Number and definition of public bodies in Scotland: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. The 199 public bodies referred to by John Swinney that he claimed were in existence in 2007 during First Minister’s Questions on 27 February 2025
2. Whether the Scottish Government has changed the definition of a ‘public body’ since 2007 and if so please provide the definition used in 2007 and all subsequent changes to that definition up until the current definition which is in use.
Response
The answer to your question is
1. Within the attached historical list held by Scottish Government from 2007.
2. Whilst there is no single commonly agreed definition of a public body outside of the Scottish Government, the definition of a public body within Scottish Government has itself remained consistent since 2007. This is demonstrated when comparing the definitions in the attached document from 2007 to the definition of public bodies which is publicly available in the public bodies guide online at https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-bodies-in-scotland-guide/
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG