First minister Alex Salmond finalising SNP cabinet
(about 3 hours later)
Alex Salmond will name his team of senior ministers later, when he announces the make-up of the new Scottish cabinet.
First Minister Alex Salmond is finalising what may be a new beefed-up Scottish cabinet, with an enlarged membership.
The move comes the day after the SNP leader was re-elected as first minister by MSPs, following his party's landslide Holyrood election win.
A string of senior SNP figures have arrived at Edinburgh's Bute House, the first minister's official residence, ahead of an official announcement.
Mr Salmond was also be formally re-appointed to the role by the Queen.
The number includes several who served as junior ministers in the last parliament.
And he will announce a new head of the prosecution service, with the QC Frank Mulholland a favourite for the post.
Meanwhile, Frank Mulholland has been appointed as the new lord advocate.
It has already been announced that Richard Lochhead will retain his cabinet position as environment secretary, while it is likely deputy SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will keep her deputy first minister role.
The QC will now head up Scotland's prosecution service, while his previous job of solicitor general has been filled by senior procurator fiscal Lesley Thomson.
The position of Lord Advocate, Scotland's top prosecutor, has become vacant following Elish Angiolini's decision to step down, and it is likely the post will be filled by Mr Mulholland, the current solicitor general.
There were six members of the Scottish Cabinet in the last parliament, including the first minister.
Earlier, Mr Salmond's first appointment of the day was with judges at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
Richard Lochhead, who will retain his post as environment secretary, was the eighth person to arrive at Bute House.
And with a nod - or, more precisely, three nods - Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond becomes the first first minister with a full working majority.
Junior ministers, Bruce Crawford and Alex Neil and Fiona Hyslop also attended, but all stayed tight-lipped on which roles they might get.
At the Court of Session in Edinburgh this morning, Mr Salmond swore the relevant oaths which make him first minister of the Scottish executive and keeper of the Scottish Seal.
Current cabinet members John Swinney, Kenny MacAskill and Mike Russell, the finance, justice and education secretaries, also arrived at Bute House.
Actually, in keeping with Scottish legal custom, the swearing was minimalist.
As did health secretary and deputy first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who could be in line to be named as cities minister - a new post promised in the SNP manifesto.
The cabinet is being announced after Mr Salmond, the SNP leader, was re-elected as first minister by MSPs and formally re-appointed to the role by the Queen, following his party's landslide Holyrood election win.
He received the Royal Warrant, signed by the Queen, before taking the official oath of allegiance, which confirmed him as first minister and Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland.
Junior Scottish government ministers are being announced on Friday, with all appointments requiring the approval of parliament.
Mr Salmond is due to set out his vision for government next Thursday, with the inaugural first minister's questions of the new parliament taking place on 2 June.
