Minister for Public Health

Scotland
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The Minister for Public Health is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. The post was first created as Minister for Public Health in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority administration. It was renamed in February 2009 and then again in 2011.

The Minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. The Minister for Public Health has specific responsibility for public health, health improvement, pharmaceutical services, food safety and dentistry, community care, older people, mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and health promotion.^[1]

The current Minister for Public Health is Maureen Watt MSP.

List of office holders

Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Shona Robison		17 May 2007	10 Feb 2009	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
	Shona Robison		11 Feb 2009	20 May 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
	Michael Matheson		20 May 2011	21 November 2014	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
	Maureen Watt		21 November 2014	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon

History

From 1999 to 2007, public health was the responsibility of the Minister for Health and Community Care and the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care. The Salmond government, elected following the 2007 elections, created the junior post of Minister for Public Health who assisted the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in the Scottish Government.

In 2009, the post became the Minister for Public Health and Sport after assuming the Sport portfolio. From 2011, the post reverted to the title of Minister for Public Health and sport was once again separated off to a new Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport post.

The Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet.^[2]

See also

• Scottish Government
• Scottish Parliament
• Question Time

References

External links

• Scottish Ministers - the Scottish Cabinet
• Minister for Public Health - Scottish Government

Junior Ministers of the Scottish Government Alasdair Allan (Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages) Derek Mackay (Minister for Transport and Islands) Margaret Burgess (Minister for Housing and Welfare) Aileen Campbell (Minister for Children and Young People) Paul Wheelhouse (Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs) Fergus Ewing (Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism) Joe FitzPatrick (Minister for Parliamentary Business) Marco Biagi (Minister for Local Government and Community Empowerment) Maureen Watt (Minister for Public Health) Jamie Hepburn (Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health) Annabelle Ewing (Minister for Youth and Women's Employment) Aileen McLeod (Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform) Humza Yousaf (Minister for Europe and International Development)