Swinney creates new Cabinet role to drive forward public sector reform
The First Minister unveiled his new Cabinet on Wednesday
John Swinney has created an entirely new Cabinet role to oversee public sector cuts of £1 billion as he unveiled what he described as a “leaner, more agile” top team.
The First Minister said his appointments should be seen as a “very clear signal” his government will push for “fiscal sustainability” amid warnings of a forecasted £5 billion black hole by the end of the decade.
Ivan McKee will be the first ever Public Service Reform Secretary, with responsibility for the government’s reform strategy, which includes reducing spending on “corporate functions” across public bodies to deliver £1 billion of efficiency savings over five years.
It came as Jenny Gilruth, the former education secretary, was promoted to Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary. She said it was “the greatest honour of my life”.
Meanwhile, Stephen Flynn, the former SNP Westminster leader who made the switch to Holyrood at the election earlier this month, was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport.
His role will take in challenging areas such as ferries and the dualling of the A9.
Asked if people should be prepared for cuts or tax rises, the First Minister told journalists: “What people should be prepared for is reform.
“That’s exactly what I’ve put at the heart of the government – public sector reform – to make sure that we deliver on the expectations of the public, but we do so in a way that is fiscally sustainable, and that is what an SNP government has done for 19 years.
“What my team will do with the focused leadership of Jenny Gilruth as Deputy First Minister, Ivan McKee as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform, working right across government to make sure that we are reforming the public sector, we will be taking the steps, and it should be seen as a very clear signal from the announcements that I have made today of a government that’s focusing on ensuring fiscal sustainability and meeting the needs of the public.”
Asked if reform was a euphemism for cuts, he said: “It’s about changing the way in which we deliver public services, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”
Neil Gray and Angela Constance have swapped their respective portfolios from the last parliament, with the former taking on the justice brief and the latter moving to health.
Mairi McAllan, who was tipped as a potential deputy first minister, will take over the education portfolio, as well as the culture and Gaelic briefs. Gillian Martin will continue in her role as Climate Action Secretary, with additional responsibility for rural affairs.
Shirley-Anne Somerville will keep her social justice brief, but with added responsibility for housing.
Responsibility for independence and the constitution will now sit directly with the First Minister, the Scottish government said.
The new Cabinet of nine, including the First Minister, is down from 12 before the election.
Meanwhile, 11 junior ministers were appointed, including roles for former MPs Stephen Gethins, Kirsten Oswald and Alison Thewliss. Mr Gethins will report directly to the First Minister as the new minister for Europe, external affairs and energy.
In a statement, Mr Swinney said: “I am immensely proud to appoint this Cabinet with the experience, energy and drive to deliver on the mandate given to us by the people of Scotland. This will be a Scottish government working for Scotland.
“As a leaner, more agile government, our full focus will be on delivering on the things that matter most to the people of Scotland, including supporting people with the cost of living crisis, ensuring easier access to the NHS and delivering a fresh start with independence.
“This new team will hit the ground running, delivering major progress on our priorities within the first 100 days, before continuing to deliver on the emphatic mandate given to us by the people of Scotland.
“This team of Cabinet Secretaries will bring experience, drive and a determination to deliver for Scotland – and this government will work harder than ever to repay the trust that people have placed in us.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the First Minister’s decision to “sack” Mr Gray from the health brief is a “catastrophic admission that Scotland’s NHS is being failed by the SNP”.
She added: “But his decision to replace him with Angela Constance – who utterly failed as justice secretary and left Scotland’s streets less safe – shows that this is not a serious attempt to fix the mess the SNP has made.
“The same failed ministers are simply being shuffled around the table, with one joker being added to the deck.
“John Swinney is kidding no-one if he thinks this amounts to a fresh start for Scotland. There is no reason to believe that the same people who created this crisis are capable of solving it.
“For the sake of patients, victims and communities across Scotland, these ministers must finally get a grip. That means no more rhetoric, no more broken promises, and no more divisive politics.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “John Swinney’s recycling of the same failed SNP faces demonstrates the chronic lack of talent at his disposal.
“Jenny Gilruth was a flop as transport minister and, as education secretary, did nothing to tackle the epidemic of classroom violence, yet she’s been rewarded with the most important portfolio and the role of Swinney’s deputy.
“Neil Gray and Angela Constance presided over crisis, chaos and scandal as health and justice secretary respectively, yet we’re to believe that things will improve by them swapping jobs.
“The SNP’s dire record on transport probably explains why Swinney has handed that poisoned chalice to Stephen Flynn, the man eyeing up his job.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said: “I wish the new Cabinet well, but they have an enormous task ahead fixing the problems created by their predecessors over the last twenty years. It will be an even bigger challenge as their predecessors are in the new cabinet too.
“The new cabinet looks pretty much like the old cabinets but just with different job titles.”
Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, assistant director at Shelter Scotland, said it was “incredibly deflating to see housing downgraded from a specific Cabinet post to a shared portfolio and the standalone housing minister effectively downgraded to a junior role”.
He added: “Playing ‘hokey cokey’ with a dedicated minister in then out of the cabinet does nothing to build confidence that ending the housing emergency remains a top priority for the new Government.
“At Shelter Scotland we of course look forward to working with Shirley-Anne Somerville on the Scottish Government’s housing emergency action plan.
“We broadly support their plan for more homes, protecting homelessness rights and tackling the racism and bias in our housing system. She is experienced at juggling the competing demands of Scotland’s social security system and worsening housing emergency.
“But without a dedicated seat at the table housing organisations will need to keep speaking out if we are to see manifesto pledges turned into action.”
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