Public bodies
About public bodies
The public sector in Scotland is made up of government departments and a range of public bodies, each with a specific purpose and remit:
Non-ministerial departments
Non-ministerial departments are headed by senior civil servants and they have a specific function or regulatory / inspection remit.
Executive agencies
Executive agencies are part of the Scottish Government and tend to focus on the management and delivery of public services, but can also provide strategic policy input.
Executive non-departmental public bodies
Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) carry out administrative, commercial, executive or regulatory functions on behalf of government.
View a list of public bodies
You can find a list of all of the public bodies in Scotland in our National Public Bodies Directory on Gov.scot
Want to know more?
You can find out more about the work of public bodies in our Public Bodies Guide on Gov.scot