Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science

The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science is a Junior ministerial post in the Education Department of the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority administration and the Minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. The Minister has specific responsibility for school education, qualifications, science, Gaelic and Scots HM Inspectorate of Education and the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

Minister

The current Minister Further Education, Higher Education and Science is Shirley-Anne Somerville.

Minister for Schools and Skills
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Maureen Watt	75px	17 May 2007	10 February 2009	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
	Keith Brown	75px	12 February 2009	12 December 2010	Scottish National Party
Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning
	Keith Brown	75px	17 January 2009	11 December 2010	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
	Angela Constance	75px	11 December 2010	20 May 2011	Scottish National Party
Minister for Learning and Skills
	Alasdair Allan		20 May 2011	7 December 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages
	Alasdair Allan		7 December 2011	18 May 2016	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science
	Shirley-Anne Somerville	75px	18 May 2016	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon

History

From 1999 to 2000, responsibility for schools rested with the Minister for Children and Education, which became the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs in the McLeish Government of 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2007, the schools portfolio rested with the Minister for Education and Young People. The skills brief also rested with the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning between 1999 and 2007.

The Salmond government, elected following the Scottish Parliament election, 2007, created the junior post of the Minister for Schools and Skills who assisted the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, in the Scottish Executive Education Department. This was then retitled on 7 December 2011 following the creation of the Minister of Youth Employment post which took over the responsibility for skills and training. A further change occurred in May 2016, following Nicola Sturgeon's reshuffle. The post was rebranded as Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science.

See also

• Scottish Parliament
• Question Time
• Scottish Government

External links

• The Scottish Cabinet on Scottish Government website
• Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science on Scottish Government website