The Scottish Government's Policy on Public Bodies
The Scottish Government is committed to the continual improvement and modernisation of Scotland's public services. It supports public bodies which:
- have a distinct role to play and functions to perform that are best done by a public body;
- are clearly accountable to Ministers and the people whom they serve;
- work in a joined up way with others and draw new people into the processes of government;
- are properly run, efficient and effective, and deliver value for money.
The Scottish Government is introducing measures that will:
- Strengthen the accountability of public bodies to Ministers, the Scottish Parliament and the public.
- Ensure that public bodies are open, informing and involving the public in their activities.
- Modernise the systems for appointing, paying and training Board members.
- Encourage people from under-represented sectors of Scottish society (women and disabled people, people from ethnic minorities , from lower socio-economic groups and from outwith the central belt) to put themselves forward for public appointments.
- Build on the successful adoption of the Nolan procedures, by establishing an independent Scottish Commissioner for Public Appointments to oversee the appointments process and appoint the independent assessors.
Details can be found in Public Bodies: Proposals for Change (PDF File).
The Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2003 in order to abolish those bodies identified as no longer being required.