The Minister for Parliamentary Business & Veterans () is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. The minister supports the First Minister and attends cabinet. The minister has the job of steering government business through the Scottish Parliament.
The current Minister for Parliamentary Business & Veterans is Jamie Hepburn, who was appointed on 20 May 2026.
History The post was originally created in May 1999 as Chief Whip and Government Business Manager as a cabinet position in the Labour Liberal Scottish Executive along with the junior Deputy Business Manager, both positions were renamed after a few weeks to the Minister for Parliament and Deputy Minister for Parliament respectively. The posts were renamed again in November 2001 to Minister for Parliamentary Business and Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business following the election of Jack McConnell as First Minister.
The cabinet post was downgraded to that of a junior minister reporting to the First Minister following the election of an SNP minority government in May 2007. The post remained a junior one until the May 2011 Scottish Parliament election after which a new cabinet post of Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy was established with the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip reporting to it. This set up remained in place until a government reshuffle in September 2012 saw the cabinet post abolished with responsibility of Government Strategy being given to the Deputy First Minister, and the post of Minister for Parliamentary Business being re-established reporting to both First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
This changed in the reshuffle announced on 21 November 2014, with Joe FitzPatrick reporting directly to Deputy First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney. In the June 2018 reshuffle cabinet level responsibility for parliamentary business was assigned to the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, who is supported by the Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans.
In May 2021, following the Nicola Sturgeon's SNP victory, George Adam was promoted to Minister for Parliamentary Business, with the post losing responsibility of veteran affairs.
List of office holders
Cabinet position Government Business Manager and Chief WhipNamePortraitEntered officeLeft officePartyFirst Minister Tom McCabe 19 May 1999 12 June 1999Labour PartyDonald Dewar Minister for Parliament Tom McCabe 12 June 199927 November 2001Labour PartyDonald Dewar Henry McLeish Minister for Parliamentary Business Patricia Ferguson 27 November 2001 4 October 2004 Labour Party Jack McConnell Margaret Curran 4 October 2004 17 May 2007 Labour Party Jack McConnell Cabinet Secretary for Parliamentary Business and Government Strategy Bruce Crawford 19 May 20115 September 2012Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations Michael Russell 26 June 201817 February 2020Scottish National PartyNicola Sturgeon
Junior Minister
Deputy Business Manager and Liberal Democrat Whip NamePortraitEntered officeLeft officePartyFirst Minister Iain Smith19 May 1999 12 June 1999Scottish Liberal DemocratsDonald Dewar Deputy Minister for Parliament Iain Smith12 June 19991 November 2000Scottish Liberal DemocratsHenry McLeish Tavish Scott1 November 20009 March 2001Scottish Liberal DemocratsHenry McLeish Euan Robson9 March 200128 November 2001Scottish Liberal DemocratsHenry McLeish Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Business Euan Robson 28 November 200121 May 2003Scottish Liberal DemocratsJack McConnell Tavish Scott21 May 200329 June 2005Scottish Liberal DemocratsJack McConnell George Lyon29 June 200516 May 2007Scottish Liberal DemocratsJack McConnell Minister for Parliamentary Business Bruce Crawford17 May 200719 May 2011Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Minister for Parliamentary Business and Chief Whip Brian Adam19 May 20115 September 2012Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Minister for Parliamentary Business Joe FitzPatrick5 September 201228 June 2018Scottish National PartyAlex Salmond Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans Graeme Dey28 June 201820 May 2021Scottish National PartyNicola Sturgeon Minister for Parliamentary Business George Adam20 May 202129 March 2023Scottish National PartyNicola Sturgeon Minister for Cabinet and Parliamentary Business George Adam29 March 202320 June 2023Scottish National PartyHumza Yousaf Minister for Parliamentary Business George Adam20 June 20238 May 2024Scottish National PartyHumza Yousaf Jamie Hepburn8 May 202419 September 2025Scottish National PartyJohn Swinney Graeme Dey21 September 202520 May 2026 Scottish National PartyJohn Swinney Minister for Parliamentary Business & Veterans Jamie Hepburn21 May 2026IncumbentScottish National PartyJohn Swinney
See also Scottish Parliament Scottish Government
References
External links Minister for Parliamentary Business - Scottish Government Minister for Parliamentary Business - Scottish Parliament