2006 Scottish Cabinet records to be released online

Files to be opened for the first time by National Records of Scotland will be made available online this week, revealing the content of Scottish Cabinet discussions in 2006.

That year, First Minister Jack McConnell’s Cabinet considered a wide range of topics including criminal justice matters, drug abuse and rehabilitation, transport issues such as bridges and ferry services, and much more.

These records are being made available to the public 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 via the NRS research website ScotlandsPeople from 6 January 2022.

Welcoming the latest release, Minister for Parliamentary Business George Adam said:

“The rich resource of information that’s been made available for members of the public to view and the wealth of documents published on our own website show our commitment to openness and transparency.

“I am grateful for the work NRS has undertaken to allow these records to be made available online, which will make it easier for historians, journalists and all those with an interest in the history of Scotland and its governance to make use of this valuable resource.”

Paul Lowe, Chief Executive of NRS, said:

“The Scottish Cabinet records are a fascinating insight into the inner workings of our democracy. They help to increase our understanding of our own recent history and they will be a great resource for researchers and for future historians.”

“These files will be available to view at home as part of NRS’s commitment to making more of our collections accessible online to a much wider audience, as and when you need them.”

“These records cover a wide range of important topics, including the smoking ban implemented in March of 2006; the threat of terrorism; operation of public utilities and efforts to tackle alcohol abuse.”

Background

The list of Scottish Government records released in 2022 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 5 January following the new year holidays.

Bookings to visit the historical search room can be made via our online booking service.

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.