Customer Advisory Panel
08 October 2025, 10:00 – 12:00
Held via MS Teams and LCR meeting room, GRH
Attendees
- Jane Milne Director of Customer Service Operations and Archives
- Cat Kearney Head of Customer Service Delivery
- Alison Byrne Chief Executive
- Nicky Falconer Head of Operational Delivery
- Sheena Maguire Head of NRS Customer Communication and Marketing
- Gillian Jackson Registration Training Manager
- Jennifer Ozers Digital Services Archivist
- Ryan Scott Head of Statistical Engagement and Promotion
- Kate Hawkins Head of Portfolio and Governance
- Guy Westoby Business Change Manager
- Mariana Mercado Senior Content Designer
Panel Members
- Emily Redman
- Jamie Smith
- Kirsty Ross-Oliver
- Linda Riddell
- Emma Maxwell
- Andy Mitchell
- Gary Lawrie
- Kenneth A M Nisbet
- Ken Simpson
- Laura Baird
- Allison Catalano
- Lewis Smith
- Mike Andrews
- Rachel Forrest
Welcome and Introductions
1.1 Welcome from Jane Milne (chair)
1.2 Jane provided an introduction to the Customer Advisory Panel and clarified the purpose of the group going forward.
1.3 Welcome from Alison Byrne, Alison discussed her journey within NRS and the journey the business was currently on to change and improve their services.
1.4 Panel member introductions were conducted round the meeting room and via teams.
NRS Strategic Updates
2.1 Records Release Plans
Jennifer Ozers provided an update on the records release plans, some of the key points discussed were;
- Team develops and manages access to historical records through the Scotland’s People website
- A variety of projects have been completed over recent years, specifically managing transcription for the 1921 census, prison records and Scottish cabinet records
- Going forward the Digital Services Team hope to create a Record Release Working Group to help with future release planning.
- Customer feedback would be crucial for this so they can provide customers with records they have requested to see on the Scotland’s People site
- The team are interested to receive feedback from the panel on any record sets that customers would like to see as part of the records release plan in the future.
2.2 Registration Marriage
Gillian Jackson discussed registration marriage some of the key points discussed were:
- Promoting what the Registration service do
- The team work closely with 32 local authorities and 700 local registration staff to deliver the service
- Help with legislative questions
- Responsible for authorisation of celebrants
- Promoting the awareness for marriage registration process
- Future plans to improve their service – more valuable information e.g. Webinars, YouTube videos on how to / next steps to ensure customers’ needs are being fully met
- Suggestions welcome for new ways of communicating this information e.g. would a webinar on the requirements for marriage be useful for couples embarking on their marriage journey
2.3 Web Estate Overview and Tartan Website User Research
Mariana Mercado provided an update on the Web Estate Overview and Tartan Website User Research some of the key points discussed were:
- NRS has been working on rationalising their web estate focusing on improving outdated sites to meet accessibility standards and better meet user need
- Rising expectations for public services necessitates accessible and inclusive digital content
- Launched a new corporate website
- Refreshed the Scotland’s People website
- Implemented new content standards focusing on readability, usability, and accessibility
- Emphasis on user needs and research to guide design decisions
- Collaboration with external partners and use of proven design components.
2.3.2 Mariana discussed some of the next steps for the team would be;
- Conducting user research on the Scottish Register of Tartans
- Future actions would be based on research findings, which may include:
- Building a new website.
- Integrating content into existing sites (Corporate or Scotland’s People)
- Improving the current website
- Exploring other potential solutions
Panel members would be informed about opportunities to participate in the process.
2.4 NRS Strategy
Kate Hawkins discussed the NRS Strategy, some of the keys points discussed were;
- The Corporate Plan was created to respond to changing customer expectations and to set a clear strategic direction for NRS
- Need for a clear organisational vision and purpose which was highlighted by staff survey results
- Strategy was last reviewed before Covid
- Reviewed current operations and designed future approaches
- Refreshed the organisational strategy
- Collected, categorised, and prioritised change ideas
- Strategy is due to be published in November
Jane advised to panel members that feedback would also be welcome on the strategy document that was shared in the meeting.
2.5 Overview of census 2022 products - Update on Registrar General Annual Report
Ryan Scott provided an update on this, some of the key points noted were;
- Data includes domestic demographics, migration, and population projections
- Registration data (e.g. marriages, deaths) feeds into understanding population trends
- Census data was central to understanding Scotland’s changing population— growth, ageing, and regional shifts
- Census informs a wide range of research and policy decisions
- NRS plays a vital role in providing data for public use and research
- Data accessibility and impact were key priorities, with tools designed to make data usable and understandable
- Interactive maps (e.g. 2022 map tool) help users visualize and explore census data
- Census data was used during the COVID-19 response to identify vulnerable populations and prioritise vaccinations
- Data informs policies on ageing, housing, and health outcomes
- Efforts were constantly being made to make data relatable and understandable to the public
3. Pre Submitted Questions
3.1 Pre submitted questions were answered by NRS staff in the meeting – these would be shared with the group along with others that were not able to be answered in person in due course (note post meeting – these have all been shared).
4. Terms of Reference
4.1 The terms of reference would be sent to panel members to review and Jane Milne welcomed comment from members– these would be reviewed formally at the next meeting.
5. Next Steps and Close
Jane thanked everyone for their time and was looking forward to progressing as a group
