Good afternoon, everyone. The first item of business is consideration of motions S7M-00108 and S7M-00109, in the name of John Swinney, on the appointment of Scottish ministers and junior Scottish ministers. I invite the First Minister to move the motions. After he has done so, I will invite each party to make a short contribution. Thereafter, I will ask the First Minister to reply.
I also remind members that, under rule 11.3.1 of standing orders, the questions on the motions will be put immediately after the debate. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons now, and I call John Swinney, the First Minister, to speak to and move the motions.
14:30
Before I turn to the substance of the motions, I will recognise those members of the previous Government who are leaving office. Former Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has had a distinguished career as the first female finance secretary. She has also delivered many significant measures to boost the Scottish economy, from her work to secure investment in Scotland to the creation of our Techscaler programme to support Scotland’s start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Shona Robison spearheaded the Commonwealth games and the Ryder cup, served as Deputy First Minister and concluded her career by commandingly leading three budgets through our Parliament.
Fiona Hyslop delivered significant improvements in the transport network, began the extension of early learning and childcare, championed our culture sector and represented Scotland to the world for more than a decade.
Mairi Gougeon was the driving force behind legislation to protect wildlife, support our farming and rural communities and ensure that our food system is fair, healthy and sustainable.
Angus Robertson ensured that Scotland remains close to Europe and active in global politics, and that we protect and support our culture and arts.
Graeme Dey helped to bring the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—to Glasgow and to deliver free bus travel for under-22s, and, on two occasions, he capably steered the Government’s programme through Parliament.
Richard Lochhead has been a friend to Scotland’s businesses, particularly small businesses, and was a long-serving rural affairs secretary in the Scottish Government.
Natalie Don-Innes passionately championed children’s rights over her three years in office. By leading major reforms of the children’s care system last year, she helped to ensure that Scotland keeps the Promise.
Kaukab Stewart led the Government’s national equalities and inclusion work and managed her portfolio with grace and empathy, both of which have been needed more than ever in the equalities agenda.
Jenni Minto led on public health and women’s health and was a champion of both. She led on the Government’s health plan and the miscarriage patient charter, and on community and preventative measures in health. I thank her warmly for her service.
I thank all those who have served in the Government in Scotland, and I wish all of them the very best for the future.
Turning to today’s appointments, I made it clear during the election campaign that I would lead a Government that is resolutely focused on the key challenges that Scotland faces. From eradicating poverty to tackling climate change and to growing the economy, those issues span our society. No one area of Government can solve them in isolation; it takes the whole of our Government and all of us working together to achieve that objective. That principle follows the design of the Cabinet that has been put in place—leaner, but with greater purpose, co-ordination and effectiveness because of that, ensuring a clear focus on our long-term outcomes, which are underpinned by collaboration across Government.
A number of my appointments have already served in ministerial office. First, I am delighted that Jenny Gilruth has agreed to serve as Deputy First Minister. Over a number of years, Jenny Gilruth has proven herself to be a highly capable minister, dealing with a number of challenging responsibilities. She has demonstrated her ability to work across party lines and with our partners in local government, most notably by averting teacher strikes earlier this year. As part of her cross-Government role, the Deputy First Minister will hold the crucial finance brief, with responsibility for securing agreement each year on the Scottish budget. I know that she will continue in that spirit of cross-party collaboration. Jenny Gilruth will work particularly closely with Ivan McKee, who will take on the crucial new Cabinet role of Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform.
Ivan McKee will lead on ensuring that Scotland’s public services are effective and making efficient use of public funds. I have seen, up close, how we can dramatically improve outcomes by changing how we organise services—for instance, with the change in our approach to delivering whole family support. That will be the focus of Ivan McKee’s work.
Stephen Flynn joins the Cabinet with responsibility for the economy, tourism and transport. Marrying those three important roles together is a recognition of how developing Scotland’s economy and improving our connectivity go hand in hand.
A number of other cabinet secretaries returned to Cabinet, in recognition of their strong track record of delivery, but with new responsibilities. Angela Constance has made an outstanding contribution as justice secretary, dealing with the great challenges in our prison system as well as introducing landmark changes to support victims and witnesses in the justice system. I welcome Angela Constance to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care, in which her formidable expertise will be deployed to ensure that the national health service meets the needs of members of the public.
Neil Gray, who has been instrumental in delivering falling waiting times in our NHS, alongside the network of general practitioner walk-in clinics, will become justice secretary, continuing the Scottish Government’s work to keep people safe, which is the first duty of any Government.
Màiri McAllan has served with distinction in all her responsibilities, most recently in the crucial housing brief. I am delighted that she will now take on the vital role of Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic. She will put her talent, drive and determination to work in delivering the expansion of early learning and childcare and continued improvements in Scottish education. Nurturing Scottish culture is fundamental to who we are, and that responsibility will also be taken forward by Màiri McAllan.
Gillian Martin will continue her good work in the climate action portfolio, building on the climate change plan that the Government published at the end of the previous session. She will now add responsibility for rural affairs to her brief.
Lastly in Cabinet, Shirley-Anne Somerville will continue her outstanding work on driving my personal mission of the eradication of child poverty in Scotland. Under her leadership, child poverty in Scotland is falling and stands significantly below levels in the rest of the United Kingdom. She will take on responsibility for the housing portfolio, recognising the inescapable link between housing and social justice, and she will continue the work of Màiri McAllan in tackling the housing emergency.
I now turn to the junior ministers whom I propose for appointment. I am pleased that Tom Arthur, Siobhian Brown, Jim Fairlie, Ben Macpherson and Maree Todd will continue to serve in the Government. They have each made significant contributions to government in recent years, and I am confident that they will continue to do so. Jamie Hepburn will return to the Government as Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans, having served ably in that and other ministerial roles in the past.
I am also delighted to welcome a number of new members of the ministerial team. Stephen Gethins has served Scotland with distinction at Westminster and has been an important voice on international affairs in Scotland. He will take on the new role of Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy. Given the importance of the energy brief, in particular, Stephen Gethins will report directly to me as the Government continues to make the case for Scotland’s energy being in Scotland’s hands.
Kirsten Oswald is an experienced parliamentarian, and I am delighted that she will now use her skills and experience in my Government as Minister for Victims and Community Safety.
Alison Thewliss has been a formidable and tenacious advocate for Scotland in the House of Commons and has led the way in fighting against the UK Government’s despicable rape clause. I am pleased that she will now take up the role of Minister for Community Care.
Simita Kumar is new to Parliament but is an experienced hand as a diligent champion of her community in local government. She will take on the crucial role of Minister for Equalities and International Development, a portfolio that is of deep personal importance to me.
Finally, I am delighted to welcome the newly elected MSP for Shetland, Hannah Mary Goodlad, to the Government as Minister for Public Finance. Hannah Mary Goodlad has extensive experience in the private sector and, in her new role, she will support both the Deputy First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform.
As First Minister, I have decided to take on direct ministerial responsibility for constitutional matters. The election result on 7 May, in which the largest-ever number of pro-independence MSPs was elected, makes it clear that people in Scotland desire constitutional change. With polls showing that support for independence in Scotland is now in the majority, and with pro-independence First Ministers in office in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the constitutional question is reaching a tipping point here and across these islands. Put bluntly, successive Westminster Governments have tried to wish support for self-determination away, and, as the result of the election demonstrates, they have failed to do so. My entire Government, led by me, is committed to continuing to build support for Scottish self-government. In our daily actions to improve our public services and our economy, all of us are preparing for Scotland to become independent.
All those ministers, like me, are ready to get to work to deliver and to make the change that people in our society want, need and expect to see. I therefore ask Parliament to approve the appointments today.
I move,
That the Parliament agrees that Ivan McKee and Stephen Flynn be appointed as Scottish Ministers.
That the Parliament agrees that Stephen Gethins, Hannah Mary Goodlad, Jamie Hepburn, Simita Kumar, Kirsten Oswald and Alison Thewliss be appointed as junior Scottish Ministers.
Thank you, First Minister. I call Meghan Gallacher to speak to and move amendment S7M-00109.1. You have up to five minutes.
14:40
It appears that John Swinney’s Government has been on the Mounjaro, because it is slimmed down in size, but it somehow carries all the same political baggage. To judge by some of yesterday’s appointments, the First Minister clearly knows how to recycle. We now have a Government in which the Cabinet looks exhausted already, and it has not even delivered its first programme for government. No matter how busy some of our cabinet secretaries might get—Màiri McAllan included—I am sure that they will always make time for calls from world leaders who are looking for advice on how not to run a country.
The Government talks a big game. It has somehow promised more spending, more subsidies, more childcare expansion, supermarket price controls, more quangos and more intervention—all while still claiming that it can deliver net zero on time and on budget. It acts like it has a magic money tree in the back garden at Bute house only for the new Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government to discover that the roots have rotted away.
During the election campaign, the Scottish National Party treated the Scottish public to a never-ending parade of gimmicks and giveaways—free this, cap this, ban this and subsidise that. Every problem in Scotland was apparently to be solved by another taxpayer-funded announcement and another glossy press release. However, reality has now arrived. Hidden under all those grand promises is a financial black hole that is estimated to be around £5 billion. The uncomfortable truth for SNP members is that they cannot endlessly announce Scandinavian levels of spending while delivering a Scottish level of economic growth. At some point, someone has to do the sums.
That task now appears to have fallen to Ivan McKee, although I am not entirely sure that “Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform” is the correct title. Throughout the election campaign, the Scottish Conservatives consistently pointed out that the SNP’s sums just do not add up. Now, we have a minister for cuts—perhaps more appropriately, and as he might become known over time, Ivan the Terrible—who will instil fear across Government departments as he bursts through the door, swinging an axe and looking for cuts in every nook and cranny that he can possibly find. The nationalists have promised more spending without saying where that money is coming from, which means that tax rises or spending cuts—or, indeed, a combination of both—are on the way.
I welcome Stephen Flynn to the chamber. Can I just check with him whether he managed to get through the security gates okay this morning? It seems like the doors at Bute house can be tricky to open, but it is good to get some practice in, isn’t it? Perhaps the First Minister was trying to keep him out for as long as possible, because—let us be honest—everyone knows why Stephen Flynn is truly here. He is certainly not visiting Holyrood for its architecture.
On a sincere note, I wish all cabinet secretaries and ministers the best in their new positions. Despite all the jokes that we will probably hear over the next few minutes, there are serious responsibilities at a serious time for Scotland.
That brings me to the amendment in my name on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. Members from across the parties will remember the debates in the previous session regarding the impact of gulls on communities throughout Scotland. Nobody pursued that issue more persistently than Douglas Ross, who stood up for his constituents and repeatedly pressed the Government on what action it intended to take regarding the growing gull population. Nobody expected the extraordinary behaviour that Jamie Hepburn displayed during those exchanges.
We all accept that Parliament is a place for robust debate, but business managers have a particular responsibility to maintain working relationships across the chamber. Their job is to lower the temperature, not to raise it, and to build consensus, not to fuel confrontation. During the altercation involving Douglas Ross and Jamie Hepburn, we saw behaviour that was entirely unbecoming of someone entrusted with that responsibility. If someone demonstrates that they cannot control their temper during tense parliamentary exchanges, they should not be handed the responsibility of negotiating sensitive parliamentary business again a few months later.
The First Minister should know that it is wrong to reappoint Jamie Hepburn as business manager, because it sends completely the wrong message about standards, accountability and behaviour in the Government. Therefore, I urge all members to vote against that appointment at decision time.
I move amendment S7M-00109.1, to leave out “Jamie Hepburn,”.
“Up to five minutes” usually means up to five minutes. It would also help if you spoke to your amendment at the start. Only about a third of what you said related to the amendment. In future, we will take a stricter view on such matters.
I call Neil Bibby, for up to five minutes.
14:45
On behalf of the Scottish Labour Party, I welcome the new Scottish Cabinet and junior ministers to their roles. I congratulate every one of the SNP MSPs who has been given ministerial office, and I confess that I am somewhat jealous.
The night before he died, John Smith famously said that the “opportunity to serve” his nation was all he asked. Every one of the ministers has been given that precious gift that was denied to John Smith, and I hope that they appreciate the honour that they have been given and make the most of it.
As our leader, Anas Sarwar, said on Tuesday, this is a new Parliament and it is a chance to introduce a new politics of co-operation. That is the spirit in which the Scottish Labour Party will engage with the Scottish Government. However, I must be clear that we will continue to hold Government ministers to account: to challenge them on their failings and to pressure them to focus on the priorities of the people of Scotland—not as opposition for opposition’s sake, but to make them better.
The election result, which deprived the SNP of a majority, proved that the people of Scotland want a politics that is centred on their concerns. The cost of living, our national health service, our economy and safety on our streets are the issues that we are expecting ministers to address.
People want ministers who will make an impact, and I am not just talking about Jamie Hepburn. If and when Parliament confirms his appointment, I hope that the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans will spare a thought for the veterans in his own group who have not got the call-up as of yet. It would be remiss of us not to say that Mr Hepburn’s appointment and Kirsten Oswald’s appointment as Minister for Victims and Community Safety have raised some concerns, but that is for the First Minister to make a judgment on. To be clear, we do not intend to oppose the First Minister in his making of appointments, but we do expect ministers to conduct themselves professionally and appropriately at all times and to uphold the highest standards.
I congratulate Stephen Gethins and Alison Thewliss on their appointments as ministers, too, and I particularly congratulate Hannah Mary Goodlad and Simita Kumar on their appointments as the two ministers who are new to any Parliament.
That brings me to the Cabinet. John Swinney’s election as First Minister is undoubtedly a political achievement. However, like many across Scotland, we struggle to see how the man who failed as education secretary and created the black hole in Scotland’s finances can deliver the leadership that Scotland needs now. We are sure that Mr Swinney will do all that he can to prove us wrong, and we wish him every success in carrying out his duty to serve the people of Scotland.
I also extend my congratulations to Jenny Gilruth, who is Scotland’s new Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government. Ms Gilruth has her work cut out for her to fix the mess that her boss has made of our finances. Given her U-turn on mobile phones in classrooms, however, we wonder whether she will be confiscating phones on the way into the Cabinet room in due course.
When it comes to fixing the mess of our public finances, the task truly falls to Scotland’s new Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform, Ivan McKee. Ivan McKee could be joining in a rich SNP heritage of ministers with performative job titles. Oh, how we miss the cabinet secretary for the wellbeing economy. What became of the minister for the just transition? The roles of the minister for independence and the minister for community wealth have, sadly, faded into the past.
However, if it is not a performative job title, a more ominous ministerial title I cannot imagine. We can only imagine that it was decided that the title of “Minister for Job Losses and Redundancies” was too on the nose. With the possibility of 20,000 public sector job cuts on the way, I hope that Mr McKee is ready to face the righteous fury of Scotland’s trade union movement and the public at large. Members on the Labour benches are clear that Scottish Labour’s priority will always be to protect jobs and to stand up for the interests of Scotland’s workers.
Angela Constance is our new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care. I congratulate her. It is hard to imagine a more important job. As Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, she released hundreds of prisoners on to the streets early to tackle overcrowding in our prisons; I wonder whether she will adopt the same tactic to tackle delayed discharge.
When it comes to ambition, few can match Scotland’s new Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, Stephen Flynn. We all saw Mr Flynn’s struggle to get into Bute house yesterday. That was perhaps a sign of things to come—but do not worry, First Minister, Mr Flynn has said that he is right behind you. Whether that is a statement of support or a threat, people can draw their own conclusions.
A colleague of mine remarked that the new Cabinet looks like the cast list for a production of “Macbeth” at Holyrood. If you ask me, they look a lot more like the usual suspects. The greatest trick that John Swinney ever pulled was trying to present this as a fresh start for Scotland: “Meet the new Cabinet—they look an awful lot like the old Cabinet”. Nonetheless, we look forward to working with them to deliver for Scotland.
14:50
As this is my maiden speech, I start with a thank you to the people of Glasgow for sending me here. It is the honour of my life to represent the communities of the place that I am proud to call home, and I pledge that I will do all that I can to deliver for my city and to do those people who sent me here proud. I know that having this speech, of all speeches, as my maiden speech is rather unconventional, but what is it that they say? Start as you mean to go on. Although it is customary for maiden speeches to be heard without interruption, most MSPs in the chamber know that I always welcome a bit of audience participation, so I hope that they do not disappoint.
Speaking of disappointment, I welcome the First Minister to his post. Fair play—he fought the election saying that he wanted a historic mandate and he achieved that, so, on behalf of Reform Scotland, I congratulate him and his party on their victory.
Yesterday, Scotland was presented with what John Swinney described as a new Government. After looking carefully at the line-up, I must say that the SNP has achieved something remarkable: it has managed to reshuffle the deck chairs without changing the direction of the ship. After nearly two decades in power, the SNP no longer resembles a Government with ambition. The First Minister is back in office, but let us not kid ourselves—the enthusiasm that Scotland holds for his Government is abysmally low. Indeed, the SNP was re-elected on a record low vote share—2 million Scots did not vote—and the majority of voters wanted change, with a bigger turnout for parties that are against the First Minister’s separatist agenda.
Yesterday’s Cabinet announcement was sold to the country as renewal, but what exactly has been renewed? After years of bloated bureaucracy, endless quangos, vanity projects and constitutional obsession, the SNP Cabinet suddenly want Scotland to believe that they are born-again reformers. The public are not fools.
Let me examine this new, fresh team. I start by welcoming Scotland’s new Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic to her place. Although developers and house providers across the country will heave a sigh of relief, Scotland’s teachers and pupils will be hiding under a desk. I fear that world leaders will no longer be calling the Scottish education secretary asking for advice; indeed, she might want to redial and ask for some herself, given the Government’s record on schools.
We also have the ever fresh-faced new Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, who I suspect is already planning his £2 bus fare journey straight into the First Minister’s job. However, given the length of an SNP transport secretary’s service these days, I suspect that he might come to regret that poisoned chalice being handed to him by the First Minister.
The new Government could play out like a reality TV show or a classic comedy. We have seen Neil Gray and Angela Constance play job swap, while the country goes back to the future with Shirley-Anne Somerville in the social justice portfolio. My ultimate favourite is how the First Minister has us reliving an episode of “Yes Minister”, because only in John Swinney’s Scotland could a bid to cut Government bureaucracy start by creating a brand-new Government post: the cabinet secretary for administrative affairs—sorry, I mean the Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform—Ivan McKee. That move has set up a battle royale between the reforming cabinet secretary and the rest. He will want to save money, and every other cabinet secretary will want to spend it. The First Minister will no doubt need to mediate every fight, so it is no wonder that he has kept the constitution for himself for some slight relief. On a serious note, I and Reform Scotland genuinely welcome Mr McKee to his post, and I wish him well as he tries to fix the mess that his party has created.
Reform Scotland has arrived in this chamber and, given the slimmed-down Cabinet, it appears that our ideas and values now sit in the Scottish Government. We said during the election that we must focus on the day job and stop wasting time on reserved matters, and the First Minister has abolished the energy and constitution portfolios from the Cabinet. We said that we need to cut Government waste, have a bonfire of the quangos and put economic growth first, and a new department has been created.
However, as is normal with the SNP, the devil will be in the detail. Rhetoric is easy; delivery is hard. If this Government has genuine proposals to make Scotland more prosperous, cut tax, invest in enterprise and prioritise Scots over strangers, we will support them.
Sadly, given the parliamentary arithmetic and the large bloc led by the Bearsden Che Guevara, I fear that that is unlikely. Instead, Reform will play our part and be a constructive but effective Opposition.
We will not oppose for the sake of opposing. [Interruption.] I seem to have upset people. We will not challenge for the sake of challenging but, unlike those other parties in Opposition, we will not remain silent either. Reform is not in this chamber to make pals with the cosy establishment; we are here to oppose them. We are here to be the voice for Scotland’s forgotten communities the length and breadth of this country, who each and every one of you has failed and left behind. Those are the people who sent us here and those are who we will fight for in this Parliament.
At decision time, Reform will not endorse the appointments of this tired and knackered Cabinet. Scotland does not need another recycled Government pretending to be revolutionary; what Scotland needs is seriousness, competence, accountability and a Government willing to focus relentlessly on jobs, schools, hospitals, policing, infrastructure, energy and economic growth. That is the standard that Reform UK Scotland will continue to demand in the chamber.
After nearly 20 years of SNP Government, the central question that faces the Parliament is no longer who can deliver independence. The real question is who can deliver competence. On the evidence that is before us, the SNP has failed yet again to provide an answer.
14:56
The Scottish Greens recognise the right of the SNP, as the largest elected party, to form the Government. I offer my sincere congratulations to all the appointed cabinet secretaries and ministers. I am delighted by the gender balance of the Cabinet and I offer my especial best wishes to Jenny Gilruth, the new Deputy First Minister. I offer my solidarity to Hannah Mary Goodlad and Simita Kumar: going straight into a ministerial role as a first-time parliamentarian is a tough gig. I have every confidence that they will do really well, but I do not underestimate the challenge ahead of them. There is a steep learning curve.
The Scottish Greens are sad to see Jenni Minto leaving Government. We thank her for her service and, particularly, her support on the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act 2024. Supporting women to get the healthcare that they need is something that we can all be proud of.
Members, it is 2026 and, in only four years, it will be 2030. The SNP Government has promised a lot by 2030—a lot of targets are coming due. This is going to be the “find out” Parliament. By 2030, the Government is supposed to have stopped the decline of our biodiversity and started on the road to nature restoration on a national scale. That is an international commitment that Scotland made on the world stage as we led the Edinburgh process on biodiversity. The Scottish Greens will hold Gillian Martin and Jim Fairlie to the delivery of that commitment. Stephen Flynn on transport and Stephen Gethins on energy will need to make the changes necessary to meet the key 2030 milestones on our journey to net zero carbon emissions, as set out in the carbon budgeting framework. Shirley-Anne Somerville will have her hands full, delivering the 36,000 affordable homes that the Scottish Government has promised by 2030.
If the Government does not want this term to be a litany of failure, cowardice and backtracking, it is going to need to take bold steps quickly. Whether it is introduced by Shirley-Anne Somerville under housing, Stephen Gethins under energy or Gillian Martin under climate, a heat in buildings bill needs to come back—and it needs to pass. We have no chance of meeting our climate targets while people in Scotland are living in poorly insulated, draughty homes, which they are forced to heat using oil and gas because of a lack of heat networks, district heating and a national ambition to install low-carbon heating. The lack of that ambition in the past is going to hit particularly hard next winter: with the Strait of Hormuz still effectively closed, it is likely that the price of oil and gas will climb to astronomical heights. The SNP’s historical failure to act is trapping millions into high heating costs. We are about to find out what the consequences of that are.
All the easy stuff on climate and fair taxation has been done; what is left is the hard stuff. The Deputy First Minister is going to have to reform council tax if we are to have any chance of keeping our front-line public services sustainable. Stephen Flynn, Tom Arthur, Jim Fairlie and Gillian Martin are going to have to make some difficult decisions about transportation, industry and land management if they are to meet the Government’s own climate and nature targets.
We already see the costs of wildfires and floods. We already see alarming losses of pollinators and seabirds. We see the encroachment of invasive species, such as rhododendron, into our last few remnants of native rainforest, and we are down to our last few capercaillie. Will this be the Government that loses the last of the rainforest? Will its actions lead to the loss of capercaillie and other species, for ever? We are going to find out.
I want this Government to stand up to the challenge, to take on the mantle of the 2030 species threat abatement and restoration targets that it set for itself and to be able to confidently say, in four years, that it has succeeded. I want that more than I can say.
The legacy of a particular Government or minister can last until the next election, or it can last for generations. I ask each and every one of the ministers who is being appointed today to think for the long term, to build a sustainable and fair Scotland and to be bold.
15:00
We in the Liberal Democrats can assure John Swinney that although we will have profound disagreements, including on the constitution, we will hunt for agreement. We will do that because this place needs to work, and it has not been working well enough for years.
We were sent two signals in the election. One of those was the incredibly low turnout. A lot of people just did not bother to turn out because they did not believe that this place offered an answer to their problems. The second signal is staring us in the face: it is the 17 Reform MSPs who are here. I would prefer that they were not here, but they were sent here democratically by the voters, who have sent us a very clear signal that they are hurting.
Many people would say to me, “Willie, I work hard and I pay my tax. I pay more tax now, but I come home and my house is cold. My bills are going up, but I look around and I see that people are getting stuff for free, and I think I’m paying for it.” They have felt that way since 2008 and they have been promised solutions ever since, but those solutions have not come. The problem is that, in those circumstances, they look around to blame other people if we—all of us in this place—do not deliver. I do not like what they say, but we must listen hard to it and provide solutions, because, unless we do, there will be more Reform members in this Parliament in future years, and I do not want that to happen.
We need to find solutions. Liberal Democrats have positive, tolerant, open and altruistic solutions. We need to look internationally for solutions and to work in partnership to ensure that we put value on the goodness of work and enable everybody to participate in society. That is a hard lesson for us; we need to learn it, and learn it fast.
I think that people turned to the Liberal Democrats in the election. We have a bigger group than we have had for many years—in fact, this is the first time that our group has grown since 1999. I like to take some credit for that, although I am no longer leader, because I managed to bring the Liberal Democrats to the lowest possible level. Before Alex Cole-Hamilton gets carried away, he should be reminded that he got the lowest percentage of the vote of any returning Liberal Democrat.
I pay tribute to the new ministers. As Neil Bibby indicated, it is hard to see others get on the ministerial ladder. Those of us who come into politics are desperate to get stuff done and to get our hands on the levers of power, so we are, frankly, jealous of the new ministers. It is hard to see people move on. Despite feeling that way, I can see the excitement in their faces, and that is a joy to see.
I want to pick out a few of the new ministers. The first is my neighbour, Jenny Gilruth, who I have shadowed on education for some years. She is a fellow Fifer. Her mother is a constituent, who, I think, secretly votes for me. Jenny keeps denying it, but I think that it is true.
I say to those who are hoping to get support from Jenny Gilruth that she was the one who said to 150 teachers at the Educational Institute of Scotland hustings last year, “Don’t you shake your head at me.” People who think that they will get anything out of Jenny Gilruth will get a hard deal. However, perhaps she will be able to deliver on the things that she has talked about in education by delivering transfers of funding to it to deal with issues such as additional support needs. There is a big opportunity there.
I talked about pain. There are two individuals in this Parliament who have caused me pain—one some time ago, and one in recent weeks.
The first is Stephen Gethins, who memorably defeated us by just two votes in 2017—I have had many nightmares ever since. However, if there was anybody to lose to, it would be Stephen Gethins, because he is a fine parliamentarian and I am sure that he will make an excellent minister.
The more recent pain was caused by Hannah Mary Goodlad, who managed to take the seat of Shetland, which has been Liberal for ever. She managed to do it with some style, and I am sure that she will be a very good minister. She has got the seat, and the seat at the table, that she craved and I hope—
You must wind up.
Is that five minutes already? I have just got started, Presiding Officer.
I will say just one more thing. The final person to mention, for her grace under fire, is Maree Todd. She lost her seat to David Green, but she has come back into this Parliament with incredible grace. I know what it is like to lose, and I can say that she handled herself incredibly well, and I am delighted to see her as a minister.
I call the First Minister to respond. Up to five minutes, please, First Minister.
15:06
I thank members for their contributions, although there was a varying nature to the speeches that we heard today, and I will reflect that in what I say.
I welcome Thomas Kerr to his place and congratulate him on his maiden speech, which he made on an auspicious occasion. However, I will make an elementary point to him. He is making his maiden speech after an election in which Reform got 15.8 per cent of the vote and the SNP got 38.2 per cent of the vote, having campaigned vigorously around the country. It is, therefore, quite a stretch to argue that, somehow, the SNP is not in a position to govern or has not earned the right to govern, when we have achieved a share of the vote that is more than double that which was achieved by Reform. We will work our way through the implications of arithmetic during the course of this parliamentary session in the usual fashion.
I say to Meghan Gallacher that, in the past, the speech that she gave would normally have been given by none other than Jackson Carlaw. I do not say this disrespectfully, but he was an awful lot funnier when he turned his mind to it. However, that gives me the opportunity to make this point. Although I am delighted that Kirsten Oswald won in Eastwood, I pay tribute to Jackson Carlaw who was an outstanding parliamentarian who was a credit to the Conservative Party in Scotland and, in my humble opinion, was a really good leader of that party—that is not designed to insult Ms Gallacher’s next-door neighbour. I take this opportunity to express my warmest wishes to Jackson Carlaw and to note his outstanding service in the Scottish Parliament.
Meghan Gallacher raised a substantive issue about Jamie Hepburn. In my view, Jamie Hepburn addressed the issues that were at stake with Douglas Ross. He did that properly. He then stood for election and the people of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth sent him here with 50.8 per cent of the vote. I know from all his interactions with political parties that he is more than capable of being the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans and doing exactly what I need him to do, which is to work with others across the chamber.
I pay tribute to Lorna Slater, who was very generous in her tribute to Jenni Minto—a tribute that I associate myself strongly with. She invited us to be bold in government, and that is exactly what the Government will do in the next parliamentary session.
In his very good speech, Neil Bibby made an important point when he mentioned John Smith’s comment about the opportunity to serve. That is what runs through all my contribution to public service. It has always been what I have wanted to do, so I understand the sense of disappointment that colleagues will feel who, after the election, are not in a position to hold ministerial office.
However, a substantive point that Neil Bibby made in his contribution resonates with what Willie Rennie has just said: we are a Parliament of minorities. Willie Rennie said that he and his colleagues were desperate to get things done. I am also desperate to get things done, so there is undoubtedly space for us to achieve common purpose.
I very much welcomed what Mr Sarwar said in both of his contributions in Parliament on Tuesday, in which he indicated the challenges that we now face in the aftermath of the election. Those are about how we work together to address the very serious issues that Mr Rennie raised about how people feel in our communities. That is what I want to lead our Government to do—to ensure that we address the issues facing the people whom I spoke to during the election, who are truly hurting just now because of the financial challenges that they face and the difficulties that exist in our society. Some of those difficulties are a product of domestic circumstances and some are a product of events that are far away from us but have implications for us. However, I am certain that the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, through the exercise of self-government, gives us a better chance of addressing the issues that the public are concerned about.
As I ask for parliamentary support for my ministerial team, I give the commitment to all parties that I gave to Parliament on Tuesday: my Government will seek to work collaboratively with others. I have made clear my position on the basis on which that collaboration should be taken forward. We will succeed only if we work together in a spirit of collaboration, and my ministerial team is committed to doing exactly that.
I will now put today’s questions to the vote. The first question is, that motion S7M-00108, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of Scottish ministers, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members: No.
There will be a division.
There will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system.
15:11
Meeting suspended.
15:17
On resuming—
We come to the vote on motion S7M-00108, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of Scottish ministers. Members should cast their votes now. You have 30 seconds.
The vote is closed.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to access the voting app. I would have voted yes.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to access the voting app. I would have abstained.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
For
Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP)
Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
Ahmed, Irshad (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab)
Anderson, Heather (Dundee City West) (SNP)
Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley) (SNP)
Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Barratt, David (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North) (SNP)
Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)
Black, Dawn (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
Bonnar, Steven (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
Bouse, Gary (Falkirk West) (SNP)
Briggs, Miles (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con)
Brown, Alan (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP)
Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con)
Campbell, Michelle (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP)
Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP)
Day, Martyn (Falkirk East and Linlithgow) (SNP)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill) (SNP)
Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Fagan, Joe (South Scotland) (Lab)
Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con)
Flynn, Stephen (Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine) (SNP)
Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Con)
Gethins, Stephen (Dundee City East) (SNP)
Ghani, Zen (Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok) (SNP)
Gibson, Patricia (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
Goodlad, Hannah Mary (Shetland Islands) (SNP)
Gray, Neil (Airdrie) (SNP)
Griffin, Mark (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab)
Hagmann, Katie (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen and Cambuslang) (SNP)
Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
Hoy, Craig (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Kerr, Alex (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP)
Kerr, Calum (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con)
Kerr, Stephen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Kumar, Simita (Edinburgh South Western) (SNP)
Linden, David (Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston) (SNP)
Long, Joe (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
MacKinnon, Donald (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (Lab)
Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith) (SNP)
Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP)
McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn) (SNP)
McLennan, Paul (East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs) (SNP)
McMillan, Stuart (Inverclyde) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab)
Melville, Lloyd (Angus South) (SNP)
Merrick, Colm (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)
Middleton, Jack (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
Mitchell, Laura (Moray) (SNP)
Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab)
Oswald, Kirsten (Eastwood) (SNP)
Roddick, Emma (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
Sangster, Katherine (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab)
Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab)
Smith, Alyn (Stirling) (SNP)
Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP)
Stafford, Pauline (Bathgate) (SNP)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab)
Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP)
Thewliss, Alison (Glasgow Central) (SNP)
Todd, Maree (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
Young, Jenny (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab)
Abstentions
Bannerman, Max (Highlands and Islands) (Reform)
Baxter, Andrew (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD)
Beresford, Senga (South Scotland) (Reform)
Bland, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Bruce, Holly (Glasgow Southside) (Green)
Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green)
Chou Turvey, Yi-pei (North East Scotland) (LD)
Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh North Western) (LD)
Currie, Victor (Highlands and Islands) (Reform)
Dijkstra-Downie, Sanne (Edinburgh Northern) (LD)
Duane, Iris (Glasgow) (Green)
Dunlop, Duncan (South Scotland) (LD)
Green, David (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD)
Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)
Harley, Adam (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (LD)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Kerr, Thomas (Glasgow) (Reform)
Kinross-O’Neill, Kayleigh (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Kirkwood, David (South Scotland) (Reform)
Langan, Jamie (South Scotland) (Reform)
Leask, Kristopher (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Lindsay, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
MacCallum, Morven-May (Highlands and Islands) (LD)
MacDougall, Julie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform)
Mackay, Gillian (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Green)
Manivannan, Q (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Massey, Duncan (North East Scotland) (Reform)
McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)
McDade, Helen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform)
McKee, Cara (West Scotland) (Green)
Moodie, Laura (South Scotland) (Green)
Nevens, Kate (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Offord, Malcolm (West Scotland) (Reform)
Rennie, Willie (Fife North East) (LD)
Ross, Angela (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Reform)
Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Schmulian, Kim (Glasgow) (Reform)
Simpson, Graham (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Simpson, Mark (North East Scotland) (Reform)
Slater, Lorna (Edinburgh Central) (Green)
Smith, David (West Scotland) (Reform)
The result of the division on motion S7M-00108, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of Scottish ministers, is: For 84, Against 0, Abstentions 42.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that Ivan McKee and Stephen Flynn be appointed as Scottish Ministers.
The next question is, that amendment S7M-00109.1, in the name of Meghan Gallacher, which seeks to amend motion S7M-00109, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of junior Scottish ministers, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members: No.
There will be a division.
The vote is closed.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to access the voting app. I would have voted no.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to access the voting app. I would have abstained.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
For
Briggs, Miles (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con)
Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con)
Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con)
Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Con)
Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Hoy, Craig (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con)
Kerr, Stephen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Merrick, Colm (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)
Against
Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP)
Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
Anderson, Heather (Dundee City West) (SNP)
Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley) (SNP)
Barratt, David (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North) (SNP)
Black, Dawn (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
Bonnar, Steven (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
Bouse, Gary (Falkirk West) (SNP)
Brown, Alan (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP)
Bruce, Holly (Glasgow Southside) (Green)
Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Campbell, Michelle (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP)
Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green)
Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP)
Day, Martyn (Falkirk East and Linlithgow) (SNP)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill) (SNP)
Duane, Iris (Glasgow) (Green)
Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
Flynn, Stephen (Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine) (SNP)
Gethins, Stephen (Dundee City East) (SNP)
Ghani, Zen (Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok) (SNP)
Gibson, Patricia (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
Goodlad, Hannah Mary (Shetland Islands) (SNP)
Gray, Neil (Airdrie) (SNP)
Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)
Hagmann, Katie (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen and Cambuslang) (SNP)
Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
Kerr, Alex (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP)
Kerr, Calum (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
Kinross-O’Neill, Kayleigh (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Kumar, Simita (Edinburgh South Western) (SNP)
Leask, Kristopher (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Linden, David (Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston) (SNP)
MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
Mackay, Gillian (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Green)
Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith) (SNP)
Manivannan, Q (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP)
McKee, Cara (West Scotland) (Green)
McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn) (SNP)
McLennan, Paul (East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs) (SNP)
McMillan, Stuart (Inverclyde) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
Melville, Lloyd (Angus South) (SNP)
Middleton, Jack (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
Mitchell, Laura (Moray) (SNP)
Moodie, Laura (South Scotland) (Green)
Nevens, Kate (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Oswald, Kirsten (Eastwood) (SNP)
Roddick, Emma (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Slater, Lorna (Edinburgh Central) (Green)
Smith, Alyn (Stirling) (SNP)
Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP)
Stafford, Pauline (Bathgate) (SNP)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP)
Thewliss, Alison (Glasgow Central) (SNP)
Todd, Maree (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
Abstentions
Ahmed, Irshad (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab)
Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Bannerman, Max (Highlands and Islands) (Reform)
Baxter, Andrew (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD)
Beresford, Senga (South Scotland) (Reform)
Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)
Bland, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Chou Turvey, Yi-pei (North East Scotland) (LD)
Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh North Western) (LD)
Currie, Victor (Highlands and Islands) (Reform)
Dijkstra-Downie, Sanne (Edinburgh Northern) (LD)
Dunlop, Duncan (South Scotland) (LD)
Fagan, Joe (South Scotland) (Lab)
Green, David (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD)
Griffin, Mark (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab)
Harley, Adam (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (LD)
Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Kerr, Thomas (Glasgow) (Reform)
Kirkwood, David (South Scotland) (Reform)
Langan, Jamie (South Scotland) (Reform)
Lindsay, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Long, Joe (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
MacCallum, Morven-May (Highlands and Islands) (LD)
MacDougall, Julie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform)
MacKinnon, Donald (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (Lab)
Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Massey, Duncan (North East Scotland) (Reform)
McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)
McDade, Helen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab)
Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab)
Rennie, Willie (Fife North East) (LD)
Ross, Angela (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Reform)
Sangster, Katherine (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab)
Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab)
Schmulian, Kim (Glasgow) (Reform)
Simpson, Graham (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Simpson, Mark (North East Scotland) (Reform)
Smith, David (West Scotland) (Reform)
Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab)
Young, Jenny (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab)
The result of the division on amendment S7M-00109.1, in the name of Meghan Gallacher, is: For 11, Against 71, Abstentions 43.
Amendment disagreed to.
The next question is, that motion S7M-00109, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of junior Scottish ministers, be agreed to. Are we agreed?
Members: No.
There will be a division.
The vote is closed.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to access the voting app. I would have voted yes.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to connect to the voting app. I would have voted yes.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I was unable to access the voting app. I would have abstained.
Thank you. Your vote will be recorded.
For
Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP)
Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
Ahmed, Irshad (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab)
Anderson, Heather (Dundee City West) (SNP)
Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley) (SNP)
Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Barratt, David (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North) (SNP)
Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)
Black, Dawn (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
Bonnar, Steven (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
Bouse, Gary (Falkirk West) (SNP)
Brown, Alan (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP)
Campbell, Michelle (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP)
Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP)
Day, Martyn (Falkirk East and Linlithgow) (SNP)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill) (SNP)
Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
Fagan, Joe (South Scotland) (Lab)
Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
Flynn, Stephen (Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine) (SNP)
Gethins, Stephen (Dundee City East) (SNP)
Ghani, Zen (Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok) (SNP)
Gibson, Patricia (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
Goodlad, Hannah Mary (Shetland Islands) (SNP)
Gray, Neil (Airdrie) (SNP)
Griffin, Mark (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab)
Hagmann, Katie (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen and Cambuslang) (SNP)
Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Kerr, Alex (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (SNP)
Kerr, Calum (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
Kumar, Simita (Edinburgh South Western) (SNP)
Linden, David (Glasgow Baillieston and Shettleston) (SNP)
Long, Joe (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
MacKinnon, Donald (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (Lab)
Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith) (SNP)
Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP)
McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Easterhouse and Springburn) (SNP)
McLennan, Paul (East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs) (SNP)
McMillan, Stuart (Inverclyde) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab)
Melville, Lloyd (Angus South) (SNP)
Merrick, Colm (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)
Middleton, Jack (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
Mitchell, Laura (Moray) (SNP)
Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab)
Oswald, Kirsten (Eastwood) (SNP)
Roddick, Emma (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
Sangster, Katherine (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Lab)
Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab)
Smith, Alyn (Stirling) (SNP)
Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP)
Stafford, Pauline (Bathgate) (SNP)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab)
Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP)
Thewliss, Alison (Glasgow Central) (SNP)
Todd, Maree (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
Young, Jenny (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Lab)
Against
Briggs, Miles (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con)
Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con)
Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con)
Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Con)
Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Hoy, Craig (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con)
Kerr, Stephen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Abstentions
Bannerman, Max (Highlands and Islands) (Reform)
Baxter, Andrew (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (LD)
Beresford, Senga (South Scotland) (Reform)
Bland, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Bruce, Holly (Glasgow Southside) (Green)
Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green)
Chou Turvey, Yi-pei (North East Scotland) (LD)
Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh North Western) (LD)
Currie, Victor (Highlands and Islands) (Reform)
Dijkstra-Downie, Sanne (Edinburgh Northern) (LD)
Duane, Iris (Glasgow) (Green)
Dunlop, Duncan (South Scotland) (LD)
Green, David (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD)
Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)
Harley, Adam (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (LD)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Kerr, Thomas (Glasgow) (Reform)
Kinross-O’Neill, Kayleigh (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Kirkwood, David (South Scotland) (Reform)
Langan, Jamie (South Scotland) (Reform)
Leask, Kristopher (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Lindsay, Amanda (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
MacCallum, Morven-May (Highlands and Islands) (LD)
MacDougall, Julie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform)
Mackay, Gillian (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Green)
Manivannan, Q (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Massey, Duncan (North East Scotland) (Reform)
McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)
McDade, Helen (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Reform)
McKee, Cara (West Scotland) (Green)
Moodie, Laura (South Scotland) (Green)
Nevens, Kate (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Green)
Offord, Malcolm (West Scotland) (Reform)
Rennie, Willie (Fife North East) (LD)
Ross, Angela (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Reform)
Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Schmulian, Kim (Glasgow) (Reform)
Simpson, Graham (Central Scot and Lothians West) (Reform)
Simpson, Mark (North East Scotland) (Reform)
Slater, Lorna (Edinburgh Central) (Green)
Smith, David (West Scotland) (Reform)
The result of the division on motion S7M-00109, in the name of John Swinney, on the First Minister’s appointment of junior Scottish ministers, is: For 73, Against 11, Abstentions 42.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that Stephen Gethins, Hannah Mary Goodlad, Jamie Hepburn, Simita Kumar, Kirsten Oswald and Alison Thewliss be appointed as junior Scottish Ministers.
As the Parliament has agreed to the motions, the First Minister’s recommendations will be sent to His Majesty for approval of the appointments.