Until the recall and reconvention of the Scottish Parliament and the resultant formation
of the Scottish Executive the local administration of Scotland was administered by the Scottish Office. It was responsible to the
Secretary of State for Scotland (until 1999, the Rt. Hon. Donald Dewar), and was essentially the government apparatus of Scotland, with
a plethora of government departments, ministries, and agencies, under its wing, including, for example, the Scottish Prison Service, the Scottish Home & Health Department and the Registers of Scotland. Although Mr. Dewar took up post as First Minister of the Scottish Parliament the office
of Scottish Secretary still exists. Its functions were officially assumed by the Scottish Executive in 1999, as well as its various offices & buildings, for example Victoria Quay and Regent's Road.