Malcolm Chisholm

Malcolm George Richardson Chisholm (born 7 March 1949) is a Scottish Labour Party politician, and a former Scottish Executive minister.

Chisholm was Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh Leith from 1992, then Edinburgh North and Leith from 1997. He served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland responsible for local government and transport minister for a few months in 1997 but resigned over lone parent benefit cuts. He remained an MP until 2001, when he stood down from the House of Commons in order to concentrate on the Scottish Parliament, to which he was elected in 1999 for the same constituency.

He became Minister for Health and Community Care in 2001, then Minister for Communities from October 2004. As Minister for Health and Community Care, Chisholm introduced and oversaw the passage of the National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Bill which brought about the abolition of NHS Trusts in Scotland and the creation of Community Health Partnerships.

As Minister for Communities, Chisholm oversaw investment in the building of affordable homes, approved a proposal from Fife Council for a moratorium on council house sales in order to maintain the supply of affordable housing, developed reforms of planning policy to protect green spaces, and extended the Central Heating Programme and Warm Deal to provide and refurbish heating systems for pensioners.

In December 2006 he criticised the decision to renew Trident, Britain's nuclear deterrent, in opposition to First Minister Jack McConnell, leading to speculation that he might be removed from office. He subsequently resigned on 21 December 2006 after supporting a motion passed by the Scottish National Party that opposed the replacement of the nuclear submarines.

On 17 September 2007 he was appointed Shadow Minister for Culture and External Affairs by new Scottish Labour Opposition Leader, Wendy Alexander. In September 2008 Chisholm returned to the backbenches.