Robin Swann

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Robin Swann

Robin Swann in Stormont (cropped).jpg
Robin Swann MLA
Minister of Health
Assumed office
11 January 2020
First MinisterArlene Foster
Paul Givan
Preceded byMichelle O'Neill
Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
In office
8 April 2017 – 9 November 2019
Preceded byMike Nesbitt
Succeeded bySteve Aiken
Ulster Unionist Chief Whip
In office
6 April 2012 – 8 April 2017
LeaderMike Nesbitt
Preceded byJohn McCallister
Succeeded bySteve Aiken
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Antrim North
Assumed office
2011
Preceded byRobert Coulter
Personal details
Born (1971-09-24) 24 September 1971 (age 49)
Kells, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
NationalityBritish
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
Spouse(s)Jennifer Swann
Children2
ResidenceKells, County Antrim
Alma materOpen University
WebsiteRobin Swann official website

Robin Swann (born 24 September 1971) is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician from Northern Ireland serving as Minister of Health since 2020. His tenure as health minister has coincided with the global COVID-19 pandemic. He was the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party from 2017 to 2019.[1]

Swann was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011 representing North Antrim, and was re-elected in the 2016 and 2017 Assembly elections.

From 6 April 2012, he served as Ulster Unionist Chief Whip, a position he retained until he was elected unopposed as UUP Leader in April 2017. He resigned as UUP leader in November 2019. Swann stood as the UUP candidate in North Antrim in the December 2019 general election, which saw an 11.4% increase in their vote taking the party to second place in the constituency of North Antrim.

Education[]

Robin was educated at Kells & Connor Primary School and Ballymena Academy (class of 1990), before completing a BSc degree with the Open University, plus a Certificate of Professional Management and Certificate of Mathematics.[citation needed]

Political activity[]

Elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 7 May 2011, he successfully defended it in the 2016 Assembly election and at the snap election in March 2017, where he was the first unionist elected in North Antrim.[2]

During the short 2016 mandate he was Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee[citation needed] which commenced the Inquiry into the RHI scandal.

He also served as Chairman of the Committee for Employment and Learning on 27 February 2013, a position he held until the Committee was dissolved on 30 April 2016. He is an active member of Kells & Connor Community Association and has served as a Board member of the Volunteer Development Agency in Northern Ireland.[citation needed]

Swann has served as President and County Antrim Chairman of the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster. He has chaired the YFCU's National Executive and Rural Affairs Committees and has been Chairman of the Rural Youth Europe organisation.[3]

Current positions[]

  • Northern Ireland Minister of Health since January 2020
  • Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (2017–2019)
  • Ulster Unionist Member of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly
  • Chairman of North Antrim Association of the Ulster Unionist Party
  • Chairman of All Party Group on Congenital Heart Disease (30 April 2013 – present)

Family and personal life[]

He and his wife Jennifer have a daughter and a son. Their son was born with a congenital heart defect, and while in Birmingham where a corrective procedure was performed, Swann recorded the events in a personal blog.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ulster Unionist Party confirm Robin Swann as new leader" BBC News, 8 April 2017, accessed 11 April 2017
  2. ^ "North Antrim". www.ark.ac.uk.
  3. ^ "European chairman Delme Harries". Farmers Guardian. 30 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011.
  4. ^ "The Journey Begins: The phone call". 22 September 2013.

External links[]

Succession boxes[]

Party political offices
Preceded by
Mike Nesbitt
Ulster Unionist Party Leader
2017–2019
Succeeded by
Steve Aiken
Northern Ireland Assembly
Preceded by
Robert Coulter
MLA for North Antrim
2011–present
Incumbent
Preceded by
John McCallister
Ulster Unionist Chief Whip
6 April 2012 – 8 March 2017
Succeeded by
Steve Aiken
Preceded by
Michaela Boyle
Chair of the Public Accounts Committee
2016 –2017
Succeeded by
William Humphrey
Preceded by
Basil McCrea
Chair of the Committee for Employment and Learning
27 February 2013 – 30 April 2016
Committee abolished
New title Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Northern Ireland Assembly Branch

13 April 2015 – 13 June 2016
Succeeded by
Jo-Anne Dobson
Preceded by
Alex Maskey
Chair of the Chairpersons Liaison Group
October 2013 – September 2014
Succeeded by
Patsy McGlone
Preceded by
Billy Armstrong
Ulster Unionist Deputy Whip
9 May 2011 – 6 April 2012
Succeeded by
Sandra Overend


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