The Scottish Cabinet
First Minister
Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Head of the Scottish Government: responsible for development, implementation and presentation of Government policy, constitutional affairs, and for promoting and representing Scotland.
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
John Swinney MSP
Responsibilities include:
- school standards, quality and improvement
- school infrastructure & staffing
- educational attainment, qualifications and closing the attainment gap
- National Improvement Framework
- teaching profession
- behaviour and measures to combat bullying
- modern languages and the Gaelic and Scots languages
- Named Person
- Skills Development Scotland
- non-advanced vocational skills
- historical abuse enquiry
Cabinet Secretary for Justice
Humza Yousaf MSP
Responsibilities include:
- police
- courts, sentencing
- justice system and criminal law procedure
- violence reduction
- criminal justice social work, victims, witnesses, female offenders
- human rights
- prisons and prisoners
- reducing reoffending
- security
- youth justice
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People
Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
Responsibilities include:
- welfare policy, social security
- measures against poverty (with CSCLG)
- Best Start Grant (replacing the UK Government's Sure Start Maternity Grant)
- Funeral Expense Assistance (replacing the UK Government's Funeral Payment)
- Carers Allowance (at which point we will stop paying Carers Allowance Supplement)
- Young Carers Grant
- Personal Independence Payments
- Disability Living Allowance
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Attendance Allowance
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Cold Weather Payments
- Winter Fuel Payments
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work
Derek Mackay MSP
Responsibilities include:
- Scottish economy
- Inclusive Growth
- managing the public finances
- fiscal policy and taxation
- Scottish budget, budgetary monitoring and reporting
- government procurement
- efficient government
- National Performance Framework
- public bodies policy
- Scottish Futures Trust
- Scottish Enterprise - national enterprise agency
- trade and inward investment
- trade unions
- public sector pay
- Scottish National Investment Bank
- Registers of Scotland
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform
Roseanna Cunningham MSP
Responsibilities include:
- climate change and environmental protection
- biodiversity
- Crown Estate
- environmental and climate justice
- flood prevention & coastal erosion
- land use and land reform
- animal welfare
- wildlife crime
- water quality and Scottish Water
Cabinet Secretary for The Rural Economy
Fergus Ewing MSP
Responsibilities include:
- agriculture and crofting
- fisheries and aquaculture
- food and drink
- Highlands & Islands Enterprise
- South of Scotland Enterprise Agency
- rural Scotland
- animal health
- forestry
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport
Jeane Freeman MSP
Responsibilities include:
- NHS and its performance, staff and pay
- Health care and social integration
- patient services and patient safety
- primary care, acute services elective centres Implementing the 2020 Vision, national clinical strategy, quality strategy and national service planning
- allied Healthcare services
- carers, adult care and support
- child and maternal health
- dentistry
- medical records, health improvement and protection
Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government
Aileen Campbell MSP
Responsibilities include:
- social justice
- tackling inequalities
- measures against poverty (with CSSS)
- community empowerment, devolution to communities and reform of local government
- democratic renewal
- third sector and social economy
- advocacy and advice
- religious and faith organisations
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs
Fiona Hyslop MSP
Responsibilities include:
- international relations
- creative industries
- culture and the arts
- architecture and built heritage
- broadcasting
- tourism
- co-ordination on bringing major events to Scotland
- National Records and national identity
Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations
Michael Russell MSP
Responsibilities include:
- The UK's exit from the European Union
- Government and parliamentary business
- Constitutional Relations and intra-governmental affairs
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity
Michael Matheson MSP
Responsibilities include:
- transport and public transport
- infrastructure investment policy
- cities & City Deals
- town centres
Ministers
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans
Graeme Dey MSP
Responsibilities include:
- government and parliamentary business
- local government elections
- Scottish Parliamentary elections
- Freedom Of Information (FOI) and open government
- veterans
Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
Kevin Stewart MSP
Responsibilities include:
- housing
- local government
- planning
- building standards
- Business Improvement Districts
- community planning
- homelessness
- regeneration
- fuel poverty
Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands
Paul Wheelhouse MSP
Responsibilities include:
- energy and energy consents
- renewable energy industries
- connectivity including 100% broadband
- cross government co-ordination on islands
Minister for Community Safety
Ash Denham MSP
Responsibilities include:
- community safety
- access to justice
- anti-sectarianism
- anti-social behaviour
- civil law
- fire and rescue services
- liquor licensing
- legal profession
Minister for Children and Young People
Maree Todd MSP
Responsibilities include:
- childcare implementation
- early years
- child protection
- adoption and fostering
- children's hearings
- children's rights
- children's services
- looked after children
- protection of vulnerable groups
- social service workforce
Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills
Jamie Hepburn MSP
Responsibilities include:
- business, industry and manufacturing
- employment policy
- labour market strategy, the living wage, and fair work
- employability programmes
- youth employment (including implementation of the Wood Commission recommendations)
- women's employment
- bankruptcy and Accountant in Bankruptcy (Scottish government agency)
- regional economic forums
- PACE
- non-advanced vocational skills
- skills Development Scotland (Scotland's national skills agency)
- consumer protection
Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing
Joe FitzPatrick MSP
Responsibilities include:
- health improvement
- public health and healthy working lives
- physical activity, sport, sporting events and events legacy
- problem alcohol use and recovery, and drugs policy
- Care Inspectorate
- carers
- child and maternal health (excluding mental health)
- health protection
- person-centred care
- self-directed support
- sexual health
Minister for Mental Health
Clare Haughey MSP
Responsibilities include:
- mental health
- child and adolescent mental health
- adult support and protection
- autism, sensory impairment and learning difficulties
- dementia
- Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (safeguards the rights of people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, dementia and related conditions)
- survivors of childhood abuse
- The State Hospital (Carstairs)
Minister for Europe, Migration and International Development
Ben Macpherson MSP
Responsibilities include:
- migration policy
- international development
- cross government co-ordination on the European Union
- Fair Trade
- Scottish diaspora
Minister for Older People and Equalities
Christina McKelvie MSP
Responsibilities include:
- equalities
- protection and development of social and human rights
- older people
- disabilities
- cross government co-ordination of policies in support of women and gender equality
Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation
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Ivan McKee MSP
Responsibilities include:
- trade and inward investment
- innovation and increasing productivity
- internationalisation and European Structural Funds
- financial services
- life sciences
- Low Carbon Economy
Minister for Public Finance and Digital Economy
Kate Forbes MSP
Responsibilities include:
- Managing the public finances
- Scottish budget, budgetary monitoring and reporting
- Fiscal policy and taxation
- Digital economy & digital public services
- Public sector pensions
Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment
Mairi Gougeon MSP
Responsibilities include:
- Animal health & welfare
- Marine planning
- National Parks and natural heritage
- Physical and marine environment
- Sustainable development
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science
Richard Lochhead MSP
Responsibilities include:
- Further education and colleges
- Higher education and universities
- Science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
- Student funding
- Youth work
- Widening access
Law Officers
Lord Advocate
James Wolffe QC
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, prosecution of crime, investigation of sudden deaths, complaints against the police, support for victims and witnesses of crime, international cooperation (including mutual legal assistance and extradition), confiscation of proceeds of crime.
Solicitor General
Alison Di Rollo
Legal advice to Scottish Ministers, civil litigation, constitutional issues and appointment of Counsel.
Further information
Scottish Government information about the work of the Scottish Cabinet