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Reinstating a Minister for Older People

Scottish Parliament debating chamber

Age Scotland and a number of other organisations are calling for the Scottish Government to reinstate a named Minister for Older People.

Up until March 2023, there was a Minister for Equalities and Older People within Scottish Government. However, older people's issues now fall under the expanded portfolio of the new Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees.

We have heard from numerous individuals and older people's groups who are disappointed by this change.

Along with 15 partner organisations, we wrote an open letter to the First Minister, Humza Yousaf, asking for the reinstatement of a named Older People's Minister. This letter set out our concern that older people's issues are being downgraded at a time when our population is rapidly ageing and the challenges facing older people are increasing. You can read about it in the Sunday Post by clicking here.

Since the letter's publication, several other organisations have joined our campaign and added their name to the open letter. 

If you would like to send your own letter or email to the First Minister, you can use our template letter. 

We hope that with our combined voices, the First Minister thinks again and brings back the role.

Write to the First Minister - template letter

docx | 23.2KB

Dear First Minister

We would like to offer our congratulations to you on your respective election as First Minister and appointments as Cabinet Secretary and Minister.

However, we are disheartened and extremely disappointed that the prominence of older people’s issues and its position as a named responsibility have been downgraded within the new Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees’ portfolio. The list of policy areas covered here are larger and more diverse than ever before, which gives us cause for concern about the amount of necessary focus older people will receive.

We feel this is a backward step on the progress that has been made, and reduces the importance of older people’s issues at a time when Scotland’s population is ageing and facing a growing number of serious challenges.

Collectively, we have heard from many older people’s groups and individual older people who feel let down by this.

In order to demonstrate a serious commitment to improving the lives of older people in Scotland, we believe that you should reinstate a named ministerial title for older people.

We look forward to hearing from you.

  • Age Scotland
  • Scottish Older People's Assembly
  • Befriending Networks
  • British Geriatrics Society
  • Faith in Older People
  • Food Train
  • Generations Working Together
  • Hourglass
  • Independent Age
  • Kirrie Connections
  • Luminate
  • Outside the Box
  • Dr Leeanne McGurk, Principal Investigator, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee
  • Scottish Care
  • Scottish Ethnic Minority Older People Forum
  • Scottish Pensioners’ Forum
  • The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
  • Sikh Sanjog
  • Parkinson's UK Scotland
  • Good Morning Service
  • LEAP Project
  • LifeCare Edinburgh