Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
Written 17 posts
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (Previously: Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science; Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People)
Protecting and promoting human rights
26th November 2020
Scotland is a modern, inclusive nation which is committed to protect, respect and realise internationally recognised human rights and equality. This is at the heart of everything we are doing in the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership. We have been talking to a wide variety of stakeholders from grassroots organisations and community projects to…
Designing a benefit service with those who will use it
23rd October 2020
This week we will be sharing details of what our new disability benefits will look and feel like for those who interact with our new benefit system. In a series of policy position papers we will set out the journey from application right through to the appeal process. Something that permeates through all our…
Celebrating older people: Silver Sunday
4th October 2020
Today is Silver Sunday, a day to celebrate older people and reflect on the valuable role they play in our communities. This year, that message is even more important. All of us love and care for our older relatives, just as they do us, and we benefit from their stories, wisdom and experiences. I know the last six months…
Cash to help young people into work
17th August 2020
Young unemployed people, from Monday 17th August, can apply to get £250 to help with the costs of starting a new job. I’ve heard from young people about the challenges of finding work – a job offer is one of many hurdles but not the last. Some are then faced with preparation costs they simply can’t…
Are you eligible for more support?
29th July 2020
Opinion piece by Cabinet Secretary for Social Security, Shirley-Anne Somerville. From this week, thousands of families across Scotland will start to get letters telling them they are entitled to new Scottish benefits. This is a first in Scotland and shows that when it comes to social security – we’re doing things differently. We’re taking information…
Thousands of children eligible for new benefit
9th April 2020
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville gives an update on a new game-changing Scottish child payment, in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Every one of us is being affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak gripping the world, which is leaving our people, our communities and our economy facing major challenges. Last week I updated Parliament on…
The women who inspire me
9th March 2020
To mark International Women’s Day, Cabinet Secretary for Social Security Shirley-Anne Somerville blogs about some of the women who inspire her, past and present. International Women’s Day is about celebrating women’s achievements and the impact women have on society – which so often goes unrecognised. I think of women like Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the astrophysicist…
Investing in Scotland’s social security system
13th February 2020
We are creating the infrastructure for a new public service for Scotland. Our new social security system, is an important investment in the people of Scotland now and for generations to come. Yesterday I outlined how we are taking this new programme further. We have met and surpassed our commitments to date, having already established…
Gender Recognition Act consultation
17th December 2019
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament in June, I announced that the Scottish Government would consult on a draft Bill to reform the process by which trans people obtain legal recognition of their lived gender through a Gender Recognition Certificate – a right they have had for 15 years. We first consulted on these…
Two child benefit limit should be scrapped
1st August 2019
The two-child benefit limit implemented by the UK Government should be scrapped. The latest statistics released on the number of people affected by the cap on Child Tax Credits and the Child Element of Universal Credit is sad reading. Behind every number is a family denied and a child that has not received support they…