Scotland’s Open Government action plan: 2021 to 2025
The Scottish Open Government action plan: 2021 to 2025 was published in March 2022 and sets out the commitments and milestones for open government in Scotland.
Scotland’s third national action plan as a member of the Open Government Partnership, the plan aims to embed openness, transparency and citizen participation at the heart of government and wider society.
The action plan features commitments related to financial transparency, climate change, health and social care, citizen participation, and data and digital.
The plan can read online here, or downloaded as a PDF.
On the publishing of the plan, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Co-Chair of the Open Government Steering Group, George Adam said:
“This Action Plan sets out our most ambitious commitments yet to create an open, transparent and accountable government, strengthening public trust in our institutions, producing better public services and a better quality of life for everyone.
“I am confident the commitments in the plan will continue to drive improvement to ensure decision-making is open and accessible to the people of Scotland and that we enable meaningful public scrutiny.
“Tackling the climate emergency and improving health and social care are huge challenges faced by government and I believe that working in partnership with wider society and the people of Scotland will help improve these vital programmes of work.
“I also welcome the publication of the IPDD Working Group report, which will help us deliver on this Action Plan and other commitments we have made to putting people at heart of everything we do. We will now carefully consider its recommendations before publishing our response in due course.”
Civil society Co-Chair of the Open Government Steering Group, and member of OGP International Steering Committee, Lucy McTernan said:
“Accountability and trust in our government has never been more important, as we see it undermined around the world. I am delighted the Scottish Government and COSLA officials, civil society partners and people across Scotland have contributed to the development of this plan.
“Retaining this spirit of collaboration and partnership working throughout the delivery of the plan will be crucial to its success and we look forward to developing these relationships over the next four years.”
Willie Sullivan, Senior Director of Electoral Reform Society Scotland, said:
“Scotland is already pioneering important ways to give people more of a say in the decisions that affect them, such as through citizens’ assemblies.
“We are part of a small group of countries leading the way in exploring how to move beyond the creaking democratic institutions of the 20th century and how to break through into a new era of revitalised and invigorated democracy.
“This report sets out the plan to lay strong foundations for the future of Scotland’s democracy; for the old to give birth to and nurture the new.”
You can find out more about how the plan was published and developed here.