Under section 66 of the Education (Scotland) Act, 1872 (35 & 36 Vict, c 62), every public school, and every school which was subject to inspection, was required to be open at all times to the inspection of any of HM Inspectors. The Education (Scotland) Act (41 & 42 Vict., c 78), 1878 made provision for schools providing instruction 'generally in the higher branches of knowledge' to be examined with a view to ascertaining their general efficiency on the request of an authority other than a school board, who would undertake to pay expenses of the examination or of a school board, who would not be required to pay expenses. Under the Education (Scotland) Acts, 1945 and 1946 the Secretary of State was given a duty to cause inspection to be made of ... every school ... by HM Inspectors or other persons appointed for the purpose. Schools conducted under various regulations have been subject to inspection - Day School Code 1915, Regulations as to Secondary Schools 1920, Code of Regulations for Day Schools in Scotland 1923, Secondary Schools (Scotland) Regulations 1923, Day Schools (Scotland) Code Minute 1939, Schools (Scotland) Code, 1950, Schools (Scotland) Code, 1956. From 1 April 2001 the Inspectorate began operating as HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), an agency of the Scottish Executive, associated with the Scottish Executive Education Department.