Procedure: Administration of Qualifications Scotland and its Committees
Regulation of procedure
190.Paragraph 14 requires Qualifications Scotland to make at least one meeting each financial year open to the public, although it may temporarily exclude members of the public from those meetings if dealing with a confidential matter.
191.Qualifications Scotland must take reasonable steps to encourage members of the public to attend its public meetings.
192.Qualifications Scotland may also direct that its committees or sub-committees (other than the Accreditation Committee, which is not subject to direction by Qualifications Scotland) make at least one meeting each financial year open to the public and that reasonable steps be taken to encourage members of the public to attend.
193.A meeting of the Accreditation Committee is only quorate if a majority of members present are not members or staff of Qualifications Scotland (though members of staff may not be members of the Accreditation Committee anyway under paragraph 13(5), and mere attendance under that paragraph would not be expected to count towards the quorum anyway). This is to ensure the independence of the Accreditation Committee.
194.The Scottish Ministers may make regulations (subject to the negative procedure) further governing the procedure of Qualifications Scotland and its committees or sub-committees. Other than as set out in this paragraph and any such regulations, Qualifications Scotland is to regulate its own procedures and that of its committees and sub-committees (other than the Accreditation Committee, which is, subject to any regulations made under sub-paragraph (6), to regulate its own procedure and that of its sub-committees).
