Shirley-Anne Somerville

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP
Official portrait, 2024
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 March 2023
First Minister	Humza Yousaf John Swinney
Preceded by	Shona Robison
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
In office 20 May 2021 – 29 March 2023
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	John Swinney
Succeeded by	Jenny Gilruth
Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People
In office 26 June 2018 – 20 May 2021
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Jeane Freeman
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science
In office 18 May 2016 – 26 June 2018
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded by	Alasdair Allan
Succeeded by	Richard Lochhead
Parliamentary offices Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dunfermline Incumbent Assumed office 5 May 2016 Preceded by Cara Hilton Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothians (1 of 7 Regional MSPs) In office 31 August 2007 – 22 March 2011 Preceded by Stefan Tymkewycz Succeeded by Constituency Abolished
Personal details
Born	(1974-09-02) 2 September 1974 (age 49) Cardenden, Scotland
Political party	Scottish National Party
Children	2
Alma mater	Queen Margaret University University of Strathclyde University of Stirling

Shirley-Anne Somerville (born 2 September 1974) is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in the devolved Scottish government since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dunfermline since 2016, having previously served as an additional member for the Lothians region from 2007 to 2011.

Born in Kirkcaldy, Somerville attended the University of Strathclyde, and later the University of Stirling, earning a BA (Hons) in Economics and Politics, and a Diploma in Housing studies respectively. After graduating, she worked as a Policy and Public Affairs Officer, and in 2006 she attended Queen Margaret University.^[1] In the 2007 Scottish election, she was an SNP candidate for the Edinburgh Central constituency, but failed to win the seat, coming third. Following the resignation of Stefan Tymkewycz, Somerville succeeded him as the MSP for the Lothian region. She lost her seat in the 2011 election and in 2012 was announced as a director of Yes Scotland. After losing the 2013 Dunfermline by-election, she stood down as director of communities.

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, Somerville was elected to serve as the MSP for the Dunfermline constituency. She served as Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science from 2016 to 2018, before being appointed to the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People in Nicola Sturgeon's 2018 cabinet reshuffle. Somerville was re-elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2021 election, and in Sturgeon's third government, she was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.^[2] Following her appointment, she announced that the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Education Scotland would be reformed, following widespread criticism.^[3]