Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy

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Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy
Scottish Gaelic: Ministear airson Poileasaidh Drogaichean is Deoch-làidir
Scottish Government Logo.svg
Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development Christina McKelvie (52781265451).jpg
Incumbent
Christina McKelvie
since 8 February 2024
Style Minister
(within parliament)
Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister
(informal)
Scottish Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister
(outwith Scotland)
Member of
Reports to Scottish Parliament
Seat Edinburgh
Appointer First Minister
Inaugural holder Angela Constance
Minister for Drugs Policy
Formation18 December 2020
Salary£106,185 per annum (2024) [1]
(including £72,196 MSP salary)
Website www.gov.scot

The Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet but reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (Scotland) who does. [2] [3]

Contents

The incumbent Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy is Christina McKelvie, who was appointed in February 2024. [4]

History

The office was created in December 2020 by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon following the resignation of Minister for Public Health, Joe FitzPatrick. His resignation was triggered by the figures released that showed Scotland again had the worst drug death rate in Europe. [5] Sturgeon stated that her government had taken their "eye off the ball on drug deaths" and appointed Angela Constance to take on the new dedicated role as Minister for Drugs Policy. [6] [7]

Following the 2023 SNP leadership election, incumbent First Minister Humza Yousaf appointed Elena Whitham as the renamed Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy. [8] On 7 February 2024, Whitham announced she resigning from the post due to her suffering from PTSD. [9] The following day, as part of a wider cabinet reshuffle, triggered by the resignation of Health Secretary, Michael Matheson, Yousaf appointed Christina McKelvie to the post. [10]

Overview

Responsibilities

The specific responsibilities of the minister are: [2]

The responsibilities of the new Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy within the Yousaf government are still to be announced.

List of office holders

Minister for Drugs Policy

NamePortraitAssumed officeLeft officePartyFirst Minister
Angela Constance Official portrait of justice secretary Angela Constance (cropped 1).jpg 18 December 202029 March 2023 Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon

Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy

Elena Whitham Official 2023 government portrait of Elena Whitham.jpg 29 March 20237 February 2024 Scottish National Party Humza Yousaf
Christina McKelvie Christina McKelvie MSP.jpg 8 February 2024Incumbent Scottish National Party Humza Yousaf
John Swinney


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References

  1. ↑ "MSP salaries". parliament.scot. The Scottish Parliament. 10 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Minister for Drugs Policy". www.gov.scot. Scottish Government . Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  3. ↑ 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".
  4. ↑ "Full ministerial team confirmed". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Drug deaths in Scotland: Minister Joe FitzPatrick loses job". BBC News. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Drug deaths in Scotland: Minister Joe FitzPatrick loses job". BBC News . 19 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Sturgeon: We took our eye off the ball on drug deaths". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Full ministerial team confirmed". www.gov.scot. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Drugs minister Elena Whitham quits due to post-traumatic stress". BBC News. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Neil Gray replaces Michael Matheson as Scottish health secretary". BBC News. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.


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