Deputy First Minister

Responsibilities

The Deputy First Minister is responsible for:

Cross Government

• Bute House Agreement
• government strategy
• inter-governmental relations
• responsibility for cross-government delivery and outcomes
• public service reform, including digital
• National Performance Framework
• historical abuse inquiry
• redress
• Covid inquiries
• Sheku Bayoh public inquiry
• efficient government
• civil service operations and transformation, including:
  • the Scottish Government’s estate strategy
  • getting to net zero and hybrid working
  • corporate service transformation, including budgets, workforce strategy, technology and risk
• cross government co-ordination of infrastructure (policy, investment, and commission)
• Scottish Futures Trust

As the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Ms Robison is responsible for:

Budget

• Scottish Budget, 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
• Scottish Fiscal Commission
• fiscal framework review
• local government finance
• public sector productivity

Supporting Ministers

• Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance
• Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning
• Minister for Parliamentary Business

Priorities

The First Minister has issued mandate letters to all Cabinet Secretaries highlighting how they will collectively deliver on the priorities set out in the Policy Prospectus during the financial year 2023 to 2024. 

• read the First Minister’s letter to the Deputy First Minister

Biography

Shona was born in Redcar in 1966. Educated at Alva Academy, she went on to graduate from Glasgow University with a Social Sciences MA and Jordanhill College with a Postgraduate Certificate in Community Education. Previously she worked for Glasgow City Council's Social Work Department.

Shona was MSP for the North East from 1999 to 2003 and elected MSP for Dundee East in 2003. Latterly, she was Shadow Minster for Health and Social Justice and a member of the Parliament's Health Committee before being appointed Minister for Public Health in the Scottish Government after the May 2007 election.

She was re-elected in May 2011 and appointed Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, and was made Cabinet Secretary for Health in November 2014. She was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in May 2016, and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government in May 2021.

• Read more about Shona Robison on the Scottish Parliament website.