Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government

Responsibilities

• inter-governmental relations
• cross-government delivery and outcomes
• Redress
• inquiries policy and Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, Sheku Bayoh Public Inquiry, and Covid Inquiries
• British Irish Council
• royal and ceremonial

As Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government:

• local government, local governance and local government finance
• Scottish budget, budgetary monitoring and reporting, including Medium Term Financial Strategy
• fiscal and taxation policy
• Exchequer and the public finances
• public sector pay
• Scottish Fiscal Commission
• Fiscal Framework
• public sector pensions and Scottish Public Pensions Agency
• cross government co-ordination of infrastructure policy, investment, and commission

Supporting Ministers

• Minister for Public Finance

Biography

Brought up and educated in Fife, she is a graduate of Glasgow University, where she studied Politics and Sociology, and of Strathclyde University where she studied for her Postgraduate in Secondary Education (Modern Studies).

Prior to being elected in 2016, Ms Gilruth worked for over a decade in education, most recently as a Head of Department in a Fife secondary school.

She also worked at Education Scotland as NQ lead for Modern Studies, supporting the development of the new qualifications and as a Modern Studies teacher.

Ms Gilruth was first elected to represent the Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

She was previously the:

• Minister for Europe and International Development
• Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development
• Minister for Transport

Ms Gilruth was Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills from March 2023 until being appointed to her current role.

• Read more about Jenny Gilruth on the Scottish Parliament website.