Minister for Environment

The Minister for Environment is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet unless his / her Cabinet Secretary is absent. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority administration and the minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. The Minister for Environment takes the lead role in environment and natural heritage,crofting, forestry, aquaculture, land reform, access, water quality regulation and sustainable development.cite web |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet |title=Scottish Executive - Scottish Cabinet and Ministers |publisher=Scottish Executive |accessdate=2007-07-25]

Minister

The current Minister for Environment is Michael Russell MSP.cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2081920,00.html |title=Salmond sworn in as First Minister |date=2007-05-17 |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2007-07-25]

History

In the first Dewar Government, the environment brief was the responsibility of the Minister for Transport and Environment and the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Land Reform, changing to the Minister of the Environment, Sport and Culture and the Deputy Minister for Rural Development from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 and 2007, environment was combined with the rural affairs brief for the Minister for the Environment and Rural Development, with the associated deputy post of Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development. The Salmond government, elected following the the Scottish Parliament election, 2007 created the junior post of the Minister for Environment who assists the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, in the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department.

List of office holders

The current Minister for Environment is Michael Russell MSP.cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2081920,00.html |title=Salmond sworn in as First Minister |date=2007-05-17 |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2007-07-25]

References

ee also

*Scottish Parliament
*Question Time
*Scottish Government

External links

* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet Scottish Ministers - the Scottish Cabinet]
* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet/michaelrussellmsp Minister for Environment - Scottish Government]