Biographies and Responsiblities

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Office of the First Minister

First Minister

Alex Salmond MSP
Responsibilities include: Head of the devolved Scottish Government; responsible for development, implementation and presentation of Government policy, constitutional affairs including Referendum Bill, and for promoting and representing Scotland.
Biography

Contact a Minister

Email: Ministers' Mailbox ( scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk )

Your message will be forwarded to the relevant Cabinet Secretary or Minister

Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy

Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Responsibilities include: NHS, health service reform, allied healthcare services, acute and primary services, performance, quality and improvement framework, health promotion, sport, Commonwealth Games, public health, health improvement, pharmaceutical services, food safety and dentistry, community care, older people, mental health, learning disability, carers, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, substance misuse, social inclusion, equalities, anti-poverty measures, veterans, and cities strategy.
Biography

Minister for Commonwealth
Games and Sport

Shona Robison MSP
Biography

Minister for Public Health

Michael Matheson MSP
Biography

Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth

Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth

John Swinney MSP
Responsibilities include: The economy, the Scottish Budget, employment, public service reform, Better Regulation, local government, public service delivery, and community planning, Registers of Scotland, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, relocation, e-government, budgetary monitoring, business and industry including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, trade and inward investment, corporate social responsibility, voluntary sector and the social economy, community business and co-operative development, energy, renewables, tourism, building standards, land use planning system.
Biography

Minister for Energy, Enterprise
and Tourism

Fergus Ewing MSP
Biography

Minister for Local Government
and Planning

Derek Mackay MSP
Biography

Education and Lifelong Learning

Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning

Michael Russell MSP
Responsibilities include: Further and higher education, science and lifelong learning, school education, early years, training and skills, new education agency, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, nurseries and childcare, children's services, children's hearings, social work, Youth Employment, Gaelic and Scots.
Biography

Minister for Children and
Young People

Aileen Campbell MSP
Biography

Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages

Dr Alasdair Allan MSP
Biography

Minister for Youth Employment

Angela Constance MSP
Biography

Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy

Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy

Bruce Crawford MSP
Responsibilities include: Parliamentary affairs and the management of Government business in the Parliament, and developing Government strategy and co-ordinating policy delivery across portfolios.
Biography

Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip

Brian Adam MSP
Biography

Justice

Cabinet Secretary for Justice

Kenny MacAskill MSP
Responsibilities include: Criminal law and procedure, youth justice, criminal justice social work, police, prisons and sentencing policy, legal aid, legal profession, courts and law reform, anti-social behaviour, sectarianism, human rights, fire and rescue services, community safety, civil contingencies, drugs policy and related matters, liquor licensing, vulnerable witnesses, victim support and civil law, charity law, religious and faith organisations.
Biography

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs

(with responsibility for tackling sectarianism)
Roseanna Cunningham MSP
Biography

Rural Affairs and the Environment

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment

Richard Lochhead
Responsibilities include: Agriculture, fisheries and rural development including aquaculture and forestry, environment and natural heritage, land reform, water quality regulation, sustainable development and climate change.
Biography

Minister for Environment and Climate Change

Stewart Stevenson MSP
Biography

Culture and External Affairs

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs

Fiona Hyslop
Responsibilities include: Europe, external affairs, culture and the arts, broadcasting, architecture, built heritage, Historic Scotland and lottery funding, National Records of Scotland, and major events strategy.
Biography

Infrastructure and Capital Investment

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment

Alex Neil MSP
Responsibilties include: Scottish Water, procurement, European Structural Funds, Scottish Futures Trust, transport policy and delivery, public transport, road, rail services, air and ferry services, housing, communities and regeneration.
Biography

Minister for Housing and Transport

Keith Brown MSP
Biography

Solicitor General

Lesley Thomson
Biography

Lord Advocate

Frank Mulholland
Biography

Page updated: Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Scottish Government