Transform’s director Colin Howden has congratulated the Scottish Government’s new ministerial team for transport. The new Cabinet sees Michael Matheson MSP, who held the brief for transport, infrastructure & connectivity in the last government, has now been appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport.
Colin Howden said:
“We’re pleased to see climate, energy and transport aligned under the same cabinet secretary. There’s zero chance of hitting our climate targets without action on transport. And one of the key tasks is arranging transport decarbonisation. As such, the link with energy policy is crucial.
“We’re also pleased to see Michael Matheson retain his responsibility for transport in the Cabinet. When he spoke at our ‘Moving the Vote’ event just prior to the election, we were impressed by his command of his brief and felt that he engaged very positively with the issues raised. There’s clearly a number of areas where we disagree, but we’re confident that we can can have a mature engagement with Mr Matheson on these matters.”
We were delighted to host Mr Matheson at our ‘Moving The Vote’ event last month. The report and recording of the event are available.
The new ministerial team sees the appointment of Graeme Dey MSP as Minister for Transport. Colin Howden said:
“It’s good to see that transport has also been alloted its own junior minister in the government, with Graeme Dey MSP being appointed to this role. Transport is one of the largest areas of government spend, and a second minister with specific responsibility for transport is probably required. We look forward to finding out how responsibilities will be shared between Mr Matheson and Mr Dey.”
