Minister for Parliamentary Business

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The Minister for Parliamentary Business is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet but supports the Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, who is a member of the cabinet. The minister has the job of steering government business through the Scottish Parliament.

The current minister is George Adam, who was appointed in May 2021.

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. [1]

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. [2] 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, [3] 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, [4] and the post of Minister for Parliamentary Business being re-established reporting to both First Minister and Deputy First Minister. [5]

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. [6]

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

NamePortraitEntered OfficeLeft OfficePartyFirst Minister
Tom McCabe Tom McCabe.jpg 19 May 199912 June 1999 Labour Party Donald Dewar

Minister for Parliament

Tom McCabe Tom McCabe.jpg 12 June 199927 November 2001 Labour Party Donald Dewar
Henry McLeish

Minister for Parliamentary Business

style="background-color: #E4003B; width: 0.3em;" | | Patricia Ferguson PatriciaFergusonMSP20110510.JPG 27 November 20014 October 2004 Labour Party Jack McConnell
style="background-color: #E4003B; width: 0.3em;" | | Margaret Curran Margaret Curran.jpg 4 October 200417 May 2007 Labour Party Jack McConnell

Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy

Bruce Crawford BruceCrawfordMSP20110509.JPG 19 May 20115 September 2012 Scottish National Party Alex Salmond

Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations

Michael Russell Mike Russell SNP Conference.jpg 26 June 201817 February 2020 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Junior Minister

Deputy Business Manager and Liberal Democrat Whip

NamePortraitEntered OfficeLeft OfficePartyFirst Minister
Iain Smith Iain smith.jpg 19 May 199912 June 1999 Scottish Liberal Democrats Donald Dewar

Deputy Minister for Parliament

Iain Smith Iain smith.jpg 12 June 19991 November 2000 Scottish Liberal Democrats Henry McLeish
Tavish Scott Tavish Scott.jpg 1 November 20009 March 2001 Scottish Liberal Democrats Henry McLeish
Euan Robson Euan Robson.jpg 9 March 200128 November 2001 Scottish Liberal Democrats Henry McLeish

Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business

Euan Robson Euan Robson.jpg 28 November 200121 May 2003 Scottish Liberal Democrats Jack McConnell
Tavish Scott Tavish Scott.jpg 21 May 200329 June 2005 Scottish Liberal Democrats Jack McConnell
George Lyon George Lyon.jpg 29 June 200516 May 2007 Scottish Liberal Democrats Jack McConnell

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Bruce Crawford Bruce Crawford, Minister for Parliamentary Business (1).jpg 17 May 200719 May 2011 Scottish National Party Alex Salmond

Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip

Brian Adam BrianAdamMSP20070509.jpg 19 May 20115 September 2012 Scottish National Party Alex Salmond

Minister for Parliamentary Business

Joe FitzPatrick Joe Fitzpatrick (26487951154).jpg 5 September 201228 June 2018 Scottish National Party Alex Salmond

Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans

Graeme Dey GraemeDeyMSP20110507.jpg 28 June 201820 May 2021 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Minister for Parliamentary Business

George Adam Minister for Parliamentary Business, George Adam (51189846351).jpg 20 May 2021 Incumbent Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

See also

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References

  1. "Ministers, Law Officers and Ministerial Parliamentary Aides by Cabinet: Session 1" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  2. "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.
  3. "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.
  4. "Scottish cabinet reshuffle: Nicola Sturgeon given new independence role". BBC News. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  5. "Cabinet and Ministers: Biographies and responsibilities". Scottish Government . Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  6. "Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans". Scottish Government. Retrieved 29 June 2018.