The Minister for Transport is a member of the
Scottish Government who reports to the
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport
The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has responsibilities for infrastructure, transport and energy. The Cabinet Secretary is assisted by the Minister for ...
. As a
Junior Minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, â ...
the post holder is not a member of the
Scottish Government Cabinet.
Overview
The current minister is
SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth
Jennifer Madeleine Gilruth (born 1984) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Mid Fife and Glenrothes since 2016. She has served in the Scottish Government as Minister for Tr ...
, who was appointed in January 2022.
Responsibilities include:
*Energy and energy consents
*Renewable energy industries
*Connectivity including 100% broadband
*Cross government co-ordination on islands
History
From the advent of
devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
in 1999 the ministerial portfolios of transport and infrastructure were combined with Environment to form the Minister for Transport and the Environment. From 2000 to 2001, in the
government of First Minister Henry McLeish, the environment brief was removed and replaced with planning and the officeholder was styled the Minister for Transport and Planning. The
government of First Minister Jack McConnell, from November 2001 to May 2003, combined the transport, planning and infrastructure briefs with economic affairs and further education, headed by the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning.
The
2nd McConnell government from 2003, created a cabinet position for transport and infrastructure - the officeholder being titled the Minister for Transport. Following a government reshuffle in 2005, the position was renamed Minister for Transport and Telecommunications.
The
government of First Minister Alex Salmond, elected after the May 2007
Scottish general election, reduced the size of the Scottish Cabinet. Overall responsibility for transport, infrastructure, planning and climate change, came under the responsibility of the
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
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 D ...
, however direct responsibility was vested in the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, a junior ministerial position within the
Scottish Government. In 2010, Climate Change functions were transferred to the junior Environment Minister, with the portfolio becoming Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. After the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to Members of the 4th Scottish Parliament, elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, ...
, the transport function was given to
Alex Neil MSP, as
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment
The Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities was a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary had responsibilities for infrastructure, procurement, transport, European Structural Funds, Scottish Water ...
.
List of office holders
The current Minister for Transport is
Jenny Gilruth
Jennifer Madeleine Gilruth (born 1984) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Mid Fife and Glenrothes since 2016. She has served in the Scottish Government as Minister for Tr ...
.
See also
*
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( gd, PÃ rlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyro ...
*
Question Time
A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...
*
Scottish Government
References
External links
Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islandson the Scottish Government website
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Energy, Connectivity and the Islands
Energy in Scotland