Arlene Foster MLA
Minister for Environment
Incumbent
Assumed office  May 8, 2007
Preceded by	Dermot Nesbitt
Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
Born	July 3, 1970 (1970-07-03) (age 37) Northern Ireland
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Website	DUP profile

Arlene Isabel Foster (née Kelly) (b. Dermot Nesbitt (born 14 August 1947) is a Northern Irish Politician. The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved Events 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of The Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP) is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. July 1970) is a Northern Irish unionist politician. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Unionism in Ireland, is a belief in the desirability of a full constitutional and institutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain based on the terms and She is one of two Democratic Unionist Party MLAs representing the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly alongside Maurice Morrow. The Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP) is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Fermanagh and South Tyrone is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved Maurice George Morrow Baron Morrow (born 1948 is a Northern Irish unionist politician She became Minister for Environment on 8 May 2007 and was subsequently reshuffled into the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment on 9 June 2008. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment ( DETI) is a Devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive Foster is married and has three children.

Background

Foster was raised near Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh. Lisnaskea ( is a large Village and the second largest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and is the former seat of the ancient Maguire County Fermanagh (fɚr'mænɘ Contae Fhear Manach or Fear Manach ('Men of Monach'in Irish) is the westernmost of the six counties that form Northern Her experience with the Troubles began early in her life. A bomb was discovered under a bus she was travelling to school in. A night-time attempt was made to shoot her father, a Royal Ulster Constabulary reservist, at her home. The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the Police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001

She was educated at Queen's University, Belfast where she graduated with a LLB degree. Queen's University Belfast is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Bachelor of Laws (abbreviated LLB, LLB or rarely LlB) is an undergraduate or bachelor degree in law offered in most Common law It was at Queen's University where her political career began after joining the Queen's Ulster Unionist Party Association. The Ulster Unionist Party ( UUP, sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or OUP or in a historic sense simply the Unionist Party She served as the association's chairwoman from 1992 to 1993. After leaving Queen's University, she remained active in the Ulster Unionist Party, chairing its youth wing, the Ulster Young Unionist Council, in 1995. The Young Unionists, formally known as the Ulster Young Unionist Council (UYUC is the youth wing of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP In 1996, she became an Honorary Secretary of the UUP's ruling body, the Ulster Unionist Council, a position which she held until her resignation from the UUP on December 18, 2003.

Early political life

She was elected as an Ulster Unionist in the 2003 Assembly elections, but shortly afterwards resigned from the party and joined the DUP, together with fellow Assembly members Jeffrey Donaldson and Norah Beare. The second elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, which at the time of the elections had been suspended for just over a year were held on Thursday November 26 Jeffrey Mark Donaldson, MP, MLA (born 7 December 1962) is a Northern Irish politician and Member of Parliament for Norah Beare (born 25 May 1946, Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland) was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly She was selected as the DUP's candidate for Fermanagh & South Tyrone in the United Kingdom general election, 2005. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general Negotiations took place between the local branches of the DUP and UUP with the aim of finding an agreed unionist candidate. The negotiations broke down with neither party willing to accept the electoral dominance of the other; the UUP claiming Foster's defection to the DUP disguised the reality of the UUP's electoral strength, whilst the DUP pointed to change in the unionist political landscape following the 2003 Assembly election and 2004 European Parliament election. The UUP candidate was Tom Elliott. Tom Elliott MLA (born 11 December 1963 is a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist MLA Foster finished second in the 2005 general election with 14,056 votes.

Minister for Environment

In September 2007, a privately financed proposal for a new Giant's Causeway centre was given preliminary approval by the new Northern Ireland Environment Minister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) member Arlene Foster. The Giant's Causeway (or Clochán na bhFómharach is an area of about 40000 interlocking Basalt columns the result of an ancient volcanic eruption The Democratic Unionist Party ( DUP) is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. ^[1] Immediately afterwards, the public money that had been allocated to the Causeway development was frozen. The proposal resulted in a very public row about the relationship between the private developer Seymour Sweeney and the DUP; Mr Sweeney is a member of the DUP, although both parties deny that Mr Sweeney has ever given to the party financially. ^[2] On 29 January 2008, Minister Foster announced that she had now decided against Mr Sweeney's proposal for a new visitors' centre, reversing her earlier position of "being minded" to approve it. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[3]. Although the public funds for a Causeway scheme remain frozen for the moment, it seems highly likely that the publicly funded plan for the Causeway will now go ahead after all. It is not known at this time if Mrs Foster will resign her position as Minister for the Environment.

References