Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change is a member of the Scottish Government who works to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. As a Junior Minister the post holder is not a member of the Scottish Government Cabinet.

Responsibilities include: the land use planning system, climate change, building standards, transport policy and delivery, public transport, road, rail services, air and ferry services, governance of Scottish Water.cite web |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/Scottish-Cabinet Scottish Ministers |title=Scottish Government - Scottish Ministers |date=2008-02-16 |publisher=Scottish Government |accessdate=2008-02-16]

History

From the advent of devolution 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, comes under the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, however direct responsibility is vested in the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, a junior ministerial position within the Scottish Government.

List of office holders

The current Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change is Stewart Stevenson MSP.cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2081920,00.html |title=Salmond sworn in as First Minister |date=2007-05-17 |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2007-07-25]

References

ee also

*Scottish Parliament
*Question Time
*Scottish Government

External links

* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/Scottish-Cabinet Scottish Ministers]