The next item of business is a debate on motions S4M-11672 and S4M-11673, in the name of the First Minister, on the appointment of Scottish ministers and junior Scottish ministers. Members should note that the questions on the motions will be put immediately after the debate, not at decision time.
I will ask the First Minister to speak to and move the motions. I will then invite party representatives to make a short speech. Thereafter, I will ask the First Minister to reply.
14:15
I rise to speak to and move the motions in my name, which ask that the Parliament agrees that Keith Brown, Roseanna Cunningham and Michael Matheson be appointed as Scottish ministers and that Annabelle Ewing, Marco Biagi, Jamie Hepburn, Maureen Watt and Aileen McLeod be appointed as junior Scottish ministers.
First, I take the opportunity to thank Kenny MacAskill and Mike Russell. They have both been outstanding Scottish ministers with strong records, of which they should be very proud. They have ensured that this country is better educated, safer and more just than it was before they took up their posts. I am extremely grateful for all their efforts, and I have no doubt whatsoever that they will continue to play a significant role in moving this country forward. [Applause.]
The Cabinet that I am proposing has 10 members, and I am pleased to be able to say that half of them are women. In Westminster there are also five women in the Cabinet, but that is a Cabinet of 22. I am very proud to lead a Cabinet that does not just talk about equality but lives up to the principle of equality. As far as I am aware, we are one of only three Cabinets in the industrialised world to have a 50:50 gender balance—a move that the United Nations hailed on Friday as setting an example for others to follow.
I said in this chamber last week that I want women and girls to know that they can achieve anything if they work hard enough. I hope that this is more proof of that. It should send a message to everyone in this country that gender equality is not just necessary but, if we set our minds to it, achievable in every walk of life.
The portfolio changes that I have made should send another message—this time, about where this Government’s priorities will lie. We will focus on ensuring that our economy and finances are well supported and that we continue to invest for growth in infrastructure and in every sector of our economy.
We will focus on ensuring that we have strong, high-quality and efficient public services, and on building Scotland’s international relationships, particularly with our partners in Europe and particularly in light of a possible in/out referendum. We will focus on tackling inequality, on lifting people out of poverty, especially through good, well-paid work, and on empowering communities.
The ministers who I am proposing will all play a key role in that work. Keith Brown has proven his ability to do challenging things and to do them well since his appointment as Minister for Transport and Veterans. We see that through the creation of the Scottish veterans commissioner and the management of the Forth road bridge project, which is currently on time and under budget. He has earned his promotion to Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities.
Roseanna Cunningham has been an outstanding junior minister, with key legislative achievements in two different portfolios. I have no doubt that she will make an excellent Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training. Of course, one of her priorities will be to see the living wage extended across the private sector and the wider public sector.
As Minister for Public Health, Michael Matheson has been determined to improve the wellbeing of the people of Scotland and to reduce health inequalities across our country. I know that he will work just as tirelessly as Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and I have no doubt that he will do an excellent job.
Today I am also proposing five new junior ministers. Annabelle Ewing’s determination to secure dignity and justice for all, which we can see in her work on issues such as hepatitis C compensation, will make her a tremendous Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment.
Marco Biagi has done excellent work both as the deputy convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee and as a key contributor to the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill that Parliament passed some months ago. I believe that he will bring the same commitment and determination to his new role as Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment.
Jamie Hepburn has performed exceptionally as a member of the Finance Committee and as deputy convener of the Welfare Reform Committee. I have no doubt that he will do a tremendous job as Minister for Sport and Health Improvement, following on from our successes this year, not least in hosting the Commonwealth games and the Ryder cup.
Maureen Watt is returning to Government having previously held ministerial office as Minister for Schools and Skills. I am delighted that she will be returning as Minister for Public Health. The national health service and the wider health agenda has been and will continue to be a key priority for this Government. I know that Maureen will make a significant contribution to that.
Finally, I am nominating Aileen McLeod as Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. Aileen’s extensive knowledge of working both in Brussels and here in Holyrood makes her a perfect candidate to take on that role. The specific inclusion of responsibility for land reform in her ministerial title should send a signal about the importance that this Government attaches to moving forward with the important business of land reform.
Those are the new ministers I am putting forward for Parliament’s approval today. I should also say that, although the following appointments are not subject to the approval of Parliament, I am absolutely delighted to have appointed John Swinney as Deputy First Minister of Scotland in addition to his role as finance secretary; Shona Robison as health secretary; Angela Constance as education secretary; Alex Neil to take on the social justice portfolio; Fiona Hyslop to remain at culture, Europe and external affairs; and Richard Lochhead to remain at rural affairs, food and the environment. All those ministers have done excellent work in Government, and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so.
A number of junior ministers are remaining within Government, with some of them in their existing portfolios and some of them moving to new portfolios. However, collectively, as a team, this is a Government that is now ready, willing and eager to take on the challenges that lie ahead.
Finally, it is important for me to stress that I am proposing each of those ministers absolutely, totally and completely on merit. Each and every one of the members of my Government is highly qualified, with the values, skills and attributes that I believe this country needs. The Cabinet and the wider Government will ensure that we are able to tackle the challenges that we face and to work towards a fairer, more just and more prosperous Scotland. However, just as important is that this Government aims to reflect a country where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality that we put into practice each and every day.
It gives me great pleasure to move the motions in my name.
I move,
That the Parliament agrees that Keith Brown, Michael Matheson and Roseanna Cunningham be appointed as Scottish Ministers.
That the Parliament agrees that Annabelle Ewing, Jamie Hepburn, Marco Biagi, Maureen Watt and Aileen McLeod be appointed as junior Scottish Ministers.
14:23
First, I welcome the First Minister’s new appointments. She has delivered a 50:50 gender balance for the Cabinet, something that we urged her to do and that I very much welcome. I look forward to her delivering in due course a 50:50 gender balance in her parliamentary party and, indeed, on every public board in Scotland.
I note that the size of the Scottish Government has grown as it has two additional ministers, costing the public purse an extra £55,000-plus a year. However, we will judge whether it is a price worth paying based on whether her ministers focus on delivering results. I am sure that that is something that the First Minister would agree with.
It is customary, of course, to pay tribute to the outgoing cabinet secretaries, and I will start with Mike Russell. I ask Angela Constance, though, whether he has left his portrait, which took such a prominent position in his office, or whether it has been removed.
Mike Russell is indeed a man of many talents. His musings can be found on the bookshelves of many a member of this chamber. Neil Findlay tells me that he got his copy of “Grasping the Thistle” for 16p off eBay. At the time, Murdo Fraser thought that he was being slightly profligate with his money. In that book, we find some radical thinking, including suggestions for privatising the NHS, introducing vouchers in education and abolishing the corporation tax. I am not sure that many of those ideas find favour with the First Minister. On that basis, I plead with Mike Russell—I urge him—now that he has a bit of spare time to write “Grasping the Thistle 2”.
On a serious note, as a neighbouring MSP I have, on occasion, made common cause with Mike Russell on issues of importance, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future.
Kenny MacAskill may not be on the Christmas card list of many football fans, but his decision to lift the ban on alcohol at internationals at Murrayfield made him the toast of rugby fans across all the four nations. One member on the Labour benches who will miss him terribly as the justice secretary is Kezia Dugdale. She, for one, does not want him spending more time in his constituency.
In all seriousness, I thank both Kenny MacAskill and Mike Russell for their public service and wish them both well for the future. I also advise them not to despair, as Maureen Watt must offer them hope as she makes her comeback to ministerial office.
I congratulate all the new ministers on their appointments. Although I may challenge much of what they do in the Scottish Government, I never doubt the commitment of those who serve in it. That commitment will be needed, as they have a tough task ahead. When things go wrong we will challenge them, but when things go right, and when they get things right, we will support them in their endeavour.
When Keith Brown took over from Stewart Stevenson, he famously said that civil servants would be the ones to be sacked if there was any bad news about the weather. I observe that we have had mild winters ever since. He has been replaced as the transport minister by Derek Mackay, who will become extremely popular with members as we lobby for our local road projects. I mention the A82 on that basis. I had strongly tipped Derek Mackay for a Cabinet position, which probably did not help him at all—I am sorry for having done so.
I welcome Roseanna Cunningham’s promotion to cabinet secretary. She is joined in her portfolio by the latest member of the Ewing dynasty, Annabelle Ewing. It is interesting to have two lawyers in the fair work, skills and training portfolio while we have an occupational therapist and an economist in the justice portfolio. However, Michael Matheson has prior experience of the justice portfolio as a shadow minister and I look forward to his continuing in that portfolio. He will recall that I have praised him shamelessly in order to get him to adopt particular policy positions. I am sure that, unlike in the case of Derek Mackay, that helped him to secure his promotion to the Scottish Cabinet.
Like Annabelle Ewing, Jamie Hepburn was a member of the Welfare Reform Committee. He, too, was tipped for promotion—of course, once he had abandoned his love of the Val Doonican jumper.
What can I say about Marco Biagi other than that he makes me feel old? I remember going to Hermitage academy in Helensburgh as a shiny, newly elected MSP, and there he was—as a pupil—sitting in the back row, growling at me even then as he does now. All that has really changed in all this time is where he is sitting. I wish him well and will watch his progress with great interest.
In closing, I make mention of two women who have been handed very tough jobs in the Cabinet, whom the First Minister mentioned in her closing remarks. Shona Robison has been left a very full in-tray by her predecessor, Alex Neil, and her work starts with the Clostridium difficile statement this afternoon. I welcome the discussion that she had with the families involved yesterday, and I hope that that is how she intends to continue in her portfolio.
Angela Constance is clearly the Cabinet’s trend setter, and she has been left an equally tough job by Mike Russell. She will be judged by the quality of Scottish education, which we surely all agree needs improvement. I met Angela, famous for her Bambi heels, on Sunday disappearing into a well-known shoe shop—but enough said about that. It is a wise move, as she will need to be very sure footed in her new job.
It remains only for me to wish Angela Constance, and indeed all the new appointees, the very best in their new roles.
14:29
I read at the weekend that yes-ism is now a new, emerging religion. That gives a whole new context to ministerial appointments, does it not?
Some have referred to our First Minister as Margaret without the humour, which I do not think is altogether the compliment that it may at first sound like. The previous most senior woman in politics in Scotland was Helen Liddell, who was known as Stalin’s granny. Perhaps Stalin’s niece is a soubriquet that the First Minister will look to. I hope, though, that she will hope for slightly more than the Beyoncé of Scottish politics, which a gushing acolyte described her as at the weekend.
In discussing Nicola Sturgeon’s first Cabinet, I want to acknowledge immediately the service of Kenny MacAskill and Mike Russell. At times, we have fundamentally disagreed with them but, in the case of Mr MacAskill in particular, I have always believed that the views and decisions that he came to were motivated by sincerity on his part that they were correct. I respect that, even though I disagreed with his decisions at the time.
More surprising, perhaps, is the fact that Mr Neil finds himself still in the Cabinet. After all, he must have realised that there would be consequences, given that he had briefed the media continually for the past two years that he had been tremendously successful in clearing up the mess left by his predecessor. Nonetheless, he is still in the Cabinet.
I congratulate Shona Robison and Angela Constance. I have shadowed Shona Robison previously, and I know that she comes to the health portfolio with a tremendous amount of experience. I hope that she will take forward the agenda that Alex Neil was pursuing of seeking to find a cross-party consensus on the enormously difficult challenges that we have debated many times in the chamber. She and Angela Constance will be allowed to bring joined-up government to bear: I hope that we see the emergence of a new curriculum subject of the dangers to public health of wearing totally inappropriate footwear; we must wait and see.
I am delighted by Keith Brown’s appointment. I have found him to be very courteous and willing to assist and listen carefully. I am tremendously impressed that he has managed not to be put off by Looney Tune commands whispered off stage, if I can put it that way. Mr Brown and Ms Constance stood in the deputy leadership election and reaped the rewards. Therefore, Mr Brown can look Mr Mackay and Mr Yousaf in the face and say, “Who dares wins, boys.” After all, those two had their famous canteen, Granita-like pact, whereby they thought that they would sit this election out in the expectation that the rewards would be theirs. My advice to them is: “Start plotting now, boys; it is only 18 months till your next chance comes around.”
Michael Matheson has been a very diligent and straightforward politician, and I am delighted that he has been promoted.
Roseanna Cunningham has had the answer—in the nick of time—to the question that has been put by the Beatles so many times. She now knows the answer to the question, “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”
Members: Oh!
Nicola has said yes.
Annabelle Ewing and Aileen McLeod have—how shall I put this?—worked very hard for their appointments, and I congratulate them.
There are two masterstrokes of political diplomacy in the reshuffle, on which I congratulate the First Minister. The first is her disinterring of the former minister Maureen Watt. That sends a signal to all those ex-ministers on the back benches that they can live in hope, that there is a chance and that, if they stay loyal, the First Minister might be kind next time around.
In addition, of course, slim, trim new health guru Jamie Hepburn gives hope to that back-bench group known as the lost causes—they know who they are—who can also now see that there is still a chance that their time might come.
Nearly every woman in the SNP has been given a chance in Government. Over the weekend, I wondered what Christine Grahame, Joan McAlpine, Christina McKelvie and Sandra White might have said or done. I was quite bewildered until the First Minister’s official spokesman issued a qualifying release that told us why Sandra was not in the Government. I will not repeat the language, Presiding Officer—you and I are demure, shy and retiring. Mr Macintosh and I have never heard language like it, although it might be appropriate in Bute house, in Whitecraigs or in Newton Mearns.
Nor has there been any place for Jim Eadie, Mark McDonald or Dennis Robertson. I am especially sorry that no place has been found for Dennis Robertson, as when Nicola Sturgeon pursues her dog-whistle policies, she would at least have got one bark of approval.
I hope that Marco Biagi, who is sincere and thoughtful as an MSP, will be sincere and thoughtful as a minister.
The last time I made such a speech, the First Minister—the then Deputy First Minister—was kind enough to say that I had made no substantive points whatever, which I freely admit is my remit today. Tomorrow, I think, is when we will see the Government’s programme and be able to respond to the substance of it. However, I note that, in 2007, there were five cabinet secretaries and 10 junior ministers, whereas now there are nine and 13. As Jackie Baillie said, we want to see whether they are worth it, and the next few months will prove whether that is the case.
Finally, I offer our unreserved congratulations to Mr Swinney, as Deputy First Minister. He is an SNP loyalist to his boots, but across all parties and, I think, wider Scotland he is regarded as a decent, committed and understated man. His personal efforts on behalf of multiple sclerosis, which I and others have been happy to support, are testament to that, and we certainly wish him well.
I conclude with a final observation about gender balance, which has been mentioned several times this afternoon. In a back-handed compliment to that huge Hollywood blockbuster “Three Men and a Little Lady”, this Parliament is now fronted by three ladies and a little Willie Rennie. [Laughter.] On that note, I wish the new ministerial team well in their endeavours.
Mr Rennie, would you like to follow that? [Laughter.]
14:35
Halfway through that, Alison McInnes leaned over and said to me, “Don’t worry, Willie. Nobody is quite like Jackson Carlaw.” Tremendous, Jackson.
The First Minister must be commended for securing gender balance in her ministerial team. The fact that it has been recognised internationally is something that every member in the chamber should be proud of. Even more important, it sends a powerful message across Scotland and further afield not just to young girls and young women with aspirations, but to men and young boys that they should treat women equally. There should be equality in both the Parliament and the rest of Scotland, and I hope that it becomes the norm rather than the exception. I hope that, when we discuss future ministerial appointments, we will not remark on the fact that we have achieved gender equality; I hope that it becomes accepted as something that should always exist.
I am sure that all the ministerial team have been tasked with working constructively, in the spirit of the First Minister’s remarks last week. If so, they will find willing participants among the Liberal Democrats and, I am sure, others in the chamber.
I am reluctant to add a discordant note, but we need an explanation of why the ministerial team has grown to 23. In 2003, John Swinney, who is sitting next to the First Minister, said that he wanted a team of 15 because Government any bigger than that was “bloated”. We have had a 50 per cent increase from that time, and we need an explanation. It is not the most significant thing today, but we need to understand the rationale and why it has happened.
Despite my questions about that, I congratulate the team that has been appointed. I know that Alison McInnes is looking forward to working with the justice team and trying to change some aspects of justice policy—perhaps reining back stop and search, looking at armed officers and corroboration, and bringing democracy back into our police.
Jim Hume wants to discuss the pressures in our hospitals and the need for mental health to have equal status with physical health. He is also keen to talk about his member’s bill on smoking in cars with children.
Tavish Scott will be pressing the case for transport for the Highlands and Islands, including the north-east, and focusing on the roll-out of the new common agricultural policy.
I want to see how Liam MacArthur is going to get on with the new education team. It has been a bit of a shaky start, but I am sure that he has the talent to rise to the challenge. College places, the curriculum for excellence, university funding and the expansion of nursery education are all big issues that need to be discussed and we need to work together to achieve great things in those areas.
There will be many challenges in the remainder of the current session of Parliament, but the First Minister knows that we will work with her where we agree and advise her where we do not.
This will be an exciting and proud day for those who are entering Government for the first time. For those with new portfolios, it will present a fresh challenge, and for those who have kept their old jobs, there may be a secret sigh of relief, but for all of them, this is an important day. The burden may great—at times, it may be heavy—but the opportunity that they have to serve their country is a wonderful one, and I am sure that many others in the chamber would love to have it. In that spirit, I wish them all well.
14:40
I, too, congratulate those who have been promoted in and appointed—or indeed reappointed—to the Scottish Government. I thank Jackson Carlaw for his usual bravura performance that we get at these events. I am very grateful that he decided to leave me out of the end of his speech. Oscar Wilde said that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about, but I think that that was the exception to the rule.
This is a moment to mention something positive about the outgoing cabinet secretaries, who deserve our commiserations. I am sure that Mr Russell’s commitment to the principle of keeping higher education in Scotland free of fees will remain important to the Scottish Government, but it was a principle that throughout his term in office he insisted on. As for Mr MacAskill, I am grateful for his contribution to supporting my member’s bill on hate crime a few years back. He gave a clear commitment to supporting the legislation, which included the support of his officials, and I put on record my gratitude.
There is time to mention only a few individual appointments. I single out Marco Biagi for, as the First Minister said, his commitment to the equal marriage campaign both inside and outside Parliament. I believe that, diaries permitting, the First Minister and I will be co-witnesses for some mutual friends at the end of December; however, way before that, Marco Biagi and I had our own confetti moment when we showered confetti over a symbolic same-sex marriage as part of the campaign. That is a moment that I will remember.
I and my colleague Alison Johnstone will miss Marco Biagi on the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee. He has earned far more respect than I have from the radical vegan wing of my party, and I should imagine that the supply of vegan scones to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee will be diminished to zero once he has moved on. I hope that the catering instruction has been conveyed to St Andrew’s house for him.
As for the role that Marco Biagi takes on, working with Alex Neil, I have to say that both will be responsible for a number of important issues such as the need to address on-going and long-term challenges in the reform of council funding. The council finance issue cannot be ducked for much longer. We need to reinvigorate our local democracy and community empowerment, and Marco Biagi will have an important contribution to make on both issues. The two of them will also have responsibility for planning policies and decisions. I highlight in particular the forthcoming decision on the first unconventional gas proposal, which has been called in by Scottish ministers and which many of us in Scotland, including constituents of many Scottish National Party back benchers who share deep concerns about the industry, consider to be a test case.
I want briefly to mention Mr Wheelhouse, who is moving on to other responsibilities. Although I think that he is due some credit for his role in the climate change brief, that credit comes, as usual with me, with caveats. It is clear that he understood the argument about unburnable carbon and that we cannot simply regard all fossil fuel resources as economic assets. After all, if we burn them all, we will do more harm to the economy than anything else.
The fact remains, however, that the Scottish Government has not yet managed to meet any of its climate change targets. As Aileen McLeod takes on that responsibility—alongside, I should say, land reform, which I am glad the First Minister has picked out in Ms McLeod’s job title as something that remains an unfinished task—I hope that she does so in the full understanding that the first three missed targets were the easy ones. The next annual target, which is due to be reported on, represents a single year’s cut that is many times greater than the cumulative cut that was supposed to have been achieved already. This is when things start to get hard, and she will have to advocate vociferously with the rest of the Scottish Government for the policy changes that will be necessary to achieve those targets.
I hope that Aileen McLeod is willing to work with Derek Mackay in transport. Unlike Jackie Baillie, I assure Derek Mackay that not all of us will lobby him to approve new road-building projects. Many of us will hope that he will be the first transport minister in a Scottish Administration who is able to have a sustainable transport policy. That will be crucial if Aileen McLeod is to be successful in ensuring that the Scottish Government meets its climate change commitments.
Once again, I congratulate and wish well all the ministers who will serve in the Scottish Government.
14:45
I thank everyone for their contributions. Jackie Baillie managed to stay almost entirely positive, which just shows that there is a first time for absolutely everything. I eagerly anticipate the first time that she, as she has promised to do, praises the work of the Government.
However, I sympathise with Jackie Baillie’s comments about Marco Biagi making her feel old. I had exactly the same feeling when I saw another member of my Government, who shall remain nameless—Humza Yousaf—on television last week saying that the first time he met me was when I came to speak to his modern studies class, so I know how Jackie Baillie feels today.
I thank Jackson Carlaw for reminding me how much talent I have on the back benches. In all seriousness, I had not appreciated how difficult it is to pick a Government. There are many people on the back benches who I would have loved to appoint to the Government. There is no member of the SNP group who should not aspire to ministerial office as I ensure that, at all times, the Government that I lead contains all the best talent. My best revenge for the remainder of Jackson Carlaw’s comments is to leave him to the tender mercies of Roseanna Cunningham, say that it was nice knowing him and wish him all the best.
I move on to Willie—little or otherwise—Rennie. I thank him for his kind comments. We might come back to the issue at greater length on another occasion, but the size of the Government and the allocation of portfolios is what I deem to be appropriate to meet the challenges that we face as a country, and to prepare for the substantial new powers that, as we have been promised by all the other parties in the chamber, are about to come to the Scottish Parliament. That is the reason for the shape of and allocations in my Government. As Jackie Baillie said, we will now get on with proving our worth through the job that we do.
Finally, I thank Patrick Harvie for being constructive and, as he always does, laying down challenges to the ministers who have been appointed. I very much look forward to being a co-witness with Patrick Harvie at one of the country’s first same-sex marriages on hogmanay.
I thank everyone who contributed to the debate.
That concludes the debate. There are two questions to be put.
The first question is, that motion S4M-11672, in the name of the First Minister, on the appointment of Scottish ministers, be agreed to.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that Keith Brown, Michael Matheson and Roseanna Cunningham be appointed as Scottish Ministers.
As the Parliament has agreed to the First Minister’s recommendations, she may now invite Her Majesty to approve the appointment of Keith Brown, Michael Matheson and Roseanna Cunningham as Scottish ministers.
The next question is, that motion S4M-11673, in the name of the First Minister, on the appointment of junior Scottish ministers, be agreed to.
Motion agreed to,
That the Parliament agrees that Annabelle Ewing, Jamie Hepburn, Marco Biagi, Maureen Watt and Aileen McLeod be appointed as junior Scottish Ministers.
As the Parliament has agreed to the First Minister’s recommendations, she may now invite Her Majesty to approve the appointment of Annabelle Ewing, Jamie Hepburn, Marco Biagi, Maureen Watt and Aileen McLeod as junior Scottish ministers.
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