At the end of March, Scotland’s new First Minister Humza Yousaf appointed a new Government Cabinet, which involved some reshuffling and the addition of some new faces.
I’ve been waiting for the Government to announce the new responsibilities for each Cabinet Secretary and each junior Minister before I blogged about the changes. Those responsibilities have now been published on the Scottish Government’s website (here).
Bizarrely, the role of Environment Minister seems to have been dropped.
Up until Yousaf’s election in March, Mairi McAllan MSP had served as the Minister for Environment and Land Reform since 2021, and was responsible for introducing the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill in March.
Following Yousaf’s election and subsequent Cabinet reshuffle, Mairi McAllan was deservedly promoted and now serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition. Her new responsibilities, although aligned to her previous portfolio, are now quite different:
Cabinet Secretary McAllan will be supported by three junior Ministers:
*Minister for Transport – Kevin Stewart MSP
*Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy & Biodiversity – Lorna Slater MSP
*Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel & Tenants’ Rights – Patrick Harvie MSP
The Land Reform portfolio appears to have been transferred to Mairi Gougeon. Prior to the reshuffle, Mairi Gougeon was the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands. Her new title is Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands. Her new, expanded portfolio is listed as follows:
Surprisingly, she does not appear to be specifically supported by any junior Ministers, and hence the position of Environment Minister no longer exists.
What does this mean in real terms? Well that remains to be seen. The good news is that Mairi Gougeon is already highly experienced in the portfolio areas on which this blog focuses – indeed, as a former Environment Minister, it was Mairi Gougeon who announced in 2020 that the Scottish Government intended to introduce a licensing scheme for grouse shooting in response to the recommendations made in the Werritty Review (see here).
Mairi is well-versed on the issue of raptor persecution, having previously acted as the Scottish Parliament’s Species Champion for hen harriers, enthusiastically offering her support for this species by way of a parliamentary debate, speaking at Hen Harrier Day, and accompanying licensed members of the Scottish Raptor Study Group on field visits to hen harrier sites (here and here).
She is an accomplished and bright politician and I look forward to her engagement with the grouse moor licensing Bill as it progresses through Parliament.
UPDATE 13th June 2023: New Environment Minister appointed to Scottish Government (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
What the hell is Just Transition? Sounds like another meaningless Quango that achieves nothing but talks a lot. Just say it as it is or shut up.
Is that you Donald ?
From my point of view this is not good news. I have held deep suspicions in regards to Mhairi Gougeon, which I have never kept secret, and the fact that she has no support in her role simply deepends them. The trigger for all this I beleive was the disempowering of Fergus Ewing who appears to have become the Unofficial Standard Bearer for Landed Interests in this push against the current ideological thread favouring the environment and land reform. Expect lots of turmoil in various areas over the next few months and a biased media.
I dislike placing politics central on this site but I do feel that this is serious and am simply tipping the wink so interested observers can make their own minds up. I believe the forthcoming Grouse Licensing Bill will be written and passed in a manner that solves very little of the current problems if this succeeds.
If what “succeeds”, George? The “disempowering” of Fergus Ewing can only have been a good thing – a sign that things are changing for the better.
It was a “changing of the guard” only Greg, as the others remain in place. In politics the winners play “the long game.” I don’t know if you have noticed but there appears to many that a direct attack is being made on the Green and Liberal components. In politics it is generally those playing “the long game” that triumph.
Are the lists complete? Nobody seems to be in charge of Scottish Natural Heritage?
Lorna Slater has the Biodiversity title, but Mairi Gougeon has more of the “area”.
Not clear is not good.
You say “The good news is that Mairi Gougeon is already highly experienced in the portfolio areas on which this blog focuses”…..Really? Are any of this lot ‘highly experienced’? Highly incompetent perhaps.
Just opinion. Not even your own opinion, or even your own words. Really.