The Scottish Government

Title

Reduce the number of Scottish Public Bodies by 25% by 2011*

National Indicator/Target

25% reduction in the number of significant national organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility and can reform by 2011.

Brief Description

In October 2007, the Scottish Government published a baseline list of 199 significant national organisations and committed to reducing this number by 25% by 2011. This equates to 50 less organisations and is in addition to the 26 Justice of the Peace Advisory Committees announced by the previous administration but which did not come into effect until December 2007. Taken together changes in the public bodies landscape will reduce numbers from 199 to 123 by 2011.

To date (May 2009,) a reduction of 11 bodies from the Government's target of 50 has been achieved as a direct result of the Scottish Government's Simplification Programme.

The Public Services Reform Bill and Children's Hearing Bill will bring forward proposals for the reduction of a further 39 bodies.

Full details of the organisations included on the baseline list can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Baseline-List-2007

Strategic Objective(s) to Which Indicator Relates

This indicator relates primarily to the Wealthier and Fairer Strategic Objective, but supports better public services across all objectives.

The aims is to achieve a simpler, more effective public sector for Scotland by removing unnecessary overlap/duplication of role and functions across public bodies and ensuring structures which support and drive the delivery of better outcomes for Scotland's People while benefitting Scotland's competitiveness and overall economic performance.

Definitions of Keywords

Significant national public organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility and can reform - this includes the range of bodies identified in the Government's 199 baseline list comprising NDPBs, Scottish Government Agencies, Non-Ministerial Departments, Parliamentary Commissioners and Ombudsmen and other significant national bodies.

Simplification Programme - package of proposals outlined by the First Minister on the 30 th January 2008 which will deliver 25% reduction in the number of significant national public organisations.

Public Services Reform Bill (PSR) - the overarching aim of the Bill is to simplify and improve Scotland's public services. The Bill will help deliver reductions in the number of public bodies; improve support for the arts and culture sectors; and ensure more effective arrangements for scrutiny and improvement across the public and independent sectors

Evidence Source

Data source: Published baseline list of 199 public bodies and Simplification Programme Tracker:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Baseline-List-2007

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Simplification-Tracker

Nature of measure: This is a direct measure of the number of significant national public organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility for as taken against the published baseline list.

Baseline and Past Trends

Baseline Year: 2007

Trend Data: Prior to 2007 attention on public bodies focused on only those organisations formally classified at NDPBs and records for other categories of bodies are fragmented.

The Scottish Government, through its Simplification Programme established a new baseline against which progress towards an overall reduction in the number of public bodies across Scotland could be measured. The published 199 baseline goes beyond only NDPBs to include Government Agencies, Non-Ministerial Departments, Parliamentary Commissioners and Ombudsmen and a range of 'other' significant national bodies which were previously excluded from official records. Like for like comparable data prior to 2007 is therefore not available for all categories of public bodies which are now featured on the baseline list.

Methodology for Data Source

Simple count

Data Ownership and Quality Assurance

The evidence source is the Scottish Government - Public Sector Simplification Team/Public Bodies Policy Team.

Publication of Data

199 baseline list is published on the public bodies section of the Scottish Government website together with the Simplification Programme Tracker which records live changes in the public bodies landscape.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Baseline-List-2007

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Simplification-Tracker

Progress will be reported on a quarterly basis.