Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government

Responsibilities

The Cabinet Secretary is responsible for: 

• infrastructure policy cross-government co-ordination (policy, investment, and commission)
• local government
• local government finance
• public sector reform policy, including civil service operations
• Scottish Futures Trust

Budget

• exchequer and the public finances
• fiscal and taxation policy including Scottish Income Tax
• Fiscal Framework Review
• public sector pay
• Scottish Budget, budgetary monitoring and reporting, including Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)
• Scottish Fiscal Commission

Supporting Ministers 

• Minister for Public Finance

Biography

Shona was born in Redcar in 1966. Educated at Alva Academy, she went on to graduate from Glasgow University with a Social Sciences MA and Jordanhill College with a Postgraduate Certificate in Community Education. Previously she worked for Glasgow City Council's Social Work Department.

Shona was MSP for the North East from 1999 to 2003 and elected MSP for Dundee East in 2003. Latterly, she was Shadow Minster for Health and Social Justice and a member of the Parliament's Health Committee before being appointed Minister for Public Health in the Scottish Government after the May 2007 election.

She was re-elected in May 2011 and appointed Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, and was made Cabinet Secretary for Health in November 2014. She was appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in May 2016, and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government in May 2021. Shona Robison was Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance between March 2023 and May 2024. 

• Read more about Shona Robison on the Scottish Parliament website.