Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Meeting date: Thursday, June 27, 2024

Official Report 988KB pdf

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Minister and Junior Minister

The next item of business is a debate on motions S6M-13771 and S6M-13772, in the name of John Swinney, on appointment of a Scottish minister and appointment of a junior Scottish minister. I remind members that, under rule 11.3.1 of standing orders, the question on the motions will be put immediately after the debate, and I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons.

12:52  

I am sure that I speak for all members when I say that Mr Whitfield’s speech came as a great relief to us all in resolving that particular matter.

The motions in my name seek Parliament’s approval that Gillian Martin be appointed as Scottish minister and Alastair Allan be appointed as Scottish junior minister. Before I go on, though, I want to express my best wishes to Màiri McAllan as she temporarily leaves her Cabinet post to go on maternity leave. She is an outstanding and much-valued cabinet secretary, with responsibility for Scotland’s response to one of the defining challenges of our age—climate change—and she has never shied away from taking the big decisions and always seeks to push the powers of her portfolio to their limits.

Important though her Cabinet role is, it is nothing compared to the role that she is about to take on as a mother and a parent, when, with her husband Iain, they welcome their first child into their lives. There is no more vital task in our society than giving our children the best possible start in life and, although we will miss Màiri McAllan around the Cabinet table, she has my full support to take the time that she wishes to take and which she needs on maternity leave, knowing that her job will be there for her on her return. I am sad to say that that is not the experience of all women, but it is a message that I am keen for my Government to promote strongly. There should be no barrier to women holding senior positions in organisations from having children, and they deserve our full support to be able to do so. [Applause.] I know that the whole chamber will join me in sending our best wishes to Màiri and Iain as they await their new arrival.

As for today’s appointments, while Màiri McAllan takes her maternity leave, I have asked Gillian Martin to assume her responsibilities and become acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy. Gillian Martin has served as the Minister for Climate Action since May, but she has held similar briefs as a minister for some time before that. Before she was elected to Parliament, she spent time working in the energy industry and, as a representative of the north-east, she fully understands the complexities and the opportunities of her new role as she leads the Scottish Government’s efforts to deliver a just transition. She will also retain responsibility for the circular economy.

With Gillian Martin moving into a Cabinet position, I have asked Dr Alasdair Allan to take on her responsibilities and become Acting Minister for Climate Action. Dr Allan is no stranger to ministerial office, having served as a minister for many years previously in education and external affairs roles. He is well used to engaging with and listening to a wide variety of stakeholders on areas of critical importance to the Government. As a long-serving member of the Scottish Parliament for the Western Isles, Dr Allan brings a particular perspective to a portfolio where considering the needs of rural communities is absolutely vital, including on issues such as renewable heating and energy efficiency.

By the end of next week, we will have a new United Kingdom Government. We will await the result of the election. Although the chamber is about to rise for its summer recess, ministers across my Government will be seeking to engage promptly and constructively with counterparts in Westminster over the summer period. Gillian Martin and Dr Allan are both very keen to pursue their responsibilities, and I ask Parliament to approve their appointments today.

I move,

That the Parliament agrees that Gillian Martin be appointed as a Scottish Minister.

That the Parliament agrees that Alasdair Allan be appointed as a junior Scottish Minister.

12:56  

I extend my best wishes to Màiri McAllan as she heads off on maternity leave. I am sure that she will be a fantastic mum, and I look forward to seeing her back in Parliament later in the session. As a parent, I remember only too well the sleepless nights, the stress and the worry, but I guess that, as a member of the SNP Government, that is something that Ms McAllan is already used to.

I also welcome Gillian Martin to the role of cabinet secretary. She will bring a wealth of experience to the position, and it is good to see a former oil and gas spin doctor, as The Ferret referred to her, becoming cabinet secretary. I enjoy debating with Gillian Martin because I am sure that, deep down, she does not agree with her party’s presumption against oil and gas, and I am sure that, deep down, she supports the Rosebank development. I look forward to her changing her party’s position and protecting the north-east economy. I also want to congratulate Dr Alasdair Allan on getting back into Government—finally, a recycling target that the Government has met. We will support the motion today.

12:57  

As others have done, I send my best wishes to Màiri McAllan and Iain for the arrival of what will be a bundle of joy that will take up all the time that they have. I read that Màiri McAllan said:

“how could I complain”

about being given, as the pregnant lady,

“more work as opposed to what might have happened in previous decades when you were written off?”

I echo the First Minister’s very powerful statements about that; this is a very significant move. I congratulate the Government and, more importantly, Màiri McAllan. I also like the fact that the First Minister has given Màiri McAllan an open-door offer to return to her job at the right time—when she is ready. I would listen very carefully to that.

On the appointments, I say to Gillian Martin, who was already in the Government and has been invited to step up to Màiri McAllan’s role, that I know that she will fulfil that fully and successfully. To Dr Alasdair Allan, whom I have had the pleasure of working with, I say that when I read about his prospective appointment, I was reminded of a book that he had written some while ago. He said that his account of his journey from Berwick to the Solway Firth would be

“appreciated by anyone who likes dry humour and wet weather.”

I look forward to that returning to the Scottish Government at this time, and we will support the motion today.

12:59  

I start by welcoming Gillian Martin and Alasdair Allan to their new roles. Those roles are essential to tackling the climate crisis and accelerating our path to net zero. I am sure that both Ms Martin and Dr Allan will not be surprised to hear that we will be pushing them hard on much of the work that we need to see progressed in the next year or so.

With more young women in Parliament than ever, we need to keep in mind that we need to look at how we support those going on maternity leave. The Government is able to reshuffle to cover those responsibilities, but there is no equivalent support for regional or constituency responsibilities to allow maternity leave to be proper leave. We should learn from those who have taken maternity leave this parliamentary session and look at how we as a Parliament could make that support better, including by exploring locum cover.

On behalf of my party, I take the opportunity to wish Màiri McAllan well for the arrival of her baby. We wish her, her husband Iain and the rest of the family all the best for this new adventure and the expansion of their family. I very much hope that Màiri McAllan has a good and peaceful maternity leave—as much as it can be—and I am sure that the whole Parliament looks forward to meeting the new arrival in the coming months.

That concludes the debate on the appointment of Scottish ministers and junior Scottish ministers.

There are two questions to be put. The first question is, that motion S6M-13771, in the name of John Swinney, on the appointment of a Scottish minister, be agreed to.

Motion agreed to,

That the Parliament agrees that Gillian Martin be appointed as a Scottish Minister.

The next question is, that motion S6M-13772, in the name of John Swinney, on the appointment of a junior Scottish minister, be agreed to.

Motion agreed to,

That the Parliament agrees that Alasdair Allan be appointed as a junior Scottish Minister.

We move to the next item of business. I will allow a moment for front-bench members to organise themselves.