The British Isles

Abstract

Under the Act of Union, 1707, Scotland preserved her independent legal system, under which developed her system of education and local government which have never been assimilated to those of England and Wales. Her established (Presbyterian) Church was also secured by the 1707 Act. When the post of Secretary for Scotland was re-created (becoming Secretary of State for Scotland in 1926), the Lord Advocate was the principal Officer of State for Scotland, assisted by the Solicitor-General for Scotland. In 1900 there were Scottish Boards for local government, fisheries, in 1912 agriculture, and in 1919 health, while the Scotch Education Department (renamed Scottish in 1918) dated from 1872. In practice, even after the creation of the Scottish Secretary, the Boards had a statutory life independent of any Minister. The Boards were recognised as an anachronism by the Reports of the Royal Commission on the Civil Service in 1914,1 and the Haldane Committee on the Machinery of Government in 1918.2 Both reports suggested that there was inadequate ministerial responsibility for the activities of these Boards. In 1928 the Boards of Agriculture and Health and the Prison Commission for Scotland were abolished and their duties were assigned to statutory departments under the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Scotland.