WE have all seen it happen: a senior public sector employee is accused of falling short of the standards expected of them. But before the claims can be properly investigated, they leave their job with a generous severance payment and it seems nothing more can be done. The taxpayer is thousands out of pocket and everyone is expected to move on.

Now the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit Committee has apparently had enough of the situation and has called for an end to the practice. The acting convenor of the committee, Jackie Baillie, said she and her colleagues were concerned that some of those responsible for creating major problems within public bodies were leaving without being properly held to account.

The committee is right to be concerned. Not only is the practice frustrating for Scottish taxpayers, who have a right to expect that public spending is tightly controlled, large payouts of this kind are an insult to public sector workers who have been labouring for years under a pay cap which has only recently been lifted by the Scottish Government.

Severance payments without accountability also risk creating a culture in which public sector leaders expect large payments almost irrespective of their performance. Individuals taking on big, difficult jobs deserve to be paid well, but no one deserves to be paid for failure.