National public bodies in Scotland: FOI release

Information requested

Further to the recent press articles regarding the report from the Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton, that he is astonished at the number of public bodies and companies (employed by the Scottish Government) in Scotland, reckoned to be nearly one thousand?

Alex Salmond announced in July 2012 that the number of quangos should be reduced from 199 to 121 as the excess number was unsustainable.

Question: Can you please confirm how many quango/public bodies/companies there are currently undertaking work for the Scottish Government at present, and I would be interested to hear your views if the number of bodies should be reduced?

Response

For the first part of your query am interpreting this to refer to the number of devolved public bodies in Scotland which is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-public-bodies-directory/

Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you.

For the second part of your query, public bodies have a vital role in delivering the Scottish Government’s objectives and are key in areas such as health services, administering the justice system and supporting sustainable economic growth.

Improving efficiency and effectiveness of public services is a key strand of the Public Service Reform programme, along with addressing all opportunities to remove duplication from the public sector landscape, including consolidation of public bodies where appropriate and where a value for money case can be made.

This work is part of our focus on driving a culture of continuous improvement to support efficiency and effectiveness across the delivery of public services.

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.