What is a Public Body?
Public Bodies are defined as:
Bodies which have a role in the processes of national Government, but are not a Government department or part of one, and which accordingly operate to a greater or lesser extent at arm's length from Ministers.
In simple terms, this means a national or regional public body, carrying out its day-to-day functions independently of Ministers, but for which Ministers are ultimately accountable.
Public bodies are known in Government circles as 'Non-departmental Public Bodies' (NDPBs). They are often referred to by others as 'quangos' ('quango' derives from the name under which these bodies were previously known - 'quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations').
These terms cover a wide and diverse range of organisations of varying size and responsibilities:
This website deals with public bodies that are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. There are a number of other public bodies operating in Scotland, which are the responsibility of Whitehall departments. Details of these can be found at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/index.asp