Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
| Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic | |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire a’ Chaibineit airson na h-Eaconamaidh agus na Gàidhlig | |
 | |
| Scottish Government Scottish Cabinet | |
| Style |
|
| Member of | |
| Reports to | |
| Seat | Edinburgh |
| Appointer | First Minister (following approval from Scottish Parliament) |
| Inaugural holder | Keith Brown Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work |
| Formation | 18 May 2016 |
| Deputy | |
| Salary | £126,452 per annum (2024)[1] (including £72,196 MSP salary) |
| Website | www |
The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic is a position in the Scottish cabinet since May 2024.[2] The current Cabinet Secretary is Kate Forbes, who has served since May 2024 alongside her role as Deputy First Minister.
The Cabinet Secretary is supported by the Minister for Business, Richard Lochhead, and the Minister for Employment and Investment, Tom Arthur.
History[edit]
At its inception, the Cabinet Secretary had responsibilities for the Scottish economy, infrastructure, trade and investment, business, industry, employment, trade unions and energy. The Cabinet Secretary was assisted by the Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy and the Minister for Employability and Training. The post was abolished in June 2018, with the "economy" part of the brief moving to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work and the infrastructure responsibilities moving to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.[3]
The only Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work was Keith Brown, who was appointed in May 2016. The role was then remerged with the Finance brief to create the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work.
In February 2020 a Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture was appointed, taking over many of the responsibilities of the former portfolio, which were thus again held separately from the Finance brief.[4] The role was once again remerged with the Finance brief to create the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, held by Kate Forbes.
Under First Minister Humza Yousaf, Neil Gray was appointed as Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Secretary then Màiri McAllan held the portfolio as Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Secretary before the role was reformed in May 2024.
John Swinney retitled the role to its current iteration and appointed Kate Forbes, concurrently with the role of Deputy First Minister of Scotland. McAllan retained the other part of her role as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy.[2]
Overview[edit]
Responsibilities[edit]
The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic is responsible for:[5]
- inter-governmental relations
- Responsibility for cross-government delivery & outcomes
- National Performance Framework
- Historical Abuse Inquiry
- Redress
- Covid Inquiries
- Sheku Bayoh public inquiry
- Languages, including Gaelic, Scots and BSL
- economic policy and prosperity
- green industrial strategy (jointly with Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy)
- support for business, industry and manufacturing
- long-term labour market strategy
- enterprise agencies
- Scottish National Investment Bank
- Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
- entrepreneurship
- engagement with UK government on shared prosperity fund, evelling up fund, ESIF
Infrastructure investment
- regional economic partnerships
- Clyde Mission
- city and regional growth deals
- government investments (Prestwick, Fergusons, BiFab)
Public bodies[edit]
The following public bodies report to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic:[5]
- Scottish Enterprise
- Highlands and Islands Enterprise
- South of Scotland Enterprise
- Scottish National Investment Bank
- Glasgow Prestwick Airport
- Ferguson Marine
- BiFab
List of Economy Secretaries[edit]
As is typical of Scottish government roles, the Economy portfolio has gone through many iterations since its inception. The current holder is Kate Forbes, who has held the role since May 2024.
| Name | Portrait | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | First Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role formed out of Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work | ||||||
| Keith Brown | .jpg)
|
18 May 2016 | 26 June 2018 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |
| Role merged with Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work | ||||||
| Derek Mackay | 
|
26 June 2018 | 5 February 2020 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |
| Role merged with Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture | ||||||
| Fiona Hyslop | .jpg)
|
17 February 2020 | 19 May 2021 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |
| Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy | ||||||
| Kate Forbes | 
|
20 May 2021 | 28 March 2023 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |
| Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy | ||||||
| Neil Gray | 
|
29 March 2023 | 8 February 2024 | Scottish National Party | Humza Yousaf | |
| Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy | ||||||
| Màiri McAllan | 
|
8 February 2024 | 8 May 2024 | Scottish National Party | Humza Yousaf | |
| Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic | ||||||
| Kate Forbes | _(cropped).jpg)
|
9 May 2024 | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | John Swinney | |
References[edit]
- ^ "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 13 May 2024.
- ^ a b "New Scottish Cabinet". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "New Cabinet appointed". Scottish Government. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
- ^ "Cabinet Appointments". Scottish Government. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic". Scottish Government. Retrieved 13 May 2024.