Edwin Poots
Encyclopedia
Alderman
Edwin Poots MLA (b. 1965) is a Northern Irish politician and a Democratic Unionist Party
(DUP) Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) for Lagan Valley. He is one of three DUP MLAs for Lagan Valley
.
, Lisburn
, and then Greenmount Agricultural College. He is married with four children. He is a farmer
and serves on Lisburn City Council
. His father
, Charles Poots
was also a DUP politician, having stood in the 1969 Northern Ireland General Election
for the Protestant Unionist Party
.
Poots was a member of the Environment Committee and chaired the Committee of the Centre (i.e. Committee for the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers) in the 1998-2003 Assembly. On 8 May 2007, he was appointed Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure
in the Northern Ireland Executive
, a post he held until 9 June 2008, when a cabinet re-shuffle saw this post being reassigned to Gregory Campbell
. It has been speculated that he was removed as Minister of Culture due to his support of the Maze
stadium proposals. He was subsequently made Deputy Mayor of Lisburn
on 23 June
On 1 July 2009, Poots was returned to the Government as Minister of the Environment, in charge of the Department of the Environment
. In May 2011, he was appointed as Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Poots is a young earth creationist
and denies biological evolution
. In the same interview, when asked by William Crawley, how old the Earth was, he replied "My view on the earth is that it's a young earth. My view is 4000 BC"
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
Edwin Poots MLA (b. 1965) is a Northern Irish politician and a Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
(DUP) Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) for Lagan Valley. He is one of three DUP MLAs for Lagan Valley
Lagan Valley (Assembly constituency)
Lagan Valley is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Since 1998, it has elected members to the current Assembly....
.
Biography
Poots was born in 1965 and was educated at the Wallace High SchoolWallace High School
Wallace is a name for several high schools in the English-speaking world, including:*Wallace High School , Wallace, Idaho*Wallace High School , Wallace, Nebraska*Wallace High School *Wallace High School, Stirling...
, Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, and then Greenmount Agricultural College. He is married with four children. He is a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
and serves on Lisburn City Council
Lisburn City Council
Lisburn City Council is a district council covering an area partly in County Antrim and partly in County Down in Northern Ireland. The council is the second largest in the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Council headquarters are in the city of Lisburn, upon which was conferred city status in May 2002 as...
. His father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
, Charles Poots
Charles Poots
Charles Boucher Poots , often known as Charlie Poots, is a former unionist politician in Northern Ireland.Poots joined Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, acting as Treasurer of the Hillsborough church. He also joined the Protestant Unionist Party , standing unsuccessfully for the...
was also a DUP politician, having stood in the 1969 Northern Ireland General Election
Northern Ireland general election, 1969
-References:*...
for the Protestant Unionist Party
Protestant Unionist Party
The Protestant Unionist Party was a unionist political party operating in Northern Ireland from 1966 to 1971. It was set up by Ian Paisley, and was the forerunner of the modern Democratic Unionist Party and emerged from the Ulster Protestant Action movement.The UPA had two councillors elected,...
.
Poots was a member of the Environment Committee and chaired the Committee of the Centre (i.e. Committee for the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers) in the 1998-2003 Assembly. On 8 May 2007, he was appointed Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is a devolved Northern Irish government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
in the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
, a post he held until 9 June 2008, when a cabinet re-shuffle saw this post being reassigned to Gregory Campbell
Gregory Campbell (politician)
Gregory Lloyd Campbell is a Northern Irish unionist politician, and the Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, representing the East Londonderry constituency of Northern Ireland....
. It has been speculated that he was removed as Minister of Culture due to his support of the Maze
Maze (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from mid-1971 to mid-2000....
stadium proposals. He was subsequently made Deputy Mayor of Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
on 23 June
On 1 July 2009, Poots was returned to the Government as Minister of the Environment, in charge of the Department of the Environment
Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)
The Department of the Environment is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for the Environment.-Aim:...
. In May 2011, he was appointed as Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Poots is a young earth creationist
Young Earth creationism
Young Earth creationism is the religious belief that Heavens, Earth, and all life on Earth were created by direct acts of the Abrahamic God during a relatively short period, sometime between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago...
and denies biological evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
. In the same interview, when asked by William Crawley, how old the Earth was, he replied "My view on the earth is that it's a young earth. My view is 4000 BC"