Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy
; Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy
	Incumbent; Shona Robison; since 29 March 2023
	Finance Directorates
Style	Cabinet Secretary ; (within parliament) ; Finance Secretary ; (informal) ; Scottish Finance Secretary ; (outwith Scotland)
Member of	Scottish Parliament; Scottish Cabinet;
Reports to	Scottish Parliament
Seat	Edinburgh
Appointer	First Minister
Inaugural holder	Jack McConnell ; Minister for Finance
Formation	July 1999
Deputy	Richard Lochhead ; (Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work); Ivan McKee ; (Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation); Tom Arthur ; (Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth);
Salary	£112,919 annually (including £64,470 MSP salary)
Website	www.gov.scot

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, commonly referred to as the Finance Secretary, is a member of the Cabinet in the Scottish Government. The Cabinet Secretary has Ministerial responsibility for the Scottish Government's Finance Directorates.

The finance secretary is supported by the Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise and Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth.^[2]

The post is currently held by Shona Robison who was appointed in March 2023, replacing Kate Forbes who left the Scottish Government, upon the election of Humza Yousaf as First Minister.

History

Following devolution in 1999, the Government of First Minister Donald Dewar instituted the position as the Minister for Finance, which was renamed the Minister for Finance and Local Government in the Government of Henry McLeish from 2000 to 2001. In the first Government of Jack McConnell, from 2001 to 2003, the position was renamed as the Minister for Finance and Public Services, changed to the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform after a reshuffle of the Second McConnell government in 2004. The first Government of Alex Salmond in 2007 combined the Minister for Finance element, with that of Enterprise and Transport to create the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. After the 2011 election the position was named Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth and the transport portfolio was moved under the remit of another Cabinet position. In November 2014, the first Sturgeon government renamed the position to Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, and in 2016 it was again renamed to Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution. It was further renamed to Finance, Economy and Fair Work in June 2018, taking some additional responsibilities from the position of Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work which was abolished, but losing some constitutional responsibilities to the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations.^[3] The title was shortened to simply Cabinet Secretary for Finance in February 2020, with the responsibilities of the former Economy Secretary separated again and transferred over to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture.^[4] The economic responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture were again combined with those of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 19 May 2021 in the position of Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy.

Overview

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy include:

Scottish budget
public finances
fiscal policy and taxation
economic strategy
wellbeing economy
trade and inward investment
city and regional growth deals
enterprise
digital economy
planning
tourism
trades unions
government procurement
local government finance
public bodies policy
public sector pay

Public bodies

The following public bodies report to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy:

List of Office holders

There have been seven office holders since the establishment of Scottish devolution.

Name		Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
Minister for Finance
	Jack McConnell	19 May 1999	26 October 2000	Scottish Labour Party	Donald Dewar
Minister for Finance and Local Government
	Angus Mackay	26 October 2000	22 November 2001	Scottish Labour Party	Henry McLeish
Minister for Finance and Public Services
	Andy Kerr	22 November 2001	4 October 2004	Scottish Labour Party	Jack McConnell
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform
	Tom McCabe	4 October 2004	17 May 2007	Scottish Labour Party	Jack McConnell
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
	John Swinney	17 May 2007	19 May 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth
	John Swinney	19 May 2011	21 November 2014	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy
	John Swinney	21 November 2014	18 May 2016	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution
	Derek Mackay	18 May 2016	26 June 2018	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work
	Derek Mackay	26 June 2018	5 February 2020	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Cabinet Secretary for Finance
	Kate Forbes	17 February 2020	20 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 Finance
	Shona Robison	29 March 2023		Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf

References

^ "Shona Robison replaces Kate Forbes as finance secretary in new cabinet". BBC News. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ "Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy - gov.scot". gov.scot. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
^ "New Cabinet appointed". Scottish Government. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
^ "Cabinet Appointments". Scottish Government. 17 February 2020.

External links

[1] "Shona Robison replaces Kate Forbes as finance secretary in new cabinet". BBC News. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.

[2] "Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy - gov.scot". gov.scot. Retrieved 6 June 2021.

[june2018-3] "New Cabinet appointed". Scottish Government. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.

[4] "Cabinet Appointments". Scottish Government. 17 February 2020.

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v t e Scottish Cabinet
Swinney government
First Minister	John Swinney
Deputy First Minister	Kate Forbes
Cabinet Secretaries	Kate Forbes (Economy and Gaelic) Shona Robison (Finance and Local Government) Neil Gray (Health and Social Care) Jenny Gilruth (Education and Skills) Màiri McAllan (Net Zero and Energy) Fiona Hyslop (Transport) Mairi Gougeon (Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands) Angus Robertson (Constitution, External Affairs and Culture) Shirley-Anne Somerville (Social Justice) Angela Constance (Justice and Home Affairs)
May attend cabinet	Dorothy Bain (Lord Advocate) John-Paul Marks (Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government) Jamie Hepburn (Minister for Parliamentary Business) Colin McAllister (Chief of Staff to the First Minister)
Category Politics of Scotland