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 of Scottish Ministers), 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 nominates a member to be appointed as First Minister by the Queen. The First Minister then appoints ministers and junior ministers, subject to approval by the Parliament.
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:
For previous holders of Ministerial office, see List of Scottish Executive Ministerial Teams.
United Kingdom Civil Service in Scotland
The term Scottish Executive also denotes the civil service supporting Scottish Ministers. According to the most recent (2006) [1]reports, there are 15,263 civil servants working in core Scottish Executive departments and agencies. The civil service is a matter reserved to the UK government, rather than devolved to the Scottish Parliament: Scottish Executive civil servants work within the rules and customs of the United Kingdom civil service, but "owe their loyalty to the devolved administration rather than the UK government" [2].
Many civil servants are based in Scotland but carry out functions not devolved to the Scottish Executive, such as those in the Ministry of Defence.
The work of the Scottish Executive is carried out by a number of core departments:
There are also a number of Executive Agencies established by Ministers as part of Executive departments, or as departments in their own right, to carry out a discrete area of work. Agencies are staffed by civil servants.
Two non-Ministerial departments answer directly to the Parliament:
And a number of Non-Departmental Public Bodies.
Permanent Secretary
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The Permanent Secretary supports the First Minister and Cabinet of Scottish Ministers. The current encumbent is Sir John Elvidge who took over from Sir Muir Russell in 2003. John Elvidge is the most senior civil servant in Scotland and heads the management group of the Scottish Executive and his own department, the Office of the Permanent Secretary (OPS).
The Permanent Secretary is answerable to the most senior civil servant in the UK, 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.
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