Minister for Cabinet and Parliamentary Business

The Minister for Parliamentary Business (Scottish Gaelic: Ministear a’ Chaibineit agus Gnothaichean na Pàrlamaid) is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. The minister supports the First Minister and attends cabinet. The minister has the job of steering government business through the Scottish Parliament.

Minister for Parliamentary Business
Scottish Gaelic: Ministear airson Gnothaichean na Pàrlamaid
Incumbent Jamie Hepburn since 8 May 2024
Style	Minister (within parliament) Parliamentary Business Minister (informal) Scottish Parliamentary Business Minister (outwith Scotland)
Member of	Scottish Parliament Scottish Government
Reports to	Scottish Parliament
Seat	Edinburgh
Appointer	First Minister
Inaugural holder	Tom McCabe Government Business Manager and Chief Whip
Formation	19 May 1999
Salary	£106,185 per annum (2024)[1] (including £72,196 MSP salary)
Website	www.gov.scot

The current minister is Jamie Hepburn, who was appointed in May 2024.

History

The post was originally created in May 1999 as Chief Whip and Government Business Manager as a cabinet position in the Labour Liberal Scottish Executive along with the junior Deputy Business Manager, both positions where renamed after a few weeks to the Minister for Parliament and Deputy Minister for Parliament respectively. The posts where renamed again in November 2001 to Minister for Parliamentary Business and Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business following the election of Jack McConnell as First Minister.^[2]

The a cabinet post was downgrade to that of a junior minister reporting to the First Minister following the election of an SNP minority government in May 2007.^[3] The post remained a junior one until the May 2011 Scottish Parliament election after which a new cabinet post of Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy was established with the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip reporting to it,^[4] this set up remained in place until a government reshuffle in September 2012 saw the cabinet post abolished with responsibility of Government Strategy being given to the Deputy First Minister,^[5] and the post of Minister for Parliamentary Business being re-established reporting to both First Minister and Deputy First Minister.^[6]

This changed in the reshuffle announced on 21 November 2014, with Joe FitzPatrick reporting directly to Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney. In the June 2018 reshuffle cabinet level responsibility for parliamentary business was assigned to the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, who is supported by the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans.^[7]

In May 2021, following the Nicola Sturgeon's SNP victory, George Adam was promoted to Minister for Parliamentary Business, with the post losing responsibility of veteran affairs.

List of office holders

Cabinet position

Government Business Manager and Chief Whip
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Tom McCabe		19 May 1999	12 June 1999	Labour Party	Donald Dewar
Minister for Parliament
	Tom McCabe		12 June 1999	27 November 2001	Labour Party	Donald Dewar Henry McLeish
Minister for Parliamentary Business
	Patricia Ferguson		27 November 2001	4 October 2004	Labour Party	Jack McConnell
	Margaret Curran		4 October 2004	17 May 2007	Labour Party	Jack McConnell
Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy
	Bruce Crawford		19 May 2011	5 September 2012	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations
	Michael Russell		26 June 2018	17 February 2020	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon

Junior Minister

Deputy Business Manager and Liberal Democrat Whip
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Iain Smith		19 May 1999	12 June 1999	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Donald Dewar
Deputy Minister for Parliament
	Iain Smith		12 June 1999	1 November 2000	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Henry McLeish
	Tavish Scott		1 November 2000	9 March 2001	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Henry McLeish
	Euan Robson		9 March 2001	28 November 2001	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Henry McLeish
Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business
	Euan Robson		28 November 2001	21 May 2003	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Jack McConnell
	Tavish Scott		21 May 2003	29 June 2005	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Jack McConnell
	George Lyon		29 June 2005	16 May 2007	Scottish Liberal Democrats	Jack McConnell
Minister for Parliamentary Business
	Bruce Crawford		17 May 2007	19 May 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip
	Brian Adam		19 May 2011	5 September 2012	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Minister for Parliamentary Business
	Joe FitzPatrick		5 September 2012	28 June 2018	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans
	Graeme Dey		28 June 2018	20 May 2021	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Parliamentary Business
	George Adam		20 May 2021	29 March 2023	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Cabinet and Parliamentary Business
	George Adam		29 March 2023	20 June 2023	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf
Minister for Parliamentary Business
	George Adam		20 June 2023	8 May 2024	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf
	Jamie Hepburn		8 May 2024	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	John Swinney

See also

• Scottish Parliament
• Scottish Government

References

1. "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 10 May 2024.
2. "Ministers, Law Officers and Ministerial Parliamentary Aides by Cabinet: Session 1" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
3. "Scottish Parliament Fact sheet: Ministers, Law Officers and Parliamentary Liaison Officers by Cabinet: Session 3" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
4. "Scottish Parliament Fact sheet: Ministers, Law Officers and Parliamentary Liaison Officers by Cabinet: Session 4" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
5. "Scottish cabinet reshuffle: Nicola Sturgeon given new independence role". BBC News. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
6. "Cabinet and Ministers: Biographies and responsibilities". Scottish Government. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
7. "Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans". Scottish Government. Retrieved 29 June 2018.

External links

• Minister for Parliamentary Business - Scottish Government
• Minister for Parliamentary Business - Scottish Parliament