FOI20/21 204 SQA Board Members

Date published: 13/04/2021

Please could you supply me with the following information on gender balance in the organisation?

1. How many women are now on the board of your organisation and how many people of other genders are there?

2. Is the current Chairperson (or person with an equivalent role) a woman or someone of another gender?

3. What is the current median FTE pay for men and women in the organisation?

In addition, I would be grateful if you could provide me with the following information about board members.

4. Please supply the names of everyone currently on the board along with their registers of interest and the date that their register was last updated.

5. Please supply details of any payments made to any of the board members in the last 12 months, and a summary of the purpose of each payment.

Questions 1,2 and 4 - The information you have requested is available on our website and can be accessed SQA Board of Management.   The Register of Interests is provided in the Related Information section at the bottom of this page.   The Register of Interests was last updated at the beginning of March 2021.  Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you and can be accessed at the links above.   If, however, you do not have access to the internet to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.

Question 3 - As at 31 January 2021, the median FTE male salary was £36,848 and the median FTE female salary was £34,911.  This is a pay gap of 5.26%, a decrease of 3.15% since the 2020 equal pay audit.  The 2021 equal pay audit will be published alongside our equality mainstreaming report by 30 April 2021.

Question 5 - Board members are paid a monthly fee on the basis of their duties, which are set and reviewed annually by the Scottish Government (effective 1 April). The Chairman's level of remuneration is set and reviewed annually by the Scottish Government (effective 1 April).  Details of this remuneration to each member is published in our Annual Report and Accounts which can be accessed Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 for 2019-20.  Page 64 details the salary range paid to each Board Member and page 65 notes the total paid out for travel expenses.   The 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts will be published on our website once it has been approved by the Scottish Government later this year.  Our Annual Report and Accounts are prepared and audited in accordance with the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) for the appropriate year in question.   

We can confirm that each Board Member received their salary payment and that due to the circumstances of COVID-19 where meetings were held on line no travel expenses were paid out for the financial year 2020-21.   Under the Data Protection Act 2018 SQA can publish the salary range for individual named Board Members but to provide you with the actual payments made which are the personal data of the individual would breach this legislation.