WOMEN MINISTERS IN DEVOLVED GOVERNMENTS

Scotland has eleven cabinet ministers (including the Lord Advocate) of whom three are women (27 per cent) and ten deputy ministers (including the Solicitor General), two of whom are women. Wales has eight cabinet ministers, five of whom (62 per cent) are women. This cabinet, formed in October 2000 when the Liberal Democrats entered a coalition with Labour, is the only predominantly female cabinet in UK history. As well as the five cabinet ministers there is one woman among the five deputy ministers. Table 2 lists former women ministers in the Welsh and Scottish governments (all Labour). Northern Ireland has three women ministers out of twelve (16 per cent) in a multi-party power-sharing government. Half of the SDLP’s four ministers are women and Bairbre de Brún is one of two from Sinn Féin.

Table 1: Current women ministers in devolved governments

Name / Office / Party / Dates
Scotland
Cathy Jamieson / Minister for Justice / Labour / 2003-date
Patricia Ferguson / Minister for Parliamentary Business / Labour / 2001-date
Margaret Curran / Minister for Communities / Labour / 2003-date
Mary Mulligan / Deputy Minister for Communities / Labour / 2003-date
Elish Angiolini / Solicitor General / Labour / 2001-date
Wales
Jenny Randerson / Acting Deputy First Minister
Minister for Culture, Sports & the Welsh Language / Liberal Democrat / 2001-date
2000-date
Jane Davidson / Minister for Education & Lifelong Learning / Labour / 2000-date
Sue Essex / Minister for the Environment / Labour / 2000-date
Edwina Hart / Minister for Finance, Local Government & Communities / Labour / 1999-date
Jane Hutt / Minister for Health & Social Services / Labour / 1999-date
Delyth Evans / Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs, Culture & the Environment / Labour / 2000-date
Northern Ireland
Bríd Rodgers / Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development / SDLP / 1999-date
Bairbre de Brún / Minister of Health, Social Services & Public Safety / Sinn Féin / 1999-date
Carmel Hanna / Minister of Employment & Learning / SDLP / 2001-date

Table 2: Former women ministers in devolved governments

Name / Office /

Dates

Scotland
Wendy Alexander / Minister for Communities
Minister for Enterprise, Transport & Lifelong Learning / 1999-2000
2000-2002
Susan Deacon / Minister for Health & Community Care / 1999-2001
Jackie Baillie / Deputy Minister for Social Inclusion, Local Government & Housing
Minister for Social Justice / 1999-2000
2000-2001
Sarah Boyack / Minister for Transport & Planning / 1999-2001
Rhona Brankin / Deputy Minister for Culture & Sport
Deputy Minister for Environment & Rural Development / 1999-2000
2000-2001
Cathy Jamieson / Minister for Education & Young People / 2001-2003
Elaine Murray / Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture & Sport / 2001-2003
Margaret Curran / Deputy Minister for Social Justice / 1999-2003
Mary Mulligan / Deputy Minister for Health & Community Care / 2001-2003
Wales
Christine Gwyther / Minister for Agriculture / 1999-2000
Rosemary Butler / Minister for Education (Under 16s) & Children / 1999-2000
Christine Chapman / Deputy Minister for Education / 2000

© Centre for Advancement of Women in Politics 2001

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