Minister for Community Safety
# Minister for Community Safety

The Minister for Community Safety 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 1999 during the 1st Scottish Parliament 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
* Anti-social behaviour
* 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 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 MSP who was appointed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the role on 3rd November 2022.

Deputy Minister for Justice :

| Name | Name | Entered office | Left office | Party | First Minister |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Angus MacKay | 19 May 1999 | 2 November 2000 | Labour | Donald Dewar |
| | Iain Gray | 2 November 2000 | 28 November 2001 | Labour | Henry McLeish |
| | Richard Simpson | 28 November 2001 | 26 November 2002 | Labour | Jack McConnell |
| | Hugh Henry | 28 November 2002 | 14 November 2006 | Labour | Jack McConnell |
| | Johann Lamont | 16 November 2006 | 17 May 2007 | Labour | Jack McConnell |
| Minister for Community Safety |||||||
| | Fergus Ewing | 17 May 2007 | 20 May 2011 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond |
| Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs |||||||
| | Roseanna Cunningham | 20 May 2011 | 21 November 2014 | Scottish National Party | Alex Salmond |
| | Paul Wheelhouse | 21 November 2014 | 18 May 2016 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon |
| | Annabelle Ewing | 18 May 2016 | 26 June 2018 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Minister for Community Safety |||||||
| | Ash Regan | 27 June 2018 | 27 October 2022 | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon |
| | Elena Whitham | 3 November 2022 | Incumbent | Scottish National Party | Nicola Sturgeon |
