2008 Scottish Cabinet records to be released online

Members of the public will be able to view Scottish Government Cabinet records from 2008 for the first time this week when they are made available online by National Records of Scotland. 

The Cabinet records reveal discussions of the minority SNP administration led by Alex Salmond and are being published as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to proactively release records after 15 years.

The Scottish Cabinet records will be publicly accessible free of charge from Wednesday 3 January on the NRS website ScotlandsPeople.

Minister for Parliamentary Business George Adam said:

"These Cabinet records are a valuable insight into both the workings of the Scottish Government and the issues of the day for historians, journalists and the general public.

"This is part of our continued commitment to releasing records and I am pleased NRS is again making them available to view and download free of charge."

Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of NRS, said:

"The annual opening of the Scottish Cabinet records is a great opportunity for the public to learn more about how we were governed in the recent past.

"Discussions in 2008 covered a wide range of important topics, including the global financial crisis, investment in education, prisons and the role of juries in criminal trials. They also included the "National Conversation" - a consultation exercise on the powers of the devolved administration and the possibility of Scottish independence.

"These records are published as part of our commitment to making more of our collections accessible online via our research website ScotlandsPeople."

Background

The list of Scottish Government records released in 2024 can be viewed in PDF. This includes the Scottish Cabinet records available via ScotlandsPeople, and further records only available in our historical search room after General Register House reopens on 3 January, following the new year holidays.

Please note that you will need a current reader's ticket to view files in our search room, and that records will need to be ordered in advance.

Details on how to book, obtain a reader's ticket and what preparations to make can be found on our website.