Peter Peacock

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Peter Peacock (born 27 May 1952) has been a Labour regional list Member of the Scottish Parliament for Highlands and Islands since 1999. Peacock was appointed a deputy minister when first elected in 1999, and promoted to Minister for Education and Young People in the Scottish Executive after the 2003 election. He resigned from his Government post in November 2006 due to ill health. [1]

Immediately prior to coming to Parliament, Peacock was the Convener of Highland Council, having been an independent councillor for Ardersier in Highland Region since 1982. He held various positions during that time as Finance Convener, Chair of Policy and Resources Committee and Vice-Convener.

Peacock has also been a Vice-President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and a former Member of the European Committee of the Regions; the Council of Europe; the Scottish Post Office Board and Scottish Natural Heritage.

He previously ran his own business and prior to that worked for the Citizens Advice Bureau service nationally and was also a Community Worker for a time.

Upon his resignation as Minister he won praise from the general-secretary of the Headteachers' Association of Scotland who said "He has been an outstanding minister, with both a genuine commitment to, and a solid grasp of, his brief". [2]