Minister for Housing and Communities

Scotland

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The Minister for Housing and Communities is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend^[1] the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 as the Minister of Communities and Sport but was renamed in February 2009 in a ministerial reshuffle which saw responsibility for the Sport portfolio transfer to the Minister for Public Health. The minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. The Minister for Housing and Communities has specific responsibility for social inclusion, equalities, anti-poverty measures, housing and regeneration.^[2]

Minister

The current Minister for Housing and Communities is Alex Neil MSP.^[3]

Minister for Communities and Sport
		Name	Entered Office	Left Office	Party
	1.	Stewart Maxwell	17 May 2007	10 February 2009	Scottish National Party
Minister for Housing and Communities
	2.	Alex Neil	12 February 2009	Incumbent	Scottish National Party

History

From 1999 to 2000 Communities was the responsibility of the Minister for Communities and from 2000 to 2003 was the responsibility of the Minister for Social Justice, both of which were Cabinet positions. The Minister for Communities was reinstated after the Scottish Parliament election, 2003. The Sport portfolio was the responsibility of Deputy Minister for Communities and Sport from 2000 to 2001 in the Dewar Government (which was not a cabinet position). From 2000 to 2001 the Minister for the Environment, Sport and Culture was the Cabinet Minister with whose responsibilities included sport. From 2001 to 2003 these roles were combined in the Minister for Communities and Sport, which was renamed the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport after the addition of the tourism portfolio, following the 2003 election. The Salmond government, elected following the Scottish Parliament election, 2007 created the junior post of Minister for Communities and Sport, combining the Sport and Communities portfolios. The minister assists the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, in the Scottish Executive Health Department.

See also

• Scottish Parliament
• Question Time
• Scottish Government

References

1. ^ Scotland Act (1998), Only those appointed under Section 47 of the Scotland Act "attend" Cabinet. Junior ministers are appointed under Section 49 and may be "present".
2. ^ "Scottish Executive - Scottish Cabinet and Ministers". Scottish Executive. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet. Retrieved 2007-07-25. 
3. ^ "Salmond sworn in as First Minister". The Guardian. 2007-05-17. http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2081920,00.html. Retrieved 2007-07-25. 

External links

• Scottish Ministers - the Scottish Cabinet
• Minister for Communities and Sport - Scottish Government