Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 27 August 2020.
Fiona Hyslop
Scottish National Party
As the member has identified, the transport issues are for the transport secretary, and, indeed, the growth deals are the responsibility of Michael Matheson, as the Cabinet secretary with responsibility for transport and infrastructure
. I will draw his attention to the member’s concerns, and I am sure that Transport Scotland will already have let him know about the issue. However, the member’s question underlines how all the agencies, as well as the local authorities in Ayrshire, have to work together, which is why we are keen to get the United Kingdom Government to agree to sign the Ayrshire growth deal as soon as possible. I understand that Scotland Office ministers, too, are keen for it to happen; I think the issue lies with the Treasury, so we will impress on the Treasury that it will improve the situation if we can get ahead with the Ayrshire growth deal and have it signed.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
