NICOLA Sturgeon has set out the responsibilities of her first Green ministers while putting them under the watchful eye of trusted cabinet allies.

The First Minister said Patrick Harvie would be Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights, while Lorna Slater will be Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity.

Mr Harvie will be one of three ministers working under Ms Sturgeon’s close friend Shona Robison, the Social Justice and Housing Secretary.

While Ms Slater will be one of four ministers under Finance and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes.

The Scottish Green co-leaders, the first Green ministers anywhere in the UK, will both also work with the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson.

The appointments are subject to a vote in Holyrood and formal acceptance by the Queen.

Mr Harvie’s responsibilities include driving policy changes shifting Scotland away from high polluting transport and heating towards greener alternatives, an essential part of the push towards a net zero economy by 2045.

He will also lead on delivering a “new deal for tenants”, and ensure building standards are fit for purpose, potentially drawing him into the vexed row over replacing building cladding post-Grenfell.

The Government said Ms Slater would drive a “Green Industrial Strategy”, helping people access training and opportunities as part of a net zero Scotland.

Her role will also include supporting biodiversity, protecting national parks and natural heritage, working with NatureScot and Zero Waste Scotland, and supporting the development of a circular economy that minimises the impact on our natural environment.

Announcing the portfolios after meeting the two Greens at Bute House, Ms Sturgeon said: “This historic cooperation agreement is founded in a shared drive to work together in the Scottish Government to build a greener, fairer, independent Scotland.

“We have massive challenges to overcome: a global pandemic and its lasting effects, the climate emergency and the assault by the UK government on the powers of our Parliament. Patrick and Lorna’s roles in Government are rightly at the heart of facing up to them, and the expertise and passion they bring with them will contribute greatly to defining Scotland’s path forward in doing so.

“Although our parties do not agree on everything we have been able to compromise on both sides, find common ground and agree on areas where we can work together to build a better country.

“The world has had to adapt quickly to respond to the fast-paced and changing nature of the pandemic but what it has shown us is that we can put politics aside to tackle the challenges in front of us decisively and in a way that delivers. I look forward to working with my new Green Party colleagues in this new and ambitious way.”

Mr Harvie said: “We are at a crucial tipping point in terms of our relationship with the planet.

“I am thrilled at the opportunity to drive forward policies that enhance peoples’ lives while supporting the urgent goal of tackling the climate emergency as we emerge from the pandemic.”

Ms Slater said: “Any transition to net zero must be just, and my focus will be on delivering policies that support our workforce and wider economy through that change as well as ensuring our greener future is also a prosperous and fair one that benefits our natural environment.”