Murray McVicar

The 'pondlife' of executive agencies: Parliament and informatory accountability

Agencies attract the attention of MPs unequally. In focusing upon ‘informnatory responsibility’, as a prerequisite of ministerial responsibility in an era of executive agencies, the article reveals that there is no simple model or pattern of informatory responsibility, whether measured by parliamentary questions, letters from MPs, or extent of contact between ministers and agencies. Those agencies which attract the sustained interest of MPs often require elaborate mechanisms of response to deal with the sheer volume of questions and requests for information. In tumrn, this may have pathological organisational consequences for working practices and staffing tasks particularly if the agency is responsible for policy delivery in a politically sensitive area. Conversely, those agencies which attract little or no interest from MPs raise the neglected question of what does ministerial responsibility ‘mean’ in these circumstances? The article concludes that a more exacting perspective of inforinatory accountability is needed: one that places the emphasis not only upon the regularity of the flow of information and upon the consistency of explanation to parliament, but also takes into account the interactions of agencies and their ‘constituencies of accountability’.

Population size and functional efficiency in public library authorities: the statistical evidence

Regression analysis is used to analyse the available statistical evidence on the range, cost and usage of UK public libraries to determine whether any gen eral relationship exists between the pop ulation size served by a public library authrority and its functional efficiency, while recognizing that some aspects of the impact of size require a more quali tative assessment. Examines the perfor mance of the smallest authorities against the UK national average. The statistical analysis of service provision over the 1980s is based on the returns made by the chief librarians to the annual Public Library Statistics (Actuals) produced by CIPFAs (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Statistical Information Service. The general mea sures of service used in the study consist of: total number of service points; lend ing limit (maximum number of items allowable on loan); issue period; and opening hours (including mobile libraries). Results provide some confir mation of diseconomies of scale in small library authoritites, which incur greater per capita expenditure than larger author ities. Concludes that size is not the only factor determining the scope and range of services. The research was supported by a grant from the British Library, Research and Development Department.

The devolution proposals for Scotland: An assessment and critique

Scottish devolution is advocated as a popular means of securing the Union between Scotland and England. If the idea is supported in a referendum, a Labour Government is pledged to introduce a Parliament based on the proposals of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, with a marginal power to vary levels of taxation. In this article, the authors highlight the proposals and discuss the difficulties of implementation.

Uncharted waters? Problems of financing labour's Scottish parliament

The debate surrounding constitutional reform in the 1990s has focused on the political and cultural dynamics of constitutional change. There has been little discussion of the fiscal effects of a devolved assembly (Lee, 1995), in particular the impact of a Scottish parliament on intergovernmental fiscal relations; yet this is a crucial aspect of the debate. The financial relationship between an Edinburgh parliament and Whitehall requires to be a stable one if the parliament is to prosper.

Local Government Reform in Britain: Organizational Implications for the Public Library Service

Reports professional librarians′ perspectives on the organizational implications of local government reform. Considers four main areas of concern: joint arrangements, contracting out, service disaggregation and economies of scale. Concludes that many professional librarians would be concerned at the service consequences resulting from a move to a greater number of smaller authorities.

The public librarian as budget manager

The article examines the role of the public librarian in the local authori ty budgetary process. It discusses the organizational structure in each authority and the chosen budgetary process, and analyses professional behaviour. The first section sets the work into context and examines the basic concepts. The second reports on the results of a survey of 20 Scottish library authorities. The final part concludes by examining the budgetary outcomes and sug gests that the success of a library authority in securing finance depends both on the nature of the structure and process and on the manner in which library officers play the budgetary game.

Performance information for Scottish public library authorities: Constraints and progress

Discusses the difficulties in trying to assess performance levels of public libraries and argues that indicators can only provide a useful tool for public librarians if the limitations of comparative analysis are recognized. Performance measurement has in the past suffered from a crude political concern with measurement and league tables. The Accounts Commission for Scotland has published its first “result” for Scottish Council Services and has been refreshingly honest about the limitations of these traditional performance indicators, arguing that while they are an important element of decision making in the policy process, they can never be a totally comprehensive or decisive factor. Suggests that authorities could seek to assist in developing a more representative set of indicators for the modern public library service.

Size and Efficiency in Public Library Provision: A Review of the Arguments

Reviews the history of political and professional debates on the optimum size of public library authorities in the UK. Discusses conclusions on size in the major legislation and reports on public library policy prior to local government reorganization in 1974. Considers the effects of the 1974 local government reorganization and examines the subsequent continuing debate. Concludes that in the light of further impending modification of the UK local government system, further research is required into the structure and size of a public library service.

Recurring Issues in Scottish Local Government Reform

This article examines the political pressures affecting local government reorgan isation in Scotland. It highlights conflicts over reform between local and central government, within political parties and within the local government environment itself. It concludes that such tensions are inevitable in any reform process. The Government entered the reform process in 1991 believing that there was a consensus on single-tier. In fact, whereas there was agreement in principle, consensus on the specific outcomes did not exist. This was because any reform of structure will inevitably create winners and losers. The central argument of the paper is that the reorganisation exercise of the 1990s was not unique. Conflict was also inherent during the last reforms in the 1970s.

Control and influence in Scottish public library finance

Many people have assumed that, during the 1980s, local services of all kinds came under an increasingly restrictive regime from the centre. Research by the authors of this article, however, shows that the public library service in Scotland was a notable exception to the national trend. The mechanisms of central influence and control are examined, and, against this background, the unexpected pattern of library expenditure is explained.