John Swinney has denied appointing a minister for job cuts after Ivan McKee was handed a role specialising in 'Public Service Reform'.
John Swinney has denied appointing a minister for job cuts after Ivan McKee was handed a role specialising in "Public Service Reform".former Nationalist leader at Westminster replied "don't be silly" when asked by reporters outside Bute House if he was after the biggest role in Scottish politics.
Flynn, the new Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Transport and Tourism, is the newest face in Swinney's top team after the First Minister chose to rearrange his deckchairs and appoint a series of SNP veterans to other top roles. Angela Constance is now Health Secretary after doing a job swap with Neil Gray, who takes up her old job of Justice Secretary. And there was a surprise promotion for Jenny Gilruth after she was named Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary.
Her previous job of Education Secretary has been given to Mairi McAllan, who some had expected to be named Swinney's second-in-command. Ivan McKee, previously a junior minister, has been promoted to Cabinet level with a new role as Public Sector Reform Secretary. He will be charged with plugging a £5 billion blackhole in the Scottish Government's finances, with a sharp reduction in civil service headcount expected.
Shirley-Anne Somerville continues as Social Justice Secretary and has now been handed responsibility for Housing. Speaking outside Bute House, Swinney said the Cabinet appointments sent a "very clear signal" his Government will push for "fiscal sustainability". And the First Minister rejected suggestions a push for reform would mean cuts.
"What people should be prepared for is reform," he said. "That’s exactly what I’ve put at the heart of Government – public sector reform – to make sure that we deliver on the expectations of the public, but we do so in a way that is fiscally sustainable, and that is what an SNP Government has done for 19 years.
"He continued: “I am immensely proud to appoint this Cabinet with the experience, energy and drive to deliver on the mandate given to us by the people of Scotland. This will be a Scottish Government working for Scotland.
“As a leaner, more agile government, our full focus will be on delivering on the things that matter most to the people of Scotland, including supporting people with the cost of living crisis, ensuring easier access to the NHS and delivering a fresh start with independence. “This new team will hit the ground running, delivering major progress on our priorities within the first 100 days, before continuing to deliver on the emphatic mandate given to us by the people of Scotland.
“This team of Cabinet Secretaries will bring experience, drive and a determination to deliver for Scotland – and this government will work harder than ever to repay the trust that people have placed in us. ” But Labour was scathing of the SNP Government's record on the NHS after Gray was removed as Health Secretary.
Jackie Baillie, the party's health spokeswoman, said: "John Swinney’s decision to sack Neil Gray as Health Secretary is a catastrophic admission that Scotland’s NHS is being failed by the SNP.
"But his decision to replace him with Angela Constance - who utterly failed as Justice Secretary and left Scotland’s streets less safe - shows that this is not a serious attempt to fix the mess the SNP has made. "The same failed ministers are simply being shuffled around the table with one joker being added to the deck. John Swinney is kidding no-one if he thinks this amounts to a fresh start for Scotland.
"For the sake of patients, victims and communities across Scotland, these ministers must finally get a grip. That means no more rhetoric, no more broken promises, and no more divisive politics.
" She said: "We are coming into government refreshed by the faith people have placed in us and determined to deliver on the job they have asked us to do – supporting people through the cost of living crisis, giving people easier access to the NHS and delivering a fresh start with independence. "That is our task and it is one I will dedicate myself to delivering as Deputy First Minister, in a Scottish Government working for Scotland.
" Housing charities described the move to make Housing a combined role with Social Justice "incredibly deflating" given Scotland's ongoing housing emergency. Gordon Llewellyn-MacRae, assistant director at Shelter Scotland said: "It is incredibly deflating to see housing downgraded from a specific Cabinet post to a shared portfolio and the standalone housing minister effectively downgraded to a junior role.
"Playing ‘hokey cokey’ with a dedicated minister in then out of the cabinet does nothing to build confidence that ending the housing emergency remains a top priority for the new Government.
Scottish Government SNP Stephen Flynn Scottish National Party
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