Charles III William, Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP The deputy first minister of Scotland[a] is the second highest minister in the executive branch of the Scottish Government, after the first minister of Scotland.

[3] The role is currently held by Kate Forbes since 8 May 2024, following her appointment by John Swinney alongside her portfolio as Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic.

Shona Robison, appointed Deputy First Minister under Humza Yousaf in March 2023, also served as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance.

Alongside her responsibilities as Deputy First Minister, Robison was also responsible for the delivery of the Scottish budget, as well as "budgetary monitoring and reporting (including Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)), fiscal policy and taxation (including income tax), exchequer and the public finances, public sector pay, the Scottish Fiscal Commission, fiscal framework review, local government finance and public sector productivity".

[5] Kate Forbes, who was appointed Deputy First Minister by John Swinney in May 2024, holds the additional cabinet responsibility for Economy and Gaelic.

[13] Dewar's successor as first minister, Henry McLeish, resigned in 2001 following a political scandal relating to his unregistered finances.

Jack McConnell became first minister of Scotland on 27 November, retaining Wallace as his deputy until he was replaced by Nicol Stephen in June 2005.

[19] Upon the appointment of Kate Forbes as deputy fist minister in May 2024, the post holder of the deputy first minister was solely responsible for business, industry and manufacturing support, the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry, cross-government delivery and outcomes, green industrial strategy (jointly with Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy), Historical Abuse Inquiry and inter-governmental relations (British–Irish Council, Council of the Nations and Regions, Prime Minister and Heads of Devolved Governments Council).

In addition, the deputy first minister has direct responsibility for a number of areas relating to the economy, business and investment opportunities in Scotland, notably: As the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, incumbent deputy first minister is also responsible for languages, including Gaelic, Scots and British Sign Language (BSL).

Other areas of responsibility for Forbes as deputy first minister include the Scottish Government's National Performance Framework, redress and the Sheku Bayoh public inquiry.