Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at 7:59 pm on 20 January 2026.
Daniel Johnson
Labour
7:59,
20 January 2026
It is good to hear the Minister’s thanks to Skills Development Scotland, but will he acknowledge that the Scottish Government left those working for Skills Development Scotland essentially in limbo for two years while it decided what it was going to do with the Withers report? That is an entirely unsatisfactory set of circumstances, and I hope that the Scottish Government never again repeats it and leaves people, an agency and jobs in limbo in that manner.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
