Minister for Communities and Sport

The Minister for Communities and Sport is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority administration and 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 Communities and Sport has specific responsibility for social inclusion, equalities, anti-poverty measures, housing and regeneration.cite web |url=http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet |title=Scottish Executive - Scottish Cabinet and Ministers |publisher=Scottish Executive |accessdate=2007-07-25]

Minister

The current Minister for Communities and Sport is Stewart Maxwell MSP.cite web |url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/scotland/story/0,,2081920,00.html |title=Salmond sworn in as First Minister |date=2007-05-17 |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2007-07-25]

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 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.

References

ee also

*Scottish Parliament
*Question Time
*Scottish Government

External links

* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet Scottish Ministers - the Scottish Cabinet]
* [http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Scottish-Cabinet/stewartmaxwell Minister for Communities and Sport - Scottish Government]