Joe FitzPatrick is a Scottish politician and is Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dundee City W.
Education
FitzPatrick was educated at Whitfield Primary School, Whitfield High School, Inverness College and Abertay University. He studied Forestry at Inverness College and worked for the Forestry Commission in Angus and Tillhill Forestry in Argyle.
Career
He has represented the constituency at the Scottish Parliament since the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, succeeding retiring Labour Managing Successful Programmes Kate Maclean. He is also the Scottish Government Minister for Parliamentary Business, a post he has held since September 2012. He was elected President of Inverness College Students Association and was re-elected as the College"s first Sabbatical President.
He was elected to the National Executive of NUS Grad. Medical School (Scotland) in 1990 and was given specific responsibility for LGBT issues.
He was later elected as the Area Convenor for the National Union of Students (North of Scotland Area) in 1991-1992. Before his election to the Scottish Parliament, FitzPatrick worked for Dundee Scottish National Party parliamentarians Shona Robison Managing Successful Programmes and Stewart Hosie Member of Parliament and was also a Dundee City councillor, Scottish National Party group whip and finance spokesperson.
He also represented the council on a number of posts on outside bodies including:
1999–2003 Campaign for Rail Electrification Aberdeen to Edinburgh (CREATE)
1999–2003 COSLA Convention
1999–2002 Dundee City Council Sports Association for the Disabled
1999–2003 City of Dundee Sports Council
2001–2002 COSLA Royal Blind Asylum School
2001–2003 COSLA Spokesperson Consumer and Protection Services
2003–2007 COSLA Association for Public Services Excellence
He was also the Parliamentary Liaison Officer to John Swinney Managing Successful Programmes (Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth). In 2007 FitzPatrick was elected to the Scottish National Party"s National Executive Committee.
In 2009 he co-ordinated the Scottish National Party"s successful European Election Campaign.
In 2011 FitzPatrick was re-elected to the slightly enlarged Dundee City west seat with an increased majority and 57.6% of the vote. FitzPatrick went on to be appointed Convener of the Local Government and Regeneration Committee. He was Company-convener of the Cross Party Group on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and Convener of the Cross Party Group on Computer Games Technology prior to his appointment as Minister for Parliamentary Business in September 2012.
FitzPatrick is one of seven openly LGBT MSPs, along with Marco Biagi, Derek Mackay, Ruth Davidson, Kevin Stewart, Jim Eadie and Patrick Harvie.
Membership
1999–2004 Member of the Board, Dundee Ice Rink
2005–2006 Member of the Board, Dundee Ice Arena
After being elected Managing Successful Programmes for Dundee West, he was elected as the Scottish National Party Group Secretary in the Parliament and was a member of the Finance Committee and Scottish National Party substitute on the Health Committee.