Katrine Bussey

The Scottish cabinet will hold meetings outside of Edinburgh again next summer, First Minister Alex Salmond announced yesterday.

This summer senior figures from the Scottish Government went to various parts of the country for their cabinet meetings and also met hundreds of members of the public at a series of special events.

Mr Salmond said these had been of "tremendous value" to his ministerial team.

And he said such meetings would now become a "regular element" of the cabinet process during summer recess.

Cabinet meetings usually take place in Bute House, the First Minister's official residence in Edinburgh, but yesterday Mr Salmond said the cabinet would meet outside of the capital at least four times next year.

It comes after a series of meetings this summer, which saw cabinet secretaries travel to Dumfries, Inverness, Pitlochry and Skye.

They held "good causes" receptions at each of the four venues to recognise the work of local people involved in charity and voluntary work.

Members of the public also got the chance to quiz the politicians, with more than 50 questions being answered at the four sessions. Some 70 written questions have also been sent in by people who were at the events.

Mr Salmond said: "The ministerial team has been hugely impressed by the interest and enthusiasm that members of the public, civic groups, business people and representatives of local good causes have shown in taking part in our summer cabinets programme.

""Hundreds of people across Dumfries and Galloway, the east and west Highlands and Perthshire have taken advantage of the unique opportunity to bring issues of local and national concern to myself and the ministerial team.

"This is a government for all Scotland, and it is important for ministers to get out and about around the country to hear first hand what are the big issues for communities and individuals.

"Having the entire cabinet in one room to button-hole' them on the issues that matter most to individuals and the organisations they represent has been very much welcomed by those who attended.

"This is an initiative which will now become a regular element of the Scottish government's cabinet process."