Scottish Executive
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The term Scottish Executive is used in two different, but closely-related senses: to denote the executive arm of Scotland's national legislature (i.e., the government), but also, somewhat confusingly, to denote the civil service supporting that executive.
Executive arm of the Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Executive (Scottish Gaelic: Riaghaltas na h-Alba), as established by the Scotland Act 1998 is the executive arm of the Scottish Parliament, in other words the Scottish Government, a term used both by members of the Scottish Executive and by others (more details below). It consists of a First Minister, who leads the executive, and various ministers with individual portfolios and remits. The Scottish Parliament elects the First Minister and Executive, although any party/parties that can form a majority select the First Minister, who chooses the other members thereafter.
Similar to the United Kingdom-wide form of government there is no division between executive and legislature, with the members of the Scottish Executive being chosen from amongst the Members of the Scottish Parliament (except for the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland, who need not be MSPs). The members of the Scottish Executive are assisted by a number of junior Scottish Ministers, also chosen from amongst the Members of the Parliament. The members of the Executive are therefore able to influence, and in practice dictate legislation in Scotland.
The Scottish Executive is currently formed from a coalition between the Labour Party and the Scottish Liberal Democrats. The current First Minister is Jack McConnell.
Ministers
The current Ministers are:- First Minister - Jack McConnell
- Deputy First Minister, Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning - Nicol Stephen
- Minister for Justice - Cathy Jamieson
- Minister for Health and Community Care - Andy Kerr
- Minister for Education and Young People - Peter Peacock
- Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform - Tom McCabe
- Minister for Environment and Rural Development - Ross Finnie
- Minister for Communities - Malcolm Chisholm
- Minister for Parliamentary Business - Margaret Curran
- Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport - Patricia Ferguson
- Minister for Transport and Telecommunications - Tavish Scott
- Lord Advocate - Lord Boyd of Duncansby
- Solicitor General - Elish Angiolini
- Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning - Allan Wilson
- Deputy Minister for Justice - Hugh Henry
- Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care - Lewis Macdonald
- Deputy Minister for Education and Young People - Robert Brown
- Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform - George Lyon
- Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development - Rhona Brankin
- Deputy Minister for Communities - Johann Lamont
- Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business - George Lyon
United Kingdom Civil Service in Scotland
The term Scottish Executive is also used to describe the British civil service, as deployed in Scotland (formerly called the Scottish Office). This includes several thousand civil servants. The civil servants who work in the Executive are part of the United Kingdom civil service and work within the rules and customs of that civil service, but "owe their loyalty to the devolved administration rather than the UK government" [link].The Scottish Executive is divided into a number of departments:
- Office of the Permanent Secretary
- Development Department
- Education Department
- Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department
- Environment and Rural Affairs Department
- Finance and Central Services Department
- Health Department
- Justice Department
- Legal and Parliamentary Services
The following figures for staff numbers are given in The 41st Civil Service Year Book (2004):
- Communities Scotland: 600
- Fisheries Research Services: 270
- HM Inspectorate of Education: 160
- Historic Scotland: 590
- National Archives of Scotland: 120
- Scottish Agricultural Science Agency: 130
- Scottish Court Service: 850
- Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency: 260
- Scottish Prison Service: 4,430
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency: 170
- Student Awards Agency for Scotland: 140
- Registers of Scotland: 1,260
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent Secretary, who supports the First Minister, Cabinet and Scottish executive, is John Elvidge (since 2003). He is the senior civil servant in Scotland and is head of the management group of the Scottish Executive and of the Scottish Office of the Permanent Secretary (OPS).Like other permanent secretaries, he is a United Kingdom civil servant and is answerable to the Cabinet Secretary for his professional conduct. He thus has some measure of independence from Scottish ministers, although his primary duty is to execute their instructions, just as other permanent secretaries execute the instructions of United Kingdom ministers.
Arms
The Coat of Arms of the Scottish Executive was adapted from the Royal Arms, but without the motto, the helm, the mantling, the crest, the war-cry above the crest, and the flags of Scotland and of England carried by the supporters. Note also that in the design of the above Arms of the Scottish Executive, both supporters are crowned with the Crown of Scotland, whereas in the Royal Arms, the Scottish unicorn is crowned with the Scottish Crown, and the English Lion is crowned with the British Imperial State Crown
Names
In January 2001, the then Scottish First Minister the Rt Hon Henry McLeish suggested changing the official name from "Scottish Executive" to "Scottish Government". The reaction from the UK Government in London and from some Labour Party members and MPs within Scotland was hostile. [story from Telegraph]Any change in formal title would require amendment of the Scotland Act 1998.
"Scottish Government" remains an unofficial term to describe the Scottish Executive. It has no special statutory meaning.
See also
External link
| British-Irish Council |
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| United Kingdom | Republic of Ireland |
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| Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | Jersey | Guernsey | Isle of Man |
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