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44-558: It was not in the terms of reference of the inquiry to examine events in England, a statutory public inquiry has never been held in England. The Penrose Inquiry was set up by Scottish Government under the Inquiries Act 2005 and cost £12,123,754. It was announced by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 April 2008. The Rt Hon Lord Penrose was the chairman of the inquiry. Andrea Summers was the Solicitor for

88-601: A permanent secretary , two law officers – the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland – who serve as the chief legal advisers to the government, and the chief of staff to the first minister , as well as several other government officials, personal secretaries and advisers to the Scottish Government and the first minister. The head of the Scottish Government is the first minister who also serves as

132-588: A Scotland-wide constituency replaced eight first-past-the-post constituencies used in the elections between 1979 and 1994. This returned eight MEPs under the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation system. Since then the number of MEPs returned by Scotland has been reduced twice, to seven in 2004, and then to six in 2009. Following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union on 31 January 2020, Scotland no longer elects representatives to

176-541: A blood transfusion before 1991 and who has not already been tested for hepatitis C. The Inquiry did not apportion blame. Andrea Summers, Solicitor to the Inquiry, attended a press conference to deliver the report and members of audience shouted 'whitewash' and 'cover up' as the audience walked out. Professor John Cash who was a former director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service said

220-556: A breakdown of public spending, the work of senior civil servants in the Scottish Government, including their job titles and salaries, as well as government assessment against objectives in order to highlight how well the government is doing in achieving the targets and objectives it creates through the National Performance Framework and Programme for Government. Additionally, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 gives

264-1424: A formal apology for the scandal. No damages were paid during or following the inquiry, indeed, compensation was not mentioned within the terms of reference of the Penrose Inquiry. Damages have, however, been paid in Ireland . On 17 August 2022, the Government announced that victims of the infected blood scandal across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will each receive an interim compensation payment of £100,000. Scottish Government Charles III William , Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP The Scottish Government ( Scottish Gaelic : Riaghaltas na h-Alba , pronounced [ˈrˠiə.əl̪ˠt̪əs nə ˈhal̪ˠapə] )

308-654: A proposal by the Parliament. The Scottish Parliament can legislate on any matter that is not reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom . Ministers are appointed by the first minister with the approval of the Scottish Parliament and the monarch from among the members of the Parliament. The Scotland Act 1998 makes provision for ministers and junior ministers, referred to by the current administration as Cabinet secretaries and ministers, in addition to two law officers :

352-497: Is directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament for their actions and the actions of the wider government and cabinet. The office is held by John Swinney of the Scottish National Party since 7 May 2024. The first minister is supported by the deputy first minister who deputises for the first minister during periods of absence, such as when he is attending overseas visits and international engagements, and may act on

396-614: Is given to the Scottish Government. The Lord Advocate serves as the ministerial head of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service , and as such, is the chief public prosecutor for Scotland with all prosecutions on indictment being conducted by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in the Lord Advocate's name on behalf of the Monarch. The Lord Advocate serves as the head of

440-565: Is implemented accordingly so that the new law begins to work and that any additional measures and features can be added in order to make the law work and ensure its effective implementation and operation. The Scottish Government publishes statistics based on the majority of public life in Scotland, including, but not limited to, education, the economy, healthcare, population, death, marriages and births, as well as living standards. The government uses such statistics in order to evaluate its work against

484-684: Is one of the Law Officers of the Crown , and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots law. They are also responsible for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service which together constitute the Criminal Prosecution Service in Scotland . Together with the Lord Advocate, the Solicitor General for Scotland is one of the senior legal advisors to

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528-477: Is responsible for a number of directorates and agencies of the Scottish Government and are directly accountable for the legislation proposals, as well as implementing government policy into practice. Public bodies (non–ministerial departments of the Scottish Government) are the responsibility of the senior civil servants as opposed to Scottish Government ministers. The civil service is a matter reserved to

572-653: Is supported by the Cabinet Secretariat, based at St Andrew's House . While the Scottish Parliament is in session, Cabinet meets weekly. Normally meetings are held on Tuesday afternoons in Bute House , the official residence of the First Minister . Members of the Scottish Cabinet receive blue despatch boxes for their use while in office. There are currently two sub-committees of cabinet: The Lord Advocate

616-462: Is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland . It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution . Its areas for responsibility of decision making and domestic policy in the country include the economy , education , healthcare , justice and the legal system , rural affairs, housing, the crown estate , the environment,

660-495: Is the principal legal adviser for both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland on civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolved powers of the Scottish Parliament . The Lord Advocate provides legal advice to the government on its responsibilities, policies, legislation and the legal implications of any proposals brought forward by the government. The Lord Advocate is responsible for all legal advice which

704-1021: The British parliament at Westminster (rather than devolved to Holyrood ): Scottish Government civil servants work within the rules and customs of His Majesty's Civil Service , but serve the Scottish Government rather than British government . Elections in Scotland#Local councils Charles III William , Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP Scotland has elections to several bodies:

748-665: The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 . As one consequence of the Gould Report , which was a response to the fiasco of the 2007 elections, the next council elections were scheduled for 2012 (one year after the Parliamentary elections in 2011). The elections were held again using the STV system of proportional representation, and as with the 2012 Scottish local elections , they were delayed for one year to ensure they were not held on

792-517: The Royal Arms with the Flag of Scotland . The Scottish Government is separate from the Scottish Parliament , with the parliament being made of 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament elected by the electorate of Scotland during Scottish Parliamentary elections. The Scottish Parliament acts as the law making body for devolved matters which fall under the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The work of

836-548: The Scottish Liberal Democrats . During this period, ministerial appointees were divided into ministers and deputy ministers. The Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition continued under subsequent First Ministers Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell . Following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election , Alex Salmond headed a Scottish National Party administration until his resignation in 2014 and the appointment of his former Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon . Since 2007,

880-795: The Scottish Parliament , the United Kingdom Parliament , local councils and community councils . Before the United Kingdom left the European Union , Scotland elected members to the European Parliament . Scottish Parliamentary elections use the Additional Member System (AMS). Under this system, voters are given two votes : one for their constituency, which elects a single MSP by first-past-the-post ; and one for their region, which elects seven MSPs by closed list . Five Scottish Parliamentary elections have been held since

924-529: The keeper of the Great Seal whilst in office as first minister. The first minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy. Additional functions of the first minister include promoting and representing Scotland in an official capacity, at home and abroad. In their capacity as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland,

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968-647: The lord advocate and the solicitor general for Scotland . Collectively the Scottish Ministers and the Civil Service staff that support the Scottish Government are formally referred to as the Scottish Administration. In 1885, many domestic policy functions relating to Scotland were brought into the responsibility of the Scottish Office , a department of the Government of the United Kingdom which

1012-638: The Inquiry and following this Inquiry was appointed to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry . The Inquiry took six years and the victims branded it a "total whitewash". Lord Penrose did not attend the launch of the final report which was held on 25 March 2015 in Edinburgh . He was reported to have been too ill to attend. The final report of the Penrose Inquiry was widely branded a whitewash after it made only one recommendation, that steps should be taken to offer blood tests to anyone in Scotland who had

1056-518: The Scottish Executive has used the name Scottish Government. The change of name was later recognised in United Kingdom legislation by the Scotland Act 2012 . In 2001, former First Minister Henry McLeish had proposed such a change, but experienced some opposition. At the same time that the Scottish Government began to use its new name, a new emblem was adopted. It replaced the use of a version of

1100-448: The Scottish Government, including proposed legislation, policies and activities, is scrutinised by parliament through a variety of different measures such as parliamentary debates, parliament committees and parliamentary questions to the appropriate Cabinet Secretary or government minister. The Scottish Government produces a National Performance Framework (NPF) which sets out the government's priorities, objectives and overall vision for

1144-465: The Scottish Parliament, where it will then be put to the Monarch to receive royal assent. Once royal assent has been given by the Monarch, the bill becomes a law of the Scottish Parliament and becomes embedded in Scots law. Once a bill is successful in becoming law, the Scottish Government has the responsibility to ensure subordinate legislation, which often comes in the form of Scottish statutory instruments,

1188-661: The agreement of the Scottish Parliament. They need not be members of the Scottish Parliament. In addition to the Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Government is supported by a number of officials drawn from the UK Civil Service . They are collectively referred to as the Scottish Administration in the Scotland Act 1998. According to 2012 reports, there are 16,000 civil servants working in core Scottish Government directorates and agencies. A total of eight director–generals head Scotland's civil service department. Each director–general

1232-443: The country following election. First introduced in 2007, this framework acts a means to measure the performance of the government in eleven national outcome areas which include health, poverty, environment and education. It creates a pledge and commitment on the aspirations and aims that government wishes to create within the country, and serves as a means for the government to highlight national priorities and provides an opportunity for

1276-431: The data to gauge how successful, or unsuccessful, government policy is and whether it is having the desired impact. In order to ensure accountability, the Scottish Government publishes information for public consumption in order to ensure the work of the Scottish Government is accessible and transparent for the public. It commits itself to publishing information in areas relating to the spending of public money and creating

1320-601: The executives responsible were able to avoid giving evidence. "Did Lord Penrose get to speak to the people with the real answers? No, he didn't," "He tried but through no fault of his own he couldn't get to the truth. He ran into serious problems because the Inquiries Act meant there was a whole area he could not address". Five deaths were examined as outlined in the inquiry's terms of reference, these were, Reverend David Black, Mrs Eileen O'Hara, Alexander Black Laing, Neil Mullen and Victor Tamburrini. Out of these 5 cases, only 1 of

1364-402: The fire service , equal opportunities, the transportation network , and tax , amongst others. The Scottish Government consists of the Scottish Ministers, which is used to describe their collective legal functions. The Scottish Government is accountable to the Scottish Parliament , which was also created by the Scotland Act 1998 with the first minister appointed by the monarch following

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1408-515: The first minister is one of only a few individuals permitted to fly the Royal Banner of the Royal Arms of Scotland . The first minister is nominated by the Scottish Parliament by fellow MSPs , and is formally appointed by the monarch . The first minister appoints members of the Scottish Cabinet and junior ministers of the Scottish Government. As head of the Scottish Government, the first minister

1452-468: The first ministers behalf during First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament . Whilst serving as deputy first minister, the office holder holds another cabinet position. Currently, Kate Forbes , the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic , serves as the deputy first minister. The Scottish Cabinet collectively takes responsibility for policy coordination within the Scottish Government. It

1496-402: The government in Scotland. Whilst the Solicitor General for Scotland supports the Lord Advocate in their functions, the Solicitor General may also exercise their statutory and common law powers when necessary. The incumbent Solicitor General for Scotland is Ruth Charteris KC . The Scottish law officers are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the incumbent first minister, with

1540-515: The government to evaluate its progress towards achieving the objectives as set out in the National Performance Framework. Each of the National Outcomes is measured by a number of indicators and associated data sets. Similarly, the Programme for Government is published annually by the incumbent Scottish Government, and it highlights the government's policies, proposed actions and legislation that

1584-411: The government will seek to implement in the forthcoming year. The majority of bills proposed to the Scottish Parliament come from the Scottish Government. The process for introducing bills to the parliament for consideration and debate commences with the government publishing and formulating policy. A bill will only become law in Scotland under Scots law once it has been approved by a majority of MSPs in

1628-464: The public the right to ask for information relating to the Scottish Government, as well as other public sectors. The Scottish Government consists of a first minister , deputy first minister , nine cabinet secretaries and eighteen other government ministers, collectively for statutory purposes, "the Scottish Ministers ". Cabinet secretaries are senior members of the Scottish Cabinet , whilst

1672-635: The reconvention of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Elections are held every five years, on the first Thursday in May. At the 2015 election the SNP won a majority of Scottish seats for the first time. Philip Lardner, the Conservative candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran was disowned by the Conservative Party for comments he posted on his website, calling homosexuality 'abnormal'. It

1716-401: The remaining government ministers are junior ministers of the government and act as a deputy to the corresponding cabinet secretary of that department, and support the duties and functions of the cabinet secretary. As junior ministers of the government, ministers do not usually attend the Scottish Cabinet; only the cabinet secretary attends. Additionally, the Scottish Government is supported by

1760-423: The same day as the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections (which was delayed for a year, owing to the 2015 general election ). For full analysis see 2017 Scottish local elections . The election was contested for the second time under the STV system of proportional representation. It was the first time in 13 years that the elections had not been held on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections. In 1999 ,

1804-568: The systems of prosecutions in Scotland and is responsible for the investigation of all sudden, suspicious, accidental and unexplained deaths which occur within Scotland. The officeholder is regarded as one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland, with the current Lord Advocate being Dorothy Bain KC , who was nominated by first minister Nicola Sturgeon in June 2021. The Solicitor General for Scotland

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1848-422: The victims was a Haemophiliac. The 1 haemophilia case was a Hepatitis C infection that occurred in the 1960s, before Factor concentrates were in use, meaning that the case did not relate to the relevant period which is regarded at the mid-1970s–1980s. None of these examined cases involved HIV infection. Following the publication of the Penrose Inquiry, David Cameron became the first British Prime Minister to offer

1892-581: Was headed by a Secretary for Scotland, later the Secretary of State for Scotland . Following the 1997 referendum on devolution, many of the functions of the Secretary of State for Scotland were transferred to the Scottish Ministers, accountable to a devolved Scottish Parliament. The first Scottish Executive was formed by First Minister Donald Dewar as a coalition between the Scottish Labour Party and

1936-545: Was too late for him to be replaced and he still read as the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party candidate on the ballot paper. Since 1995, local elections in Scotland have been generally held every four years for all the 32 unitary authorities created under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 . Between 1975 and 1992, elections were held every two years for either district or regional council, which sat for four-year terms. Those arrangements were set up by

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