Jonathan Bell

Education

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.

Career

He was selected in 2010 to fill the vacancy for the Strangford constituency of the Northern Ireland Assembly following the resignation of Iris Robinson. Since 11 May 2015 he has been Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment on six occasions. He worked until 2010 in child care social work.

He sat on Craigavon Borough Council from 1997 until 2005, where he served as both deputy mayor and mayor.

By the time of the 2001 local elections he had joined the Democratic Unionist Party. 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 Modern Language Association under the Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections) (Amendment) Order 2009.

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 apologised.

He claims his attack was "a clumsy use of language".

In May 2015, Bell was appointed Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in a re-shuffle of offices held by Democratic Unionist Party MLAs which saw Arlene Foster, the previous DETI minister, move to Finance and Personnel.

Achievements

• 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.

Politics

Bell was originally elected for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) but dissatisfied with the leadership of David Trimble, quit the party in March 2000. Under these arrangements where a vacancy arises due to the death or resignation of an Modern Language Association 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.

Membership

3rd Northern Ireland Assembly. 4th Northern Ireland Assembly]

When he was appointed as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (Modern Language Association), he was a councillor for the Democratic Unionist Party in Ards. On accepting the invitation to replace Robinson as an Modern Language Association he resigned his position as a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, as the Northern Ireland Acting 1998 stipulated that membership of the Commission was incompatible with Assembly membership.