Minister for Housing (Scotland)

Minister for Housing
Scottish Gaelic: Ministear an Taigheadais
Incumbent
Paul McLennan
since 29 March 2023
StyleMinister
(within parliament)
Housing Minister
(informal)
Scottish Housing Minister
(outwith Scotland)
Member of
Reports toScottish Parliament
SeatEdinburgh
AppointerFirst Minister
Inaugural holderStewart Maxwell
Minister for Communities and Sport
Formation17 May 2007
Salary£106,185 per annum (2024)[1]
(including £72,196 MSP salary)
Websitewww.gov.scot

The Minister for Housing is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend[2] the Scottish Cabinet. The incumbent, Paul McLennan reports to Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice.

The post was created in May 2007 as the Minister of Communities and Sport, but was renamed in a February 2009 Ministerial reshuffle which saw responsibility for the Sport portfolio transfer to the Minister for Public Health. The Minister originally reported (from 2007 to 2011) to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, who had overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. This changed after the 2011 election and subsequent reshuffle so that the Minister then reported to the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities.

This changed again in November 2014 and the Minister then reported to Alex Neil as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Communities and Pensioners' Rights. The Minister for Housing and Communities had specific responsibility for social inclusion, equalities, anti-poverty measures, housing and regeneration.[3]

  1. ^ "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 10 May 2024.
  2. ^ 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".
  3. ^ "Scottish Executive - Scottish Cabinet and Ministers". Scottish Executive. Retrieved 25 July 2007.