Deputy First Minister of Scotland

Deputy leader of the Scottish Government

Deputy First Minister of Scotland

Scottish Gaelic: Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear na h-Alba
Scots: Heid Meinister Depute o Scotland

Incumbent
Kate Forbes

since 8 May 2024

Scottish Government
Scottish Cabinet
Scottish Parliament
Member of|

* Scottish Parliament
* Scottish Cabinet

Reports to| Scottish Parliament
Seat| St Andrew's House, Edinburgh
Appointer| First Minister of Scotland
Term length| The Deputy First Minister is appointed by the First Minister. No term limits are imposed on the office.
Inaugural holder| Jim Wallace
Formation| 19 May 1999
Salary| £112,919 annually (including £64,470 MSP salary)
Website| www.gov.scot

The Deputy First Minister of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Leas-Phrìomh Mhinistear na h-Alba; Scots: Heid Meinister Depute o Scotland) is the second highest ranking minister of the Government of Scotland, behind the First Minister.

The post-holder is appointed by the First Minister, and deputises for the First Minister during a period of absence or whilst they are outwith Scotland undertaking overseas visits. During any period of the First Minister's absence, the DFM will be expected to answer to the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the First Minister at First Minister's Questions.

The role is currently held by Kate Forbes since 8 May 2024, following her appointment by John Swinney alongside her portfolio as Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic.[1]

## Overview

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The post is not recognised in statute (in comparison with the post of First Minister which is established by the Scotland Act 1998), and its holder is simply an ordinary member of the Scottish Government. The post has nonetheless existed since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government in 1999. When one party governs alone, the Deputy First Minister is a senior member of the governing party, sometimes the party's deputy leader as with Nicola Sturgeon when she was SNP depute leader though at present this is not the case with the current SNP depute leader Keith Brown. When the government is formed by a coalition, the Deputy First Minister is usually the leader of the minority partner.

The Deputy First Minister, within the Scottish Government, has direct responsibility and control over the strategy of the Scottish Government, delivery and outcomes of ministerial portfolios, resilience, as well as cross-government co-ordination of public service reform.[2] Alongside the responsibilities of the post-holders functions as Deputy First Minister, the post holder is also required to have direct responsibility for a cabinet secretary post.

### Nomination and election

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The Additional Member System used to elect Members of the Scottish Parliament makes it difficult for a single party to have an absolute majority. Between 1999 and 2007, the Scottish Executive was formed by a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition, with the leader of Scottish Labour serving as First Minister and the leader of the Scottish Lib Dems serving as Deputy First Minister.

Although the Scottish National Party (SNP) formed a single party minority administration following the 2007 election, the post was not abolished despite there being no need to recognise the status of a second party leader, instead being given to the SNP's depute leader, Nicola Sturgeon.[3] When Sturgeon became First Minister, the party's depute leader, Stewart Hosie, was serving in the Parliament of the United Kingdom and did not have a seat in the Scottish Parliament. The Deputy First Minister's post thus went to John Swinney.

### Responsibilities

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This article is part of a series within the
Politics of the United Kingdom on the

Politics of Scotland

The Crown

* The Monarch

Charles III

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William, Duke of Rothesay

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* First Minister

The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP

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* Deputy First Minister

Kate Forbes MSP

* * *

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#### Government duties

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The post holder of the Deputy First Minister of Scotland is solely responsible for the following areas within the Scottish Government (as of May 2024):[2]

##### Direct government business

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* business, industry and manufacturing support
* covid inquiries
* cross-government delivery and outcomes
* economic policy and prosperity
* enterprise agencies
* entrepreneurship
* green industrial strategy (jointly with Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy)
* Historical Abuse Inquiry
* inter-governmental relations
* labour market strategy (long-term)
* languages, including Gaelic, Scots and British Sign Language (BSL)
* National Performance Framework
* Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
* redress
* Scottish National Investment Bank
* Sheku Bayoh public inquiry
* UK government engagement on shared prosperity fund, levelling up fund, European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF)

##### Infrastructure investment

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* city and regional growth deals
* Clyde Mission
* government investments (Prestwick, Fergusons, BiFab)
* regional economic partnerships

#### Other cabinet positions

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Shona Robison, appointed Deputy First Minister under Humza Yousaf in March 2023, also serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. Alongside her responsibilities as Deputy First Minister, Robison is also responsible for the delivery of the Scottish budget, as well as "budgetary monitoring and reporting (including Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)), fiscal policy and taxation (including income tax), exchequer and the public finances, public sector pay, the Scottish Fiscal Commission, fiscal framework review, local government finance and public sector productivity".[2]

Kate Forbes, who was appointed Deputy First Minister by John Swinney in May 2024, holds the additional cabinet responsibility for Economy and Gaelic.[4] Shona Robison, the former Deputy First Minister, became the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government in Swinney's government.[5]

## List of officeholders

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Name  | Portrait  | Term of office  | Party  | Other offices held whilst in post  | First Minister

|
|
|
|
|

| Jim Wallace |  | 19 May 1999  | 23 June 2005  | Liberal Democrats | Minister for Justice (1999–2003)
Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning (2003–2005)  |  | Donald Dewar
| Henry McLeish
| Jack McConnell
| Nicol Stephen |  | 27 June 2005  | 17 May 2007  | Liberal Democrats | Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
| Nicola Sturgeon |  | 17 May 2007  | 20 November 2014  | Scottish National Party | Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing (2007–2012)
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment (2012–2014)  |  | Alex Salmond
| John Swinney |  | 21 November 2014  | 28 March 2023  | Scottish National Party | Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy (2014–2016)
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (2016–2021)
Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery (2021–2023)  |  | Nicola Sturgeon
| Shona Robison |  | 29 March 2023  | 8 May 2024  | Scottish National Party | Cabinet Secretary for Finance (2023–2024)  |  | Humza Yousaf
| Kate Forbes |  | 8 May 2024  | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic |  | John Swinney

## See also

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* Under-Secretary of State for Scotland

## References

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1. ^ "Deputy First Minister". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
2. ^ a b c "Deputy First Minister". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 3 April 2024. Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
3. ^ "Salmond announces his new cabinet". BBC News. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
4. ^ "New Scottish Cabinet". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
5. ^ "New Scottish Cabinet". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 25 May 2024.

* 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

* v
* t
* e

Deputy First Ministers of Scotland

* Jim Wallace
* Nicol Stephen
* Nicola Sturgeon
* John Swinney
* Shona Robison
* Kate Forbes

* Category
* Politics of Scotland

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