| Post: | Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity |
| Native Name: | Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Ministear airson Gnothaichean na Pàrlamaid |
| Incumbent: | Jim Fairlie |
| Incumbentsince: | 20 February 2024 |
| Seat: | Edinburgh |
| Appointer: | First Minister |
| Inaugural: | Sarah Boyack |
| Formation: | 19 May 1999 |
| Salary: | £106,185 per annum [1] (including £72,196 MSP salary) |
The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity is a member of the Scottish Government who reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands. As a Junior Minister the post holder is not a member of the Scottish Government Cabinet.
The current minister is Jim Fairlie, who was appointed in February 2024 following Fiona Hyslop's appointment as Cabinet Secretary for Transport. Hyslop previously held the role as the junior Minister for Transport from June 2023 to February 2024.[2]
Current responsibilities include:[3]
From the advent of devolution in 1999, the ministerial portfolios of transport and infrastructure were combined with Environment to form the Minister for Transport and the Environment. From 2000 to 2001, in the government of First Minister Henry McLeish, the environment brief was removed and replaced with planning and the officeholder was styled the Minister for Transport and Planning. The government of First Minister Jack McConnell, from November 2001 to May 2003, combined the transport, planning and infrastructure briefs with economic affairs and further education, headed by the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning.
The 2nd McConnell government from 2003, created a cabinet position for transport and infrastructure - the officeholder being titled the Minister for Transport. Following a government reshuffle in 2005, the position was renamed Minister for Transport and Telecommunications.
The government of First Minister Alex Salmond, elected after the May 2007 Scottish general election, reduced the size of the Scottish Cabinet. Overall responsibility for transport, infrastructure, planning and climate change, came under the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, however direct responsibility was vested in the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, a junior ministerial position within the Scottish Government. In 2010, Climate Change functions were transferred to the junior Environment Minister, with the portfolio becoming Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. After the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the transport function was given to Alex Neil MSP, as Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment.
Minister for Transport and the Environment | |||||||
| Name | width=75 | Portrait | Term start | Term end | Party | First Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Boyack | 19 May 1999 | 29 October 2000 | Labour | Donald Dewar | |||
Minister for Transport and Planning | |||||||
| Sarah Boyack | 29 October 2000 | 27 November 2001 | Labour | ||||
Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning | |||||||
| Wendy Alexander | 27 November 2001 | 3 May 2002 | Labour | ||||
| Iain Gray | 3 May 2002 | 20 May 2003 | |||||
Minister for Transport and Telecommunications | |||||||
| Nicol Stephen | 20 May 2003 | 23 June 2005 | Liberal Democrats | ||||
| Tavish Scott | 29 June 2005 | 29 January 2006 | |||||
Minister for Transport | |||||||
| Tavish Scott | 30 January 2006 | 17 May 2007 | Liberal Democrats | ||||
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change | |||||||
| Stewart Stevenson | 17 May 2007 | 11 December 2010 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | |||
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure | |||||||
| Keith Brown[4] | 11 December 2010 | 19 May 2011 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | |||
Minister for Housing and Transport | |||||||
| Keith Brown | 19 May 2011 | 5 September 2012 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | |||
Minister for Transport and Veterans | |||||||
| Keith Brown | 5 September 2012 | 21 November 2014 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond | |||
Minister for Transport and Islands | |||||||
| Derek Mackay | 21 November 2014 | 18 May 2016 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
Minister for Transport and the Islands | |||||||
| Humza Yousaf | 18 May 2016 | 26 June 2018 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands | |||||||
| Paul Wheelhouse | 27 June 2018 | 20 May 2021 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
Minister for Transport | |||||||
| Graeme Dey | 20 May 2021 | 24th January 2022 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon | |||
| Jenny Gilruth | 24 January 2022 | 29 March 2023 | |||||
| Kevin Stewart | 29 March 2023 | 6 June 2023 | Humza Yousaf | ||||
| Fiona Hyslop | 13 June 2023 | 20 February 2024 | |||||
Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity | |||||||
| Jim Fairlie | 20 February 2024 | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | Humza Yousaf John Swinney | |||