The Scottish Government

The devolved Government for Scotland is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport. It manages an annual budget of more than £30 billion in 2007-2008.

The Government was known as the Scottish Executive when it was established in 1999 following the first elections to the Scottish Parliament. The current administration was formed after elections in May 2007.

The Scottish Government is led by a First Minister who is nominated by the Parliament and in turn appoints the other Scottish Ministers who make up the Cabinet. Civil servants in Scotland are accountable to Scottish Ministers, who are themselves accountable to the Scottish Parliament.

To focus Government and public services on creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.

Strategic Objectives

1: WEALTHIER AND FAIRER - Enable businesses and people to increase their wealth and more people to share fairly in that wealth.

2. HEALTHIER - Help people to sustain and improve their health, especially in disadvantaged communities, ensuring better, local and faster access to health care.

3. SAFER AND STRONGER - Help local communities to flourish, becoming stronger, safer place to live, offering improved opportunities and a better quality of life.

4. SMARTER - Expand opportunities for Scots to succeed from nurture through to life long learning ensuring higher and more widely shared achievements.

5. GREENER - improve Scotland's natural and built environment and the sustainable use and enjoyment of it.

Strategic Board

The Scottish Government's Strategic Board - the civil service 'top table' for the organisation - consists of the Permanent Secretary, Sir John Elvidge (Chair) and the six Director-Generals (DGs) within the core Government.

Each Director-General leads work on one of five key strategic policy objectives:

    * wealthier and fairer Scotland
    * healthier Scotland
    * safer and stronger Scotland
    * smarter Scotland
    * greener Scotland

Cabinets and Ministers

The Scottish Cabinet normally meets weekly (while Parliament is sitting), at Bute House, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh. The Cabinet consists of the First Minister, and other Scottish Ministers appointed under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998.

The Scottish Government operates on the basis of collective responsiblity. This means that all decisions reached by Ministers, individually or collectively, are binding on all members of the Government. The Guide to Collective Decision Making details the arrangements for supporting collective decision making by Ministers.

In performance of their duties, Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers are expected to behave according to the highest standards of constitutional and personal conduct. The Scottish Ministerial Code details the arrangements for the conduct, principles and precedents which may apply to Ministers.

The Scottish Cabinet is supported by the Cabinet Secretariat which works on behalf of all Ministers and all Departments in the Government to manage Cabinet business and facilitate collective decision-making.

For further information on these issues, you should contact Cabinet Secretariat, Room 4W.01, St Andrew's House, Regent Road, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG (email: Cabinet Secretariat).

Directorates

The Scottish Government has over fifty directorates responsible for ensuring progress is made on the five core strategic objectives of a Wealthier and Fairer, Healthier, Safer and Stronger, Smarter and Greener Scotland. Supporting these directorates are a range of corporate services and professional groups.

Scotland Performs

This website gives you the latest information on how Scotland is performing on a range of topics affecting all aspects of Scottish life.

The Scottish Government has a single Purpose - to create a more successful country where all of Scotland can flourish through increasing sustainable economic growth. The Government Economic Strategy sets out the approach to delivering our Purpose to ensure that all of the Government's resources and policies are focused on its achievement.

We want to live in a successful Scotland: a healthy, safe, well-educated country, with a vibrant economy and opportunities for all. We want Scotland to be fair, tolerant and green. Put simply, we want a Scotland to be proud of.

Over time, Scotland Performs will tell us just how Scotland is doing in our pursuit of these aims. It describes the outcomes we want to achieve and how well Scotland is progressing in key areas: health and wellbeing; justice and communities; the environment; the economy; and education and skills.

Our vision for success for Scotland is described and measured in four parts which support and reinforce each other:

    * The Government's Purpose and its associated targets
    * Five Strategic Objectives that describe where we will focus our actions
    * 15 National Outcomes that describe what the Government wants to achieve
    * 45 National Indicators that enable us to track progress

A summary of all Targets and Indicators is given in Performance at a Glance.

Scotland Performs follows the National Performance Framework, which was published as part of the 2007 Spending Review. It draws on the success of the outcomes-based performance model used in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States.

The assessments of Scotland's progress are reliable and based on the best, most-up-to-date evidence and are accompanied by a note explaining how our analysts have made their assessment, using clear and objective data. It is important to note that current data availability means most reported changes are for periods which are wholly or mainly before mid 2007. Over time, and as more data become available, we will be providing further assessments of progress towards delivery explicitly.

This website will continue to develop and grow, deepening public knowledge and understanding of Scotland's challenges and achievements. We welcome your comments and suggestions: ScotlandPerforms@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Clients: Scottish People and People living in Scotland

Visit The Scottish Goverment website: Scotland.gov.uk