Records of Scottish Cabinet meetings from 2009 have been published online by National Records of Scotland (NRS).
The Cabinet records contain details of decision making at the highest level of the Scottish Government, including discussions of the minority SNP administration led by First Minister Alex Salmond.
The Scottish Cabinet records are publicly accessible free of charge the NRS website Scotland's People.
Cabinet records are published annually as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to proactively release records after 15 years.
Minister for Parliamentary Business Jamie Hepburn said:
"The Cabinet records offer the public a valuable insight into the Scottish Government’s decision-making process at the time.
“They are an important part of Scotland’s historical record and will be of great interest to researchers, historians and the public - both now and in the years to come.”
Alison Byrne, Chief Executive of NRS, said:
"The Cabinet records provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about Scotland’s very recent past.
"The Cabinet discussed a range of important topics in 2009 including plans for a Referendum Bill, schools and early years education, university tuition fees, climate change delivery plans and planning for a new crossing over the River Forth.
"These records are published as part of our commitment to making more of our collections accessible online via our research website Scotland's People."
Background
The list of Scottish Government records released in 2025 can be viewed in PDF.
This includes the Scottish Cabinet records available via Scotland's People, and further records only available in our historical search room.
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.
Further records from Cabinet Sub Committee papers can be viewed at the Scottish Government website.
