Minister for Victims and Community Safety

The Minister for Victims and Community Safety is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 1999 during the 1st Scottish Parliament as the Deputy Minister for Justice. Deputy ministers were renamed ministers after the election of the Scottish National Party in 2007. The minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of cabinet.

Overview
The Minister for Community Safety has specific responsibility for:
 * Community safety
 * Access to justice
 * Anti-sectarianism
 * Anti-social behaviour
 * Civil law
 * fire and rescue services
 * Liquor licensing
 * Legal profession

History
From 1999 to 2007 responsibility for Community Safety rested with the Minister for Justice and the Deputy Minister for Justice. The Salmond government, elected following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election created the junior post of the Minister for Community Safety who assists the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, in the Scottish Justice Department. After the 2011 Scottish Parliament election the post was renamed Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs and was given additional responsibilities for tackling sectarianism. It was renamed again to simply Minister for Community Safety in June 2018.

List of office holders
The incumbent Minister for Victims and Community Safety is Siobhian Brown MSP who was appointed by First Minister Humza Yousaf to the role on 29 March 2023.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 0 0 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; "
 * colspan="7"|

Deputy Minister for Justice
!colspan="2"|Name ! width=75|Portrait !Entered office !Left office !Party !First Minister
 * Angus MacKay
 * Angus MacKay.jpg
 * 19 May 1999
 * 2 November 2000
 * Labour
 * Donald Dewar
 * Iain Gray
 * Iain Gray.jpg
 * 2 November 2000
 * 28 November 2001
 * Labour
 * Henry McLeish
 * Richard Simpson
 * Richard Simpson (politician).jpg
 * 28 November 2001
 * 26 November 2002
 * Labour
 * rowspan="3"| Jack McConnell
 * Hugh Henry
 * Hugh Henry.jpg
 * 28 November 2002
 * 14 November 2006
 * Labour
 * Johann Lamont
 * Hugh Henry
 * Hugh Henry.jpg
 * 28 November 2002
 * 14 November 2006
 * Labour
 * Johann Lamont
 * Labour
 * Johann Lamont
 * Johann Lamont
 * Johann Lamont


 * JohannLamontMSPgreenjacket.jpg
 * 16 November 2006
 * 17 May 2007
 * Labour
 * colspan="7"|
 * colspan="7"|

Minister for Community Safety

 * Fergus Ewing
 * Fergus Ewing MSP.jpg
 * 17 May 2007
 * 20 May 2011
 * Scottish National Party
 * Alex Salmond
 * colspan="7"|
 * Alex Salmond
 * colspan="7"|
 * colspan="7"|

Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs

 * Roseanna Cunningham
 * Roseanna Cunningham.jpg
 * 20 May 2011
 * 21 November 2014
 * Scottish National Party
 * Alex Salmond
 * Paul Wheelhouse
 * PaulWheelhouseMSP20110507.JPG
 * 21 November 2014
 * 18 May 2016
 * Scottish National Party
 * rowspan="2"| Nicola Sturgeon
 * Annabelle Ewing
 * AnnabelleEwingMSP20110510.JPG
 * 18 May 2016
 * 26 June 2018
 * Scottish National Party
 * colspan="7"|
 * Annabelle Ewing
 * AnnabelleEwingMSP20110510.JPG
 * 18 May 2016
 * 26 June 2018
 * Scottish National Party
 * colspan="7"|
 * Scottish National Party
 * colspan="7"|
 * colspan="7"|

Minister for Community Safety
Nicola Sturgeon
 * Ash Regan
 * Ash Denham MSP.jpg
 * 27 June 2018
 * 27 October 2022
 * Scottish National Party
 * rowspan="2"| Nicola Sturgeon
 * Elena Whitham
 * Official portrait of Elena Whitham.jpg
 * 3 November 2022
 * 28 March 2023
 * Scottish National Party
 * Official portrait of Elena Whitham.jpg
 * 3 November 2022
 * 28 March 2023
 * Scottish National Party
 * colspan="7"|
 * colspan="7"|

Minister for Victims and Community Safety

 * Siobhan Brown
 * Siobhian Brown MSP.jpg
 * 29 March 2023
 * Incumbent
 * Scottish National Party
 * Humza Yousaf
 * }
 * Humza Yousaf
 * }
 * }