Holyrood Cabinet to embark on fifth summer tour of Scotland

The Scottish Cabinet will hold meetings around Scotland during the summer

Scottish ministers will go on a summer tour of the country and hold meetings on Skye, and in Renfrew and Orkney.

It will be the fifth consecutive year that the Cabinet has gathered outside Edinburgh.

As well as formal meetings, the ministers will hold open public meetings in each of the three towns.

First Minister Alex Salmond said that the away-days had been "among the most successful and enjoyable events undertaken by the Scottish government".

He added: "They offer the opportunity to meet hundreds of people from a wide range of backgrounds and communities and hear their views on important issues. We are all looking forward to another exciting and valuable round of visits during this year's parliamentary recess.

"From the urban heartland of the central belt to two of our more remote communities, we will be listening to people across Scotland about what's important to them.

"I am determined that we will continue to work with the people of Scotland to deliver the economic growth and fairer society we all quite rightly expect. These summer cabinets are an important part of building that future and I hope as many people as possible join us."

The government has said it would release more details about the visits in due course.