Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice (Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire a’ Chaibineit airson Ceartas Sòisealta), commonly referred to as the Social Justice Secretary, is a position in the Scottish Government Cabinet. The Cabinet Secretary has overall responsibility for local government, community planning, housing, social security, the third sector.

Not to be confused with Cabinet Secretary for Justice.


Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
Scottish Gaelic: Rùnaire a’ Chaibineit airson Ceartas Sòisealta
Incumbent
Shirley-Anne Somerville
since 29 March 2023
Social Security Scotland
Scottish Government
Scottish Cabinet
StyleCabinet Secretary
(within parliament)
Social Justice Secretary
(informal)
Scottish Social Justice Secretary
(outwith Scotland)
Member of
Reports toScottish Parliament
SeatEdinburgh
AppointerFirst Minister
Inaugural holderShona Robison
Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights
FormationApril 2014
DeputyEmma Roddick
(Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees)
 Paul McLennan
(Minister for Housing)
 Patrick Harvie
(Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights)
Salary£118,511 per annum (2023)[1]
(including £67,662 MSP salary)
Websitewww.gov.scot

The Cabinet Secretary is assisted by three junior Ministers, the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees, Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants Rights and the Minister for Housing.[2]

The current Cabinet Secretary is Shirley-Anne Somerville since 2023.

History

From 2007 to 2009 the Minister for Communities and Sport was a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. In 2009, sport was linked with public health and the role became the Minister for Housing and Communities.

Following the 2011 election, the role was reorganised as Minister for Housing and Welfare[3] but as a junior ministerial position, the Minister did not attend the Scottish Cabinet.[4]

A cabinet post was created in April 2014 as a result of Alex Salmond's gender-balancing cabinet reshuffle. The post was Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights with Shona Robison at the helm. This was short-lived, however, as the job was further restyled as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights as a result of Nicola Sturgeon's first reshuffle after she became First Minister in November 2014, with Alex Neil being given the role.

This was further rebranded in May 2016 as Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities in the second Sturgeon government, and took on its current name at the start of the third Sturgeon government. Between 2018 and 2021 responsibility for social security was held by a separate cabinet-level post, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People.[5]

Overview

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government include:

  • welfare policy and social security
  • social justice
  • local government
  • child poverty
  • housing and housing strategy
  • homelessness and rough sleeping
  • building standards
  • tackling inequalities
  • violence against women and girls and domestic violence
  • poverty action measures
  • third sector and social economy
  • mainstreaming equality
  • human rights
  • kinship carers
  • minimum income guarantee
  • equalities
  • refugees and asylum
  • Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Public bodies

The following public bodies report to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government:

List of office holders

Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights

Name Portrait Entered office Left office Party First Minister
Shona Robison 22 April 2014 21 November 2014 Scottish National Party Alex Salmond

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights

Alex Neil 21 November 2014 18 May 2016 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities

Angela Constance 18 May 2016 26 June 2018 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government

Aileen Campbell 26 June 2018 20 May 2021 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government

Shona Robison 20 May 2021 28 March 2023 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

Shirley-Anne Somerville 29 March 2023 Incumbent Scottish National Party Humza Yousaf

References
  1. "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 5 April 2023.
  2. "New Scottish Cabinet". Scottish Government. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. "Scottish Parliament Fact sheet Ministers, Law Officers and Parliamentary Liaison Officers by Cabinet: Session 4" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  4. 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".
  5. "New Cabinet appointed". Scottish Government. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
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