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Minister for Business
Scottish Gaelic: Ministear airson Gnothachais
Incumbent Richard Lochhead since 29 March 2023
Style	Minister (within parliament) Business Minister (informal) Scottish Business Minister (outwith Scotland)
Member of	Scottish Parliament Scottish Government
Reports to	Scottish Parliament
Seat	Edinburgh
Appointer	First Minister
Inaugural holder	Jim Mather Minister for Enterprise Energy and Tourism
Formation	17 May 2007
Salary	£106,185 per annum (2024) (including £72,196 MSP salary)
Website	www.gov.scot

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The Minister for Business is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was retitled in May 2024, with the Minister supporting the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, Kate Forbes.

List of office holders

The current Minister for Business is Richard Lochhead.

Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Jim Mather		17 May 2007	20 May 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism
	Fergus Ewing		20 May 2011	18 May 2016	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy
	Paul Wheelhouse		18 May 2016	27 June 2018	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills
	Jamie Hepburn		27 June 2018	20 May 2021	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise
	Ivan McKee		20 May 2021	29 March 2023	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade
	Richard Lochhead		29 March 2023	8 May 2024	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf
Minister for Business
	Richard Lochhead		8 May 2024	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	John Swinney

History

From 1999 to 2007, enterprise and energy were the responsibility of the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. The Second McConnell government from 2003 to 2007 instituted Tourism as a portfolio, combined with Culture and Sport, as the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport. The Salmond government, elected following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election created the junior post of Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism by combining the roles. In November 2014 his post became the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism, as part of the first Sturgeon government. The post was retitled as Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy as part of the second Sturgeon government, and renamed again in June 2018 to Business, Fair Work and Skills. Upon the creation of the Third Sturgeon Government, the post was once more retitled as Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise.

See also

• Scottish Parliament

References

1. "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 10 May 2024.
2. Scotland Act (1998), Only those appointed under Section 47 of the Scotland Act "attend" Cabinet. Junior ministers are appointed under Section 49 and may be "present".
3. ^ "Minister for Business - gov.scot". Scottish Government. Retrieved 10 May 2024.

External links

• Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy on Scottish Government website

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