Shirley-Anne Somerville

Shirley-Anne Somerville
Official portrait, 2024
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
Assumed office
29 March 2023
First MinisterHumza Yousaf
John Swinney
Preceded byShona Robison
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
In office
20 May 2021 – 29 March 2023
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byJohn Swinney
Succeeded byJenny Gilruth
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People
In office
26 June 2018 – 20 May 2021
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byJeane Freeman
Succeeded byShona Robison (Social Justice, Housing and Local Government)
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science
In office
18 May 2016 – 26 June 2018
First MinisterNicola Sturgeon
Preceded byAlasdair Allan
Succeeded byRichard Lochhead
Parliamentary offices
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Dunfermline
Assumed office
5 May 2016
Preceded byCara Hilton
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Lothians
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
31 August 2007 – 22 March 2011
Preceded byStefan Tymkewycz
Succeeded byConstituency Abolished
Personal details
Born (1974-09-02) 2 September 1974 (age 50)
Cardenden, Scotland
Political partyScottish National Party
Children2
Residence(s)North Queensferry, Fife, Scotland
Alma materQueen Margaret University
University of Strathclyde
University of Stirling

Shirley-Anne Somerville (born 2 September 1974) is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in the devolved Scottish government since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dunfermline since 2016, having previously served as an additional member for the Lothians region from 2007 to 2011.

Born in Kirkcaldy, Somerville attended the University of Strathclyde, and later the University of Stirling, earning a BA (Hons) in Economics and Politics, and a Diploma in Housing studies respectively. After graduating, she worked as a Policy and Public Affairs Officer, and in 2006 she attended Queen Margaret University.[1] In the 2007 Scottish election, she was an SNP candidate for the Edinburgh Central constituency, but failed to win the seat, coming third. Following the resignation of Stefan Tymkewycz, Somerville succeeded him as the MSP for the Lothian region. She lost her seat in the 2011 election and in 2012 was announced as a director of Yes Scotland. After losing the 2013 Dunfermline by-election, she stood down as director of communities.

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Somerville was elected to serve as the MSP for the Dunfermline constituency. She served as Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science from 2016 to 2018, before being appointed to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People in Nicola Sturgeon's 2018 cabinet reshuffle. Somerville was re-elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2021 election, and in Sturgeon's third government, she was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.[2] Following her appointment, she announced that the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland would be reformed, following widespread criticism.[3]

  1. ^ "Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP - gov.scot". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Nicola Sturgeon appoints new health and education secretaries". BBC News. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021.
  3. ^ Holden, John-Paul (3 June 2021). "SQA and Education Scotland to be reformed". The Herald. Retrieved 31 July 2021.