Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport

Scotland
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport
Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire a' Chaibineit airson Eaconamaidh, Còmhdhail agus Turasachd
Incumbent
Stephen Flynn
since 21 May 2026
Scottish Government
Scottish Cabinet
Style
  • Cabinet Secretary (within parliament)
  • Economy Secretary (informal)
  • Scottish Economy Secretary (outwith Scotland)
Member of
Reports to
SeatEdinburgh
AppointerFirst Minister
(following approval from Scottish Parliament)
Inaugural holderKeith Brown
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work
Formation18 May 2016
DeputyMinister for Business and Employment
Salary£126,452 per annum (2024)[1]
(including £72,196 MSP salary)
Websitewww.gov.scot

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport is a position in the Scottish cabinet since May 2024.[2] The current Cabinet Secretary is Stephen Flynn, who has served since May 2026.

The Cabinet Secretary is supported by the Minister for Business and Employment, Richard Lochhead.

History

The role was first titled Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, with the initial holder being Keith Brown, who was appointed in May 2016. At its inception, the Cabinet Secretary had responsibilities for the Scottish economy, infrastructure, trade and investment, business, industry, employment, trade unions and energy. The Cabinet Secretary was assisted by the Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy and the Minister for Employability and Training.

The post was abolished in June 2018, with the "economy" part of the brief moving to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work and the infrastructure responsibilities moving to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.[3]

In February 2020, a Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture was appointed, taking over many of the responsibilities of the former portfolio, which were thus again held separately from the Finance brief.[4] The role was later once again remerged with the Finance brief to create the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, held by Kate Forbes.

Under First Minister Humza Yousaf, Neil Gray was appointed as Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Secretary, with the Finance brief again becoming a separate post. Following a reshuffle, Màiri McAllan held the portfolio of Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy.

In May 2024, John Swinney retitled the role to Economy and Gaelic, and appointed Kate Forbes concurrently with her role of Deputy First Minister of Scotland. McAllan retained the other part of her role as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy.[2]

Overview

Responsibilities

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport is responsible for:[5]

Economy

  • economic policy and prosperity
  • business, industry, manufacturing support, and entrepreneurship
  • Scottish National Investment Bank
  • Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
  • green industrial strategy
  • long-term labour market strategy
  • inward investment and global capital investment
  • enterprise agencies
  • engagement with UK Government on Shared Funds
  • government investments (Prestwick, Fergusons, BiFab)
  • City Region Deals and Regional Growth Deals

Tourism

  • tourism policy, strategy and support
  • retail policy
  • food and drink policy, strategy and support
  • Food Standards Scotland

Transport

  • national transport strategy, infrastructure improvements, and strategic projects
  • public transport policy
  • bus services and concessionary fares
  • freight industry
  • rail services
  • ferry services
  • maritime policy and ports
  • island connectivity
  • roads, road safety, and low emission zones
  • transport resilience and major events
  • accessible transport
  • active travel (including cycling infrastructure)
  • decarbonisation and just transition of transport (including reduction on car miles)
  • aviation and air services (including HIAL)
  • Transport Scotland and other transport bodies
  • Traffic Scotland, transport data, and information systems
  • Scottish Canals

Public bodies

The following public bodies report to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport:

List of Economy Secretaries

As is typical of Scottish government roles, the Economy portfolio has gone through many iterations since its inception. The current holder is Stephen Flynn, who has held the role since May 2026.

Name Portrait Entered office Left office Party First Minister
Role formed out of Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work
Keith Brown 18 May 2016 26 June 2018 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon
Role merged with Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution
Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work
Derek Mackay 26 June 2018 5 February 2020 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon
Role merged with Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs and separated from Cabinet Secretary for Finance
Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture
Fiona Hyslop 17 February 2020 19 May 2021 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon
Role merged with Cabinet Secretary for Finance
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy
Kate Forbes 19 May 2021 28 March 2023 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon
Role separated from Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy
Neil Gray 29 March 2023 8 February 2024 Scottish National Party Humza Yousaf
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy
Màiri McAllan 8 February 2024 8 May 2024 Scottish National Party Humza Yousaf
Role separated from Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy
Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
Kate Forbes 9 May 2024 20 May 2026 Scottish National Party John Swinney
Role merged with Cabinet Secretary for Transport
Stephen Flynn 21 May 2026 Incumbent Scottish National Party John Swinney

References

  1. ↑ "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 13 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 "New Scottish Cabinet". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "New Cabinet appointed". Scottish Government. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Cabinet Appointments". Scottish Government. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  5. ↑ "Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
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