Schedule 1 to the [1957 c. 20.] House of Commons Disqualification Act 1957 (offices disqualifying from membership) shall have effect, in its application to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as if in Part II, in the appropriate place in alphabetical order, there were inserted the entry—

• “The staff commission for Scotland established under section 218 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.”

(6) In this section " relevant authority " means a local authority within the meaning of the 1947 Act or this Act, a joint committee, joint board, river purification board, water board or a Passenger Transport Executive established under section 9(1) of the [1968 c. 73.] Transport Act 1968 or an association of local authorities the constituent members of which include any such local authority as aforesaid.