SNP Transport Minister Kevin Stewart has quit his post for health-related reasons.
He had been appointed to the job in March after serving in Government since 2016.
As Social Care Minister, he led on the troubled national care service policy.
In his resignation letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf, he said: “I am writing to you with a heavy heart to resign as your government’s Minister for Transport.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve the people of Scotland in three ministerial positions under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon and yourself and I do hope that I have made a positive difference for our people and our country.
“Since last October I have had bouts of poor mental health, with a low ebb in early December of last year. Over the last week or so I have once again been feeling unwell and I feel that I can no longer put in the hours required to serve both my constituents and hold ministerial office, whilst also trying to maintain good mental health. I do hope that you understand.
“You can be assured that I will continue to serve my Aberdeen Central constituents to the very best of my ability and will continue to support you and your government from the backbenches.”
Yousaf responded: “Many people underestimate the pressure on Ministers and I understand why you have felt the need to leave government to concentrate on your mental health and much loved constituency.
"You leave with a record you can be proud of. As well as taking on transport in the last two months where you invested in buses and focused on improving the position on ferries, your previous roles have benefitted from your expertise and experience.
"I also know you were a huge and valued help to many Ministers across government through the pandemic and that solidarity and support was deeply felt.
"I know what a hard-working, loyal and dedicated Minister you have been in your eight years of service. That is much valued and appreciated by me and across government, and I hope you will feel able to serve again in the future.”
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