Title | Reduce the number of Scottish public bodies by 25% by 2011. |
National Indicator/Target | 25% reduction in the number of significant national public sector organisations for which the Scottish Government is responsible and can reform, or are under Ministerial direction, by 2011. |
Brief Description | A baseline list of 199 public bodies has been published, against which progress towards a 25% reduction will be measured. This list comprises significant national public organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility, can reform, or are under Ministerial direction. It includes NDPBs, Scottish Government Agencies, Non-Ministerial Departments and Ombudsmen and Commissioners and other significant national organisations, some of which were previously declassified as "public bodies" when assessing their number. |
Strategic Objective(s) to Which Indicator Relates | This indicator relates primarily to the Wealthier and Fairer Strategic Objective, but supports better public services across all objectives. The aim is to achieve a simpler, more effective public sector for Scotland, which is good for Scotland's competitiveness and overall economic performance. By removing unnecessary duplication and establishing structures which can support and drive the delivery of better outcomes for Scotland's people. A reduction in the number of national public sector organisations will help to deliver this and will simplify the current confused landscape. |
More Detailed Definitions |
Definitions of Keywords | Significant national public sector organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility and can reform, or are under Ministerial direction - comprises NDPBs, Scottish Government Agencies, Non-Ministerial Departments and Ombudsmen and Commissioners and other large or influential organisations, some of which were previously declassified as "public bodies" when assessing their number. Public service landscape - is the network of public sector structures and organisations operating in Scotland at a national, regional and local level. This includes significant national public sector organisations (see definition above) as well as sub-national organisations e.g. Local Authorities, Police Forces, Health Boards and Community Planning Partnerships. |
Evidence Source | Data source: Published baseline list of 199 public bodies. This list comprises significant national public organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility. It includes NDPBs, Scottish Government Agencies, Non-Ministerial Departments and Ombudsmen and Commissioners and other significant national organisations, some of which were previously declassified as "public bodies" when assessing their number. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/introduction Nature of measure: This is a direct measure of the number of significant national public sector organisations for which the Scottish Government has devolved responsibility and can reform, or are under Ministerial direction. Implications for local government: There is a commitment to the principle of subsidiarity in that services should be delivered at the most local level possible. In simplifying public services, where appropriate, functions will be transferred to local government or indeed other public organisations operating at a local level. |
Baseline and Past Trends | Baseline year : 2007 Trend data: A change in the way in which we are defining the baseline number of organisations means that fully comparable trend data on the number of organisations is not available. However trend data on a large subset of the organisations in the new baseline list is available i.e.NMDs; NDPBs and Scottish Government Agencies, but there is some concern over the robustness of this data following declassifications of organisations post 2001. |
Methodology | Simple count |
Data Ownership and Quality Assurance | The evidence source is the Scottish Government. |
Publication of Data | Baseline list of 199 significant public sector organisations for which the Scottish Government is responsible is published on the Scottish Government's website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/introduction Progress will be reported on this website annually. |