Senior Management Team Meeting - Minutes - 24 June 2026

Attendees

  • Sarah Caldwell (SC) - Director of FCS – Chair
  • Alan Shirley (AS) - For Director of TIC
  • Fiona Brown (FB) - Director of SPA
  • Chris Wilcock (CW) - Director of Ferries and Ports
  • Mary Docherty (MD) - Director of BCAT
  • Morna Cannon (MC) - Director of ECS
  • Bill Reeve (BR) - Director of Rail Reform
  • Lawrence Shackman (LS) - Director of Infrastructure Projects
  • Hilary Cameron (HC) - For Director of Rail Delivery
  • David Swanson (DS) - Head of Corporate Services
  • Andy Pope (AP) - Head of Corporate Governance
  • Steven Wylie (SW) - Corporate Governance Manager
  • Gillian Aiken (GA) Head of Finance
  • Lorna Clark (LC) - Head of Data Protection & Information Governance
  • Rebecca Sinclair (RS) - Design Governance Manager
  • Michael Duguid (MD) - Administration Team Leader
  • Lesley MacLeod (LM) - Non-Executive Member

CEO Office

  • Mark Dunlop
  • Pam Yorke

Apologies

  • Graeme Cook, Director of Rail Delivery
  • Bettina Sizeland, Director of TIC

Welcome

SC welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised she would be chairing until AI was able to join the meeting.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) - Archiving

SW introduced the paper submitted to SMT regarding the archiving of Transport Scotland files with the National Records of Scotland (NRS). The paper sought to:

  • Inform SLT of the workload, resource and process risks across all Directorates arising from the ongoing review and redaction of historic documents relating to the Queensferry Crossing and Edinburgh Tram projects, ahead of the statutory transfer of relevant eRDM files to NRS by 7 August 2026.
  • Inform SLT of the proposed Transport Scotland approach to ensure compliance with statutory archiving requirements for these projects and seek approval of that approach.
  • Seek SLT approval for the proposed approach to support future archiving requirements beyond 2026.

SLT discussed the criteria used to identify records for transfer and archiving, Members noted the significant time commitment and resource implications associated with reviewing and redacting records prior to transfer.

Members noted that projects and policy files reaching 15 to 20 years old would become eligible for review and transfer. It was highlighted that Information Asset Managers (IAMs) will receive notification emails from January onwards to support preparations for future archiving requirements. Consideration should also be given to how files are categorised while they remain active and it was noted retention periods are calculated from the date a project file is formally closed.

Discussion took place around the current projects selected. SLT agreed it would be useful for refresher training for staff on what constitutes a formal record, and what should be retained, would be beneficial. Members agreed that clear records management guidance is essential. SW noted that this work was underway and would align with the implementation of Nexus.

SLT also considered information asset ownership and whether records held in eRDM remain mapped to the appropriate Information Asset Owner (IAO), particularly where there have been changes in Director roles over time. Members recognised the challenges associated with reviewing records from projects completed more than 20 years ago, where staff involved may no longer be with the organisation.

The importance of ensuring compliance with data protection requirements was highlighted, including work underway on privacy notices. It was noted that LC is progressing this aspect.

SLT expressed support for the proposed approach and agreed that further engagement with Directors would be helpful, including training and guidance for staff to ensure a consistent understanding of records management responsibilities and implementation of the actions required.

Members agreed that clear, forward-looking records management principles should be developed and communicated across the organisation. This would also support the handling of Environmental Information Regulations requests, Freedom of Information requests

SLT noted the statutory deadline of 7 August 2026 for the transfer of the Edinburgh Tram and Queensferry Crossing records to NRS.

SLT thanked the team for their significant work on this.

Risk

AP advised that comments had been added to the Corporate Risk Register. Directors were asked to review all risk entries, particularly focusing on ensuring information is current and that key dates are accurate. A refreshed snapshot of the Corporate Risk Register will be presented at the next SLT meeting.

AP provided a readout from the recent Risk Management Group meeting and highlighted several risks that may require further discussion at a future SMT meeting. Members noted the need for greater consistency in the language and terminology used across risk cards to support effective monitoring and reporting.

SLT agreed that Directors, as risk owners, should review all risk cards in advance of Risk Management Group meetings to ensure records are up to date and accurately reflect current risks, controls and mitigations.

AP was asked to highlight the specific issues identified with Directors to support a consistent approach to risk management across the organisation.

Road Asset Management

SLT considered the current approach to Road Asset Management, including the controls and mitigating actions in place to manage associated risks. Discussion focused on the impact of budget allocations, the need for long-term funding certainty and the capacity of the supply chain to support delivery.

Members reviewed the current risk scoring and were content with the overall approach being taken. However, SLT noted that the risk currently retains a score of 100 and discussed whether the planned mitigating actions are sufficient, particularly in the context of ongoing financial pressures.

SLT agreed that actions relating to the bridges report and the development of the 10-year plan, both of which had been discussed, should be incorporated into the risk actions. Members also agreed that the rationale for the risk categorisation should be more clearly reflected within the action plan to demonstrate how proposed actions will contribute to reducing the risk.

HG agreed to take this forward with his team and update the risk accordingly and review the target scores.

Significant Incidents

SLT discussed the controls and mitigating actions currently in place to manage the risks associated with significant incidents, noting the number of multi-modal events experienced over the weekend. Members acknowledged that the incidents were managed effectively; however, consideration was given to how the organisation would have responded had circumstances been more challenging.

Discussion highlighted the importance of resilience and recognised that, while current arrangements are effective, there remains scope for continuous improvement. SLT noted the strong operational response capability within the Rail Directorate and the positive approach taken by Ferries in identifying wider network impacts and connections during incidents.

SLT recognised resilience and incident management as an area of ongoing continuous improvement and agreed that work should continue to strengthen organisational preparedness and response arrangements.

Corporate Dashboard

SW provided a summary of the dashboard which had been circulated round Directors, this was accepted without comment.

Digital Transformation

DS presented the Transport Scotland Digital Transformation Plan, outlining the proposed approach, the Pilot Programme, and the next steps required to progress the work.

The following actions were highlighted:

  • Continue the digital awareness programme across the organisation.
  • Agree priorities and identify pilot areas through a series of workshops.
  • Commence development of the business case.
  • Establish an appropriate governance structure to oversee delivery.

During discussion, SLT agreed that Directors should identify a small number of pilot projects which could be used as test cases to demonstrate the benefits of the approach and inform future activity.

SLT endorsed the proposed approach and agreed with the focus on targeted pilots to support the next phase of the Digital Transformation Programme.

AOB

There was no other business.

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Published Date 24 Jun 2026 Type Topic