Scottish Ministerial Code: 2025 Edition

Footnotes

1 These changes follow the UK Government’s decision to close the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), which it announced on 21 July 2025 and came into effect on 13 October 2025. New or updated text can be found at paragraphs 2.11 and 12.2.

2 See Civil Service Code

3 See Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 Code of Conduct

4 See Code of Conduct for MSPs

5 See Civil Service Code

6 See Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 Code of Conduct

7 See Cabinet Office - civil servants and party conferences

8 See The Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000

9 See Scottish Public Finance Manual

10 See Terms of Reference of the Independent Advisers on the Scottish Ministerial Code

11 See Terms of Reference for the Independent Advisers on the Scottish Ministerial Code

12 See Code of Conduct for MSPs

13 For full details, see the Code of Conduct for Members of the Scottish Parliament available at: MSPs Code of Conduct

14 See MSPs Code of Conduct

15 References to constituency work also include regional MSPs' work on behalf of their electorates.

16 See Propriety Guidance

17 See Special Advisers Code of Conduct

18 See Parliamentary Ombudsman

19 The Planning Minister is the Minister responsible for taking a decision on behalf of Scottish Ministers collectively on planning cases (including planning permission, listed building consents and energy consents) that have been referred to the Scottish Government.

20 See HM Treasury and Information Commissioner, High Court [2009] EWHC 1811. See also Erskine May Parliamentary Practice 23^rd Edition 2004, page 443.

21 See Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 - appointments to the Civil Service

22 See Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles

23 See Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland

24 See National Public Bodies Directory

25 See Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 - Special Advisers

26 See Special Advisers Code of Conduct

27 See Code of Conduct for MSPs

28 See Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament

29 See Lobbying Register

30 See Propriety Guidance

31 See UK Statistics Authority Code of Practice

32 See Pre release access to Statistics

33 See Key Principles of the Scottish Parliament

34 Good Practice Guidance on Announcements by the Scottish Government

35 See Directory of Civil Service Guidance, Volume 2: Collected Guidance, page 41: Ministerial Memoirs: The Radcliffe Rules and their application: Directory of Civil Service Guidance

36 For full details, see the Code of Conduct for Members of the Scottish Parliament available at: MSPs Code of Conduct