Prior to 1707, the Kingdom of Scotland was a sovereign state, governed by the monarch, the privy council, and the parliament. As a result of the Treaty of Union agreed in 1706, the Parliaments of England and Scotland each passed Acts of Union to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Between 1707 and 1999, Her Majesty's Government in London was the sole government with authority over Scotland. However, the existence of distinct Scottish institutions such as its own educational and legal system led to a degree of administrative separation in the form of the Scottish Office. In 1999, following the passage of the Scotland Act 1998, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive were established with devolved powers.
In August 2007, the incoming SNP administration decided to rename the Scottish Executive 'the Scottish Government'[1] and this terminology has now been generally adopted by the opposition political parties[2][3][4] and the media. The Scotland Bill 2010-11 will modify the Scotland Act to replace Scottish Executive with Scottish Government.
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