Queen opens Parliament

Well the new Parliament has been sorted out since the Nationalist landslide in the May elections.
The Queen has performed the official opening of the fourth session of the Scottish Parliament, saying Holyrood had become integral to public life.
All can be viewed on the BBC website with video!

And now they all go on holiday -from Holyrood anyway!


I was interested to look at the line-up of the new Parliamentary appointments as it gives a better idea of what goes on there. I try to appreciate the work of our representatives and those who support them and indeed pray for them all -but am vague about what they are up to. Clearly a lot of hard work is involved.
Below is information from SCPO which I find helpful.

The SCPO Briefing gave an overview of the appointments made to Government and Parliament positions, in addition to opposition spokespeople, at the beginning of the 4th session of the Scottish Parliament elected in May 2011.

Ministerial and Opposition Appointments

Some opposition appointments cut across more than one government portfolio; where this happens, the opposition appointment is listed under all relevant departments. At the time of writing, the Green Party had not announced their spokespeople, and this information was therefore unavailable.


First Minister: Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP

Responsibilities include: Head of the devolved Scottish Government; responsible for development, implementation and presentation of Government policy, constitutional affairs including Referendum Bill, and for promoting and representing Scotland.

Opposition appointments:

Leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament: Iain Gray MSP

Leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament: Annabel Goldie MSP

Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats: Willie Rennie MSP

Co-Convener of the Green Party: Patrick Harvie MSP

Conservatives

Chief Whip, Business Manager and Constitutional Affairs Spokesman: David McLetchie MSP

Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy:

Nicola Sturgeon MSP

Responsibilities include: NHS, health service reform, allied healthcare services, acute and primary services, performance, quality and improvement framework, health promotion, sport, Commonwealth Games, public health, health improvement, pharmaceutical services, food safety and dentistry, community care, older people, mental health, learning disability, carers, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, substance misuse, social inclusion, equalities, anti-poverty measures, veterans, and cities strategy.

Government Ministers

Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport: Shona Robison MSP

Minister for Public Health: Michael Matheson MSP

Opposition Appointments
Labour

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy – Jackie Baillie MSP

Shadow Minister for Health: Dr Richard Simpson MSP

Conservatives

Health and Wellbeing Spokesman (also Deputy Leader): Murdo Fraser MSP

Health Spokesman: Mary Scanlon MSP

Public Health and Sport Spokesman: Nanette Milne MSP

Liberal Democrats

Responsibility for Health: Alison McInnes MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth: John Swinney MSP
Responsibilities include: The economy, the Scottish Budget, employment, public service reform, deregulation, local government, public service delivery, and community planning, Registers of Scotland, Scottish Public Pensions Agency, relocation, e-government, budgetary monitoring, business and industry including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, trade and inward investment, corporate social responsibility, voluntary sector and the social economy, community business and co-operative development, energy, renewables, tourism, building standards, land use planning system.

Government Ministers

Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism: Fergus Ewing MSP

Minister for Local Government and Planning: Aileen Campbell MSP

Opposition Appointments
Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth: Richard Baker MSP
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government: Michael McMahon MSP
Shadow Minister for Finance and Infrastructure: Rhoda Grant MSP

Conservatives
Economy Spokesman: Gavin Brown MSP

Liberal Democrats
Responsibility for Business & Economy: Tavish Scott MSP

Education and Lifelong Learning


Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning: Michael Russell MSP
Responsibilities include: Further and higher education, science and lifelong learning, school education, early years, training and skills, new education agency, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, nurseries and childcare, children's services, children's hearings, social work, Gaelic and Scots.

Government Ministers
Minister for Children and Young People: Angela Constance MSP
Minister for Learning and Skills (with responsibility for Gaelic & Scots): Dr Alasdair Allan MSP

Opposition Appointments


Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning:Ken Macintosh MSP
Shadow Minister for Education: Claire Baker MSP

Conservatives
Education and Lifelong Learning Spokesman: Liz Smith MSP

Liberal Democrats
Responsibility for Education: Liam McArthur MSP

Parliament and Government Strategy

Cabinet Secretary for Parliament and Government Strategy: Bruce Crawford MSP
Responsibilities include: Parliamentary affairs and the management of Government business in the Parliament, and developing Government strategy and co-ordinating policy delivery across portfolios.


Government Minister
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip: Brian Adam MSP

Opposition Appointments
Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business: Paul Martin MSP
Labour Chief Whip: John Park MSP

Conservatives
Chief Whip, Business Manager and Constitutional Affairs Spokesman: David McLetchie MSP

Justice

Cabinet Secretary for Justice: Kenny MacAskill MSP
Responsibilities include: Criminal law and procedure, youth justice, criminal justice social work, police, prisons and sentencing policy, legal aid, legal profession, courts and law reform, anti-social behaviour, sectarianism, human rights, fire and rescue services, community safety, civil contingencies, drugs policy and related matters, liquor licensing, vulnerable witnesses, victim support and civil law, charity law, religious and faith organisations.

Government Minister
Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs (with responsibility for tackling sectarianism): Roseanna Cunningham MSP

Opposition Appointments

Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice (and Deputy Leader of Scottish Labour): Johann Lamont MSP
Shadow Minister for Justice: James Kelly MSP

Conservatives
Justice Spokesman: John Lamont MSP

Liberal Democrats
Responsibility for Justice: Alison McInnes

Rural Affairs and the Environment

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment: Richard Lochhead MSP
Responsibilities include: Agriculture, fisheries and rural development including aquaculture and forestry, environment and natural heritage, land reform, water quality regulation, sustainable development and climate change.

Government Minister

Minister for Environment and Climate Change: Stewart Stevenson MSP

Opposition Appointments

Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment: Sarah Boyack MSP
Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment: Elaine Murray MSP

Conservatives
Rural Affairs and the Environment Spokesman: Alex Fergusson MSP
Environment Spokesman: Jamie McGrigor MSP

Liberal Democrats
Responsibility for Rural Affairs and Environment: Jim Hume MSP

Culture and External Affairs

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs: Fiona Hyslop MSP
Responsibilities include: Europe, external affairs, culture and the arts, broadcasting, architecture, built heritage, Historic Scotland and lottery funding, National Records of Scotland, and major events strategy.

Opposition Appointments

Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs: Patricia Ferguson MSP

Conservatives
Culture Spokesman: Ruth Davidson MSP

Infrastructure and Capital Investment

Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Alex Neil MSP
Responsibilities include: Scottish Water, procurement, European Structural Funds, Scottish Futures Trust, transport policy and delivery, public transport, road, rail services, air and ferry services, housing, communities and regeneration.

Government Minister:

Minister for Housing and Transport: Keith Brown MSP

Opposition Appointments

Labour
Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment: Lewis Macdonald MSP
Shadow Minister for Finance and Infrastructure: Rhoda Grant MSP

Conservatives
Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Spokesman: Jackson Carlaw MSP
Housing and Communities Spokesman: Alex Johnstone MSP

Liberal Democrats

Responsibility for Housing and Transport: Jim Hume MSP

Lord Advocate: Frank Mulholland

Solicitor General: Lesley Thomson

Scottish Parliament Appointments

Presiding Officer: Tricia Marwick MSP (elected as SNP member for Mid Fife and Glenrothers; now no party affiliation)

Deputy Presiding Officers: Elaine Smith MSP (Labour), and John Scott MSP (Conservative)

Parliamentary Bureau

Remit: This is, in effect, the Business Committee of the Parliament, convened by the Presiding Officer. Parties with 5 or more members in the Parliament are entitled to a seat on the Parliamentary Bureau.Members:
Bruce Crawford MSP (SNP)
Paul Martin MSP (Labour)
David McLetchie MSP (Conservatives)
Alison McInnes MSP (Lib Dem)

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
Remit: This is described as the "Board" of the Parliament dealing with internal administration, including staffing, resources and the security of the Parliament building.

Members:
Linda Fabiani MSP (SNP)
Liam McArthur MSP (Lib Dem)
Mary Scanlon MSP (Conservatives)
David Stewart MSP (Labour)

Scottish Parliament Committees
Committees play a central part in the work of the Parliament in scrutinising legislation and conducting inquiries. Committee membership and the allocation of conveners is proportional, according to the number of MSPs each party has in the Parliament.

(Further details including information about  the Committees responsibilities and membership can be obtained from the SCPO website or of course from the Scottish Government)