Edinburgh-based MSP Sarah Boyack's Bill would promote joined-up thinking in public sector

She says Scotland is trapped in a short term cycle when it comes to policy and decision-making. "We think about today, we don't think about tomorrow," she said.

As well as creating the commissioner post, her Bill would also give public bodies a legal duty to have due regard to promoting wellbeing and sustainable development.

Sarah Boyack says a Future Generations Commissioner has made a significant difference in Wales

And Ms Boyack, who was first elected to Holyrood at the start of the parliament in 1999 and served in Donald Dewar's Cabinet, hopes to get the Bill passed before she stands down at next year's elections.

Wales already has a Future Generations Commissioner, billed as "a voice for people not yet born", and Ms Boyack says she is already having an impact.

"The NHS in Wales was building a new hospital in Swansea and she challenged them on its environmental impact and they ended up putting in a solar farm on the site, which now makes £1m a year which gets reinvested back into the NHS in Wales."

Ms Boyack said the Christie commission on the future delivery of public services, led by former Scottish TUC general secretary Campbell Christie, had called for serious joined-up thinking, investing now to save for the future and aiming for prevention rather than cure.

"That was 2011," she said. "But his proposals were never developed. We're not getting that joined up thinking in government, never mind in the public sector. And we don't get long term sustainable action that prioritises the wellbeing of both current and future generations.

"Think about the lack of investment in NHS Lothian to support young people with mental health issues, for example - that's impacting now on them and their families, but it's also got a long-term impact."

MSPs recently voted not to appoint any new commissioners in this parliament, but Ms Boyack says many of the existing commissioners have advocacy roles focused on one sector, and she argues the Future Generation Commissioner's job is more akin to that of the Auditor General, empowered to look across all policy areas and not tied to any interest group.

"Public bodies would be held to account," she said. "The commissioner would provide advice and guidance because a lot of public authorities are under pressure financially, so to help them make the right change would be significant.

"The other thing would be potential investigations where an authority has not looked at wellbeing and sustainable development. We would not be talking about lots of investigations, but even the idea of being investigated I think would make authorities push that thinking up the agenda.

"The commissioner would provide guidance support and bring public sector organisations together, but that backstop of being able to conduct an investigation would also concentrate minds and also support those in public sector organisations that are already committed to tackling the agenda in relation to wellbeing but need more support."

The Holyrood committee scrutinising the Bill has finished taking evidence. It will now produce a report and say whether it is backing the Bill to progress. If it supports the general principles, the next stage will be to consider amendments in committee and then have a debate and vote in parliament.

"There's still time to do it," said Ms Boyack. "Lots of organisations have called for action on this. Now I want us to get on with it and deliver the change my constituents and people across Scotland now and in the future need."

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