SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT RESHUFFLE - NEW CABINET SECRETARY
19th May 2021
NSA Scotland would sincerely like to thank Fergus Ewing MSP for his hard work, determination and positive relationship in the years previous as his role of Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism.
We look forward to working together with, Mairi Gougeon MSP, the new Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, to ensure that the Scottish sheep industry is represented in full going forward and to address pressing issues affecting our members.
NSA Scotland Chair, Jen Craig comments: “Mr Ewing has been a strong and determined advocate for our industry and we will miss working with him but wish him well in his future endeavours. However, we look forward to working with Mairi Gougeon MSP as the new Cabinet Secretary and will be engaging with her in the very near future. We eagerly await further announcements as to which direction the newly formed Scottish Parliament will take.”
Further Cabinet Secretary appointments are as follows:
- Mairi Gougeon – Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & Islands (responsibility for agriculture, food and drink policy, fisheries and aquaculture as well as cross-government coordination of policies for island communities)John Swinney - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery
- Michael Matheson – Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy & Transport (responsibility for coordination of Net Zero policy, encompassing transport, environmental protection, energy and COP26 delivery)
- Kate Forbes – Cabinet Secretary for Finance & the Economy (responsibility for the Scottish Budget, fiscal policy and taxation, economic strategy, the wellbeing economy, trade and inward investment, city and regional growth deals, enterprise and the digital economy)
- Humza Yousaf – Cabinet Secretary for Health & Social Care (responsibility for the NHS, including ongoing health service remobilisation and the establishment of the National Care Service)
- Shirley-Anne Somerville – Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills (responsibility for COVID recovery within the education system and closing the attainment gap)
- Keith Brown – Cabinet Secretary for Justice (responsibility for reform of the justice system as well as work to reduce reoffending)
- Shona Robison – Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government (responsibility for reducing child poverty as well as work to deliver 100,000 affordable homes)
- Angus Robertson – Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs & Culture (responsibility for constitutional policy, cross-government coordination of European and wider external relations, including post-Brexit relations)
A further welcome must go to Màiri McAllan who has been appointed Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform.
