This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of Scotland
The Crown The Monarch Charles III Heir apparent William, Duke of Rothesay Prerogative Royal family Succession Privy Council Union of the Crowns Balmoral Castle Holyrood Palace Scottish republicanism
Executive Scottish Government Yousaf government First Minister The Rt Hon Humza Yousaf MSP Deputy First Minister Shona Robison MSP Cabinet Secretaries Junior Ministers Directorates Scottish budget Taxation Executive agencies Public bodies Bute House St Andrew's House International relations
Legislature Scottish Parliament Sixth session Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone MSP Primary legislation Statutory instrument Committees First Minister's Questions Scotland Act 1998 2012 Act 2016 Act EU Continuity Act 2020
Law and justice Justice Secretary Keith Brown MSP Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC Lord President The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC Scots law Udal law Courts Judiciary Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Police Scotland Scottish Prison Service Advocate General Solicitor General
Elections and referendums Scottish Parliament elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Next United Kingdom Parliament elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 European Parliament elections 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local elections 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1977 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1995 1999 2003 2007 2012 2017 2022 Referendums 1975 1979 1994 1997 2005 2011 2014 2016 Scottish Parliament constituencies Scottish Parliament electoral regions Scottish Westminster constituencies Proposed second independence referendum Electoral system Political parties
Scotland and the United Kingdom United Kingdom Government Sunak ministry Prime Minister The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP Secretary of State for Scotland The Rt Hon Alister Jack MP Scottish devolution Treaty of Union House of Commons House of Lords Scotland Office Scottish Affairs Committee Scottish Grand Committee Interministerial Standing Committee Barnett formula Reserved matters Sewel motion
Administration Council areas History Sheriffdoms Community councils Lieutenancy areas Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Category Scotland portal Other countries
v t e

The Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care is a member of the Scottish Government. The Minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet. As a Junior Minister the post holder is not a member of the Scottish Government Cabinet. The current Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care is Kevin Stewart.^[1]

Overview

Responsibilities include:^[1]

• Mental health
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health
• Adult support and protection
• Autism, sensory impairment and learning difficulties
• Dementia
• Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (safeguards the rights of people with mental health problems, learning disabilities, dementia and related conditions)
• Survivors of childhood abuse
• The State Hospital at Carstairs

History

The Minister for Mental Health is the second Scottish Government ministerial post to include mental health in the title.^[2] The post had been announced on 21 November 2014 as the Minister for Sport and Health Improvement^[3] and similar ministerial posts had also existed in the very recent past under different titles. Mental health was added to the title so that the post became Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health.

The Sport portfolio was the responsibility of Deputy Minister for Communities and Sport from 2000 to 2001 in the Dewar Government (which was not a cabinet position). From 2000 to 2001 the Minister for the Environment, Sport and Culture was the Cabinet Minister with whose responsibilities included sport. From 2001 to 2003 these roles were combined in the Minister for Communities and Sport, which was renamed the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport after the addition of the tourism portfolio, following the 2003 election.

The Salmond Government, elected following the Scottish Parliament election in 2007, created the junior post of Minister for Communities and Sport held by Stewart Maxwell MSP, combining the Sport and Communities portfolios. The Minister assisted the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. In 2009, the Sport portfolio was given to the Minister for Public Health under the new title Minister for Public Health and Sport. This post was held by Shona Robison. After the 2011 Scottish election, sport was separated from the portfolio and given to a new Ministerial creation, the Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport (this remained Shona Robison).

Finally, this was promoted to a Cabinet Secretary position from 22 April to 21 November 2014 under the title of Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games, Sport, Equalities and Pensioners' Rights (still Shona Robison), until the reshuffle of 21 November 2014 when Nicola Sturgeon announced her first Cabinet. Sport returned to its original position as a junior Ministerial post.

The current Minister for Mental Health post was created in the Second Sturgeon government in the reshuffle that followed the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

List of office holders

Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health[edit]
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Jamie Hepburn		21 November 2014	18 May 2016	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Mental Health[edit]
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Maureen Watt		18 May 2016	27 June 2018	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
	Clare Haughey		27 June 2018[4]	20 May 2021	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care[edit]
	Kevin Stewart		20 May 2021	29 March 2023	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport[edit]
	Maree Todd		29 March 2023	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf