The Minister for Community Safety is a
Junior minister
A minister is a politician who heads a ministry (government department), ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is desi ...
ial post in the
Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the
Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 1999 during the
1st Scottish Parliament
This is a list of members (MSPs) returned to the first Scottish Parliament at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. Of the 129 members, 73 were elected from first past the post constituencies with a further 56 members being returned from eight ...
as the ''Deputy Minister for Justice''. Deputy ministers were renamed ministers after the election of the
Scottish National Party in 2007. The minister reports to the
Cabinet Secretary for Justice, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet.
Overview
The Minister for Community Safety has specific responsibility for:
*Community safety
*Access to justice
*Anti-
sectarianism
Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...
*
Anti-social behaviour
Antisocial behavior is a behavior that is defined as the violation of the rights of others by committing crime, such as stealing and physical attack in addition to other behaviors such as lying and manipulation. It is considered to be disrupti ...
*Civil law
*
fire and rescue services
*Liquor licensing
*Legal profession
History
From 1999 to 2007 responsibility for Community Safety rested with the Minister for Justice and the Deputy Minister for Justice. The
Salmond government, elected following the
2007 Scottish Parliament election created the junior post of the Minister for Community Safety who assists the
Cabinet Secretary for Justice, in the
Scottish Justice Department. After the
2011 Scottish Parliament election
The 2011 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.
The election delivered the first majority government since the opening of Holyrood, a remarkable feat as the Additional M ...
the post was renamed Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs and was given additional responsibilities for tackling sectarianism. It was renamed again to simply Minister for Community Safety in June 2018.
List of office holders
The incumbent Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs is
Elena Whitham
Elena Whitham ( née McLeod, born 9 July 1974) is a Scottish politician who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was appointed ...
MSP who was appointed by First Minister
Nicola Sturgeon to the role on 3rd November 2022.
[https://www.gov.scot/news/new-minister-announced/]
See also
*
Scottish Parliament
*
Question Time
A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...
*
Scottish Government
References
External links
The Scottish Cabineton Scottish Government website
Minister for Community Safetyon Scottish Government website
Community Safety
Scots law
Human rights in Scotland
Anti-social behaviour
Fire and rescue in Scotland
Sectarianism
Justice ministers of Scotland
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