Ministerial responsibility for Scottish Canals: FOI release

Information requested

Ministerial Responsibility:

1. Which Minister(s) in the Scottish Government have had overall responsibility for Scottish Canals since 1 January 2022?

2. Please provide start and end dates, if there is more than one person.

3. Have any Ministers of State or other ministerial officials been assigned specific responsibilities for Scottish Canals during this period?

4. If yes, please advise who, dates and any responsibilities assigned.

Changes in Ministerial Responsibility

1. It is my understanding that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport has historically been responsible for statutory duties regarding Scottish Canals. Please confirm if this is accurate?

2. The Scottish Government website states that: The Cabinet Secretary for Transport is responsible for sponsorship of transport bodies (except HIAL and Scottish Canals) and that The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity is responsible for statutory duties regarding Scottish Canals.

3. When did the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity become responsible for statutory duties regarding Scottish Canals? Is this a recent change? Please provide dates.

4. If the Cabinet Secretary for Transport was historically responsible for statutory duties regarding Scottish Canals, please can you provide the reasons behind the decisions to move the responsibility to the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity?’

Response

​​​​​​In response to the issues raised under the heading ‘Ministerial Responsibility’ the table below sets out the Ministers with portfolio responsibility for matters relating to Scottish Canals during the time period of your request.

TIME PERIOD	MINISTER	CABINET SECRETARY (CS)
1 Jan 2022 - 28 Mar 2023	Jenny Gilruth (Minister for Transport)	Michael Matheson (CS for Net Zero, Energy and Transport)
29 Mar 2023 – 6 Jun 2023	Kevin Stewart (Minister for Transport)	Mairi McAllan  (CS for Net Zero and Just Transition)
14 Jun 2023 – 8 Feb 2024	Fiona Hyslop (Minister for Transport)	Mairi McAllan  (CS for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition)
20 Feb 2024 to date	Jim Fairlie  (Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity)	Fiona Hyslop  (CS for Transport) NB. Except sponsorship of HIAL and Scottish Canals

In response to the issues raised under the heading ‘Changes in Ministerial Responsibility’ I can confirm that, as set out at paragraph 8.4 of the Scottish Ministerial Code (Scottish Ministerial Code: 2024 Edition - gov.scot), the structure and allocation of Ministerial portfolios are matters for the First Minister. The table above sets out the Ministers with portfolio responsibility for matters relating to Scottish Canals during the time periods set out in your request.

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