Bill Moyes has been appointed as the new Chair of the Accounts Commission.

Dr Moyes has extensive experience as a chair and a non-executive in both the public and private sectors, including having recently served as chair of the General Dental Council, the first Executive Chair of Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, and chair of the Gambling Commission.

His appointment will be for an initial period of four years from 1 January 2022, with the option to extend for a further four years.

Dr Moyes said:

Public trust in the body that investigates complaints about the behaviour of MSPs and councillors is now at risk because of serious failings in the way it is run.

The Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland (CESPLS) assesses complaints about the conduct of MSPs, local authority councillors and members of public bodies and then decides which to investigate.

Failings identified by the appointed auditor include:

The Scottish Government needs to be more transparent about its spending in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, following a year in which its budget grew by a quarter.

A report from the Auditor General for Scotland says that during 2020/21 the government's primary focus was addressing the pandemic's threats, and public spending rose significantly. The Scottish Government's Consolidated Accounts show spending during the year was £10.7 billion higher, or 27 per cent, than the previous year, and totalled £50.1 billion.

NHS Highland has improved its governance, leadership and culture, and has managed to reduce its spending. Now the board must focus on addressing its challenging future financial position.

The public body responsible for promoting Gaelic in Scotland has tackled weaknesses in its leadership and governance. It now needs to monitor the impact of these changes in the years to come.

A new report from the Auditor General for Scotland follows up a 2019 report on Bòrd na Gàidhlig that identified multiple failings in the oversight and senior management of the organisation.

In the two years since, the Bòrd has taken a number of actions, including:

Scotland's census has faced considerable challenges and is expected to cost £21.6 million more than originally planned. Careful management is needed to ensure its successful delivery in March 2022.

In July 2020, Scottish Ministers decided to delay the next census from March 2021 to March 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Audit Scotland would like to congratulate Chief Operating Officer Diane McGiffen on her appointment as the new Chief Executive of the Law Society of Scotland.

Diane will leave Audit Scotland at the end of 2021, after more than 20 years working in public audit and helping lead the organisation from the early days of devolution to the present.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland and accountable officer for Audit Scotland, said: