Lochhead said today that he, along with his deputy Russell, will travel from Dumfries to Lerwick hosting public meetings and taking part in question and answer sessions in order to gather communities’ views on pressing rural, marine and environmental issues. Senior civil servants and chief executives from agencies including Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency will also attend the public meetings.

Lochhead said: "This summer, I want to take the opportunity to engage directly with the people of Scotland and to hear first hand their views on how to shape our future.

"This will be a summer tour with a difference. Not only will we be out and about visiting various individuals and organisations on their home territory, we are calling on the public to join us in open forum discussions.

"We are genuinely keen to provide the public with the opportunity to put their concerns and questions directly to us. Along with our senior officials we want to hear the views of all parts of Scotland.”

He said that they intended to use feedback gathered at the meetings to help inform decisions on forthcoming priorities and policy formation.

He continued: "As the Scottish government prepares for the new Parliamentary session, we want to arm ourselves with the concerns and opinions of communities.

"These views will be enormously valuable to us, and to our Cabinet colleagues, as we take forward our work to make Scotland a greener, wealthier and fairer, healthier, safer and stronger, and smarter place."

The tours will begin on Thursday 19 July with a meeting in the Aberdeen Airport Thistle Hotel at 7pm. Full details of the summer programme are available here.