| Post: | Minister for Parliamentary Business |
| Native Name: | Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Ministear airson Gnothaichean na Pàrlamaid |
| Incumbent: | Jamie Hepburn |
| Incumbentsince: | 8 May 2024 |
| Style: | Minister (within parliament) Parliamentary Business Minister (informal) Scottish Parliamentary Business Minister (outwith Scotland) |
| Appointer: | First Minister |
| Formation: | 19 May 1999 |
| Inaugural: | Tom McCabe |
| Reports To: | Scottish Parliament |
| Salary: | £106,185 per annum [1] (including £72,196 MSP salary) |
| Seat: | Edinburgh |
The Minister for Parliamentary Business (Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Ministear a’ Chaibineit agus Gnothaichean na Pàrlamaid) is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. The minister supports the First Minister and attends cabinet. The minister has the job of steering government business through the Scottish Parliament.
The current minister is Jamie Hepburn, who was appointed in May 2024.
The post was originally created in May 1999 as Chief Whip and Government Business Manager as a cabinet position in the Labour Liberal Scottish Executive along with the junior Deputy Business Manager, both positions where renamed after a few weeks to the Minister for Parliament and Deputy Minister for Parliament respectively. The posts where renamed again in November 2001 to Minister for Parliamentary Business and Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business following the election of Jack McConnell as First Minister.[2]
The a cabinet post was downgrade to that of a junior minister reporting to the First Minister following the election of an SNP minority government in May 2007.[3] The post remained a junior one until the May 2011 Scottish Parliament election after which a new cabinet post of Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy was established with the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip reporting to it,[4] this set up remained in place until a government reshuffle in September 2012 saw the cabinet post abolished with responsibility of Government Strategy being given to the Deputy First Minister,[5] and the post of Minister for Parliamentary Business being re-established reporting to both First Minister and Deputy First Minister.[6]
This changed in the reshuffle announced on 21 November 2014, with Joe FitzPatrick reporting directly to Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney. In the June 2018 reshuffle cabinet level responsibility for parliamentary business was assigned to the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, who is supported by the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans.[7]
In May 2021, following the Nicola Sturgeon's SNP victory, George Adam was promoted to Minister for Parliamentary Business, with the post losing responsibility of veteran affairs.
Government Business Manager and Chief Whip | |||||||
| Name | width=75 | Portrait | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | First Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom McCabe | 19 May 1999 | 12 June 1999 | Labour Party | Donald Dewar | |||
Minister for Parliament | |||||||
| Tom McCabe | 12 June 1999 | 27 November 2001 | Labour Party | Donald Dewar Henry McLeish | |||
Minister for Parliamentary Business | |||||||
| Patricia Ferguson | 27 November 2001 | 4 October 2004 | Labour Party | Jack McConnell | |||
| Margaret Curran | 4 October 2004 | 17 May 2007 | Labour Party | Jack McConnell | |||
Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy | |||||||
| Bruce Crawford | 19 May 2011 | 5 September 2012 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | |||
| Michael Russell | 26 June 2018 | 17 February 2020 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
Deputy Business Manager and Liberal Democrat Whip | ||||||
| Name | Portrait | Entered Office | Left Office | Party | First Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iain Smith | 19 May 1999 | 12 June 1999 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Donald Dewar | ||
Deputy Minister for Parliament | ||||||
| Iain Smith | 12 June 1999 | 1 November 2000 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Henry McLeish | ||
| Tavish Scott | 1 November 2000 | 9 March 2001 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Henry McLeish | ||
| Euan Robson | 9 March 2001 | 28 November 2001 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Henry McLeish | ||
Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business | ||||||
| Euan Robson | 28 November 2001 | 21 May 2003 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Jack McConnell | ||
| Tavish Scott | 21 May 2003 | 29 June 2005 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Jack McConnell | ||
| George Lyon | 29 June 2005 | 16 May 2007 | Scottish Liberal Democrats | Jack McConnell | ||
Minister for Parliamentary Business | ||||||
| Bruce Crawford | 17 May 2007 | 19 May 2011 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | ||
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip | ||||||
| Brian Adam | 19 May 2011 | 5 September 2012 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | ||
Minister for Parliamentary Business | ||||||
| Joe FitzPatrick | 5 September 2012 | 28 June 2018 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | ||
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans | ||||||
| Graeme Dey | 28 June 2018 | 20 May 2021 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | ||
Minister for Parliamentary Business | ||||||
| George Adam | 20 May 2021 | 29 March 2023 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | ||
Minister for Cabinet and Parliamentary Business | ||||||
| George Adam | 29 March 2023 | 20 June 2023 | Scottish National Party | Humza Yousaf | ||
Minister for Parliamentary Business | ||||||
| George Adam | 20 June 2023 | 8 May 2024 | Scottish National Party | Humza Yousaf | ||
| Jamie Hepburn | 8 May 2024 | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | John Swinney | ||