Cabinet secretary in the context of "Secretary General of the State Council"

The Scottish Cabinet is the main decision-making body of the Scottish Government, the devolved government of Scotland. It is headed by the first minister, and made up of the deputy first minister, cabinet secretaries of the Scottish Government, the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland (the Scottish Law Officers), the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government and the Minister for Parliamentary Business.

Members of the cabinet are usually appointed on the decision of the first minister, as well as individual interests in obtaining a Cabinet Secretary position along with prior experience as an MSP. Decisions made by the cabinet are subject to scrutiny from the Scottish Parliament on matters such as the budget and spending allocation. Cabinet ministers are free to openly discuss and share their opinions on matters at cabinet meetings, however, once decisions have been agreed, whether they agree or disagree, ministers are expected to "put on a united front" for the purpose of promoting government policy.

The Welsh Government (Welsh: Llywodraeth Cymru, pronounced [ɬəˈwɔdraːɨθ ˈkəmrɨ]) is the devolved government of Wales. It consists of cabinet secretaries and ministers. The government is led by the first minister, usually the leader of the largest party in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru), who selects ministers with the approval of the Senedd. The government is responsible for tabling policy in devolved areas (such as health, education, economic development, transport and local government) for consideration by the Senedd and implementing policy that has been approved by it.

The current Welsh Government is a Labour minority administration, following the 2021 Senedd election. It is led by Eluned Morgan who has been the first minister of Wales since August 2024.

The deputy first minister of Scotland is the second–highest ranking minister in the executive branch of the Scottish Government, after the first minister of Scotland. The post-holder deputises for the first minister during periods of absence or whilst out–with the country conducting overseas visits. During any period of the first minister's absence, the deputy first minister will be expected to answer to the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the First Minister at First Minister's Questions. Additionally, the holder of the office of deputy first minister serves within the Scottish cabinet as a cabinet secretary, a position they hold in conjunction with their responsibilities as deputy first minister.

There have been two occasions where the deputy first minister assumed the roles and responsibilities of the office of first minister as 'acting first minister'. On both occasions, Jim Wallace served as first minister in an acting capacity, first in October 2000 following the death of Donald Dewar, and again in November 2001 following the resignation of Henry McLeish.