Jonathan Bell (politician)
Jonathan Bell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment | |
| In office 7 October 2015 - 8 October 2015 6 October 2015 - 6 October 2015 30 September 2015 - 01 October 2015 28 September 2015 - 29 September 2015 23 September 2015 - 24 September 2015 16 September 2015 - 17 September 2015 11 May 2015 - 10 September 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Bell (UK politician) |
| Junior Minister at the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister | |
| In office 16 May 2011 – 11 May 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Robin Newton |
| Succeeded by | Michelle McIlveen |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Strangford | |
| Assumed office 22 January 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Iris Robinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1970 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party Ulster Unionist (until 2000) |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Profession | Social worker |
Jonathan Fergus Bell MLA (born 5 March 1970 )[1] is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician in Northern Ireland. He was selected in 2010 to fill the vacancy for the Strangford constituency of the Northern Ireland Assembly following the resignation of Iris Robinson.[2] In the 2011 Assembly election he won the seat, and was on 16 May 2011 endorsed by the Assembly as a Junior Minister in the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister. Since 11 May 2015 he has been Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.[3]
Biography
Bell graduated from Queen's University Belfast, with a degree in psychology, and obtained a postgraduate diploma and a Master's degree in social work. He worked until 2010 in child care social work.[2]
Political career
He sat on Craigavon Borough Council from 1997 until 2005, where he served as both deputy mayor and mayor. Bell was originally elected for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)[4] but dissatisfied with the leadership of David Trimble, quit the party in March 2000.[5] In 1999 he was the organiser and spokesperson of a demonstration in favour of Protestant/Unionist rights, the Long March.[5][6] By the time of the 2001 local elections he had joined the DUP. When he was appointed as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), he was a councillor for the DUP in Ards. On accepting the invitation to replace Robinson as an MLA he resigned his position as a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, as the Northern Ireland Act 1998 stipulated that membership of the Commission was incompatible with Assembly membership.[2] Bell had, with UUP member Daphne Trimble, been one of two Commissioners to publicly oppose the Commission's stance on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.
Bell was the fourth person to be appointed an MLA under the Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections) (Amendment) Order 2009. Under these arrangements where a vacancy arises due to the death or resignation of an MLA who was a member of a political party, instead of a by-election the nominating officer of the party concerned nominates a person to fill the vacancy.[7]
Following his election to the Assembly in May 2011, and his appointment shortly thereafter as a junior minister, Bell worked alongside his Sinn Féin counterpart Martina Anderson to support the diarchy operated by the First Minister and deputy First Minister.
In May 2012, Jonathan Bell attacked golf clubs in Northern Ireland for being a haven for sectarian attitudes, though he later apologized. He claims his attack was "a clumsy use of language".[8]
In May 2015, Bell was appointed Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in a re-shuffle of offices held by DUP MLAs which saw Arlene Foster, the previous DETI minister, move to Finance and Personnel[3]
References
- ^ NI Assembly Profile
- ^ a b c BBC News: DUP's Jonathan Bell to replace Iris Robinson as MLA
- ^ a b "DUP reshuffle: Foster, Bell and Hamilton in new jobs". BBC News Online. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-06-19.
- ^ Craigavon local election results
- ^ a b Bell quits UUP
- ^ The Sunday Herald (Dublin) 4 July 1999: 'Ulster peace deal is dead, say bitter Unionists'
- ^ Electoral Office of Northern Ireland
- ^ Devenport, Mark. "BBC news- Jonathan Bell apologizes over golf club sectarianism comments". Retrieved August 23, 2012.