2 April 2015

The First Minister chairs her Cabinet every week while parliament is sitting, usually in the Cabinet room at Bute House in Edinburgh.

It is attended by Scottish Government ministers, with the law officers (Lord Advocate or Solicitor General) and the Permanent Secretary also invited to attend.

During each meeting, the Cabinet discusses current issues and each minister has the chance to update the First Minister and their colleagues on their portfolio areas.

The Deputy First Minister and the Permanent Secretary, Sir Peter Housden, talk a little more about the Cabinet meetings in this video:

The Cabinet doesn’t always meet in Edinburgh. The First Minister will also chair Cabinet at various locations around the country – as party of a programme of events known as the ‘travelling Cabinets’.  From Dumfries to Inverness, these meetings follow the same format as the meetings in Edinburgh, but ministers are encouraged to get out and about and speak to the community, giving local people the opportunity to make their views heard to the Cabinet.

The meeting each week means that ministers can discuss issues together, ensuring that any decisions are made with input from across the Government.

The Cabinet operates on the basis of collective responsibility, with all decisions reached by ministers, individually or collectively, binding on all members of the Cabinet.