Stewart Stevenson

Stewart Stevenson MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Banffshire & Buchan Coast Banff and Buchan 2001-2011
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 June 2001
Preceded by	Alex Salmond
Majority	12,220 (48.9%)
Minister for Environment and Climate Change
In office 25 May 2011 – 6 September 2012
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Roseanna Cunningham
Succeeded by	Paul Wheelhouse
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
In office 17 May 2007 – 11 December 2010
First Minister	Alex Salmond
Preceded by	Tavish Scott (as Minister for Transport)
Succeeded by	Keith Brown (as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure)
Convenor of SNP Scottish Parliamentary Group
In office 7 May 2003 – 17 May 2007
Succeeded by	Gil Paterson
Personal details
Born	(1946-10-15) 15 October 1946 Edinburgh
Nationality	Scotland
Political party	Scottish National Party
Spouse(s)	Sandra
Relations	Father: James Thomas Middleton Stevenson, MB, ChB 1904-1990 Mother: Helen Mary Berry MacGregor, MA 1909-1984
Residence	Banffshire, Scotland
Alma mater	University of Aberdeen
Profession	Software Engineer
Committees	Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee Convenor (Scottish Parliament) Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee Member (Scottish Parliament) Local Government & Regeneration Committee Substitute Member (Scottish Parliament) Standing Orders & Agenda Committee Member (SNP)
Website	http://stewartstevenson.net

James Alexander Stewart Stevenson (invariably known as Stewart Stevenson) (Gaelic: Seamus Alasdair Stiùbhart MacSteafain) (born 1946) is a Scottish politician who became a Member of the Scottish Parliament in 2001.^[1]

Early life

Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, and brought up in Cupar, Fife, where he attended Bell Baxter High School. After studying mathematics at the University of Aberdeen he worked in information technology with the Bank of Scotland for 30 years, retiring in 1999 as Director of Technology Innovation.

In Opposition

He joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1961. Elected to the Scottish Parliament on 7 June 2001 he followed Alex Salmond, after his resignation, as member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Banff and Buchan.

He made his maiden speech on the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy, rising to his feet at 16:11 hrs on 14 June, 30 hours and 36 minutes after being sworn in.^[2]

University Challenge

In 2004 he was a member of the Scottish Parliament team in the TV general knowledge programme, University Challenge - The Professionals. He and fellow team members Richard Baker (Labour), Robin Harper (Green), Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) who was captain, beat a Welsh Assembly team by 110 points to 75.^[3][4] Both teams comfortably surpassed the record low score of 25 achieved by the House of Commons team in 2003^[5]

Responsibilities

In opposition he was Shadow Deputy Health Minister before becoming Shadow Deputy Justice Minister with responsibility for Prisons and Drugs policy, Convenor of the SNP Group in the Scottish Parliament and Deputy Convenor of the Parliament's Justice 1 Committee.^[6] In addition he ended Session 2 as a substitute member of the Parliament's Health Committee^[7] and Deputy Convenor of the Parliament's Cross Party Group on Visual Impairment.

Records

By the end of Parliament's second session on 2 April 2007 he had made 284 speeches in the Scottish Parliament and was thus the most prolific speaker since the Parliament's being re-convened in 1999. By the end of Session 3 in March 2011, he had made 406 speeches and retained the position of "most prolific parliamentary speaker". He reached his 500th speech^[8] on the Tribunals (Scotland) Bill, on 7 November 2013.^[9]

He can, arguably, hold the record for the longest speech in Parliament. He commenced a speech on International Suicide Prevention Week at 17:21 on Wednesday, 7 September 2004^[10] and completed it at 17:12 on Thursday, 8 September 2004^[11] nearly 24 hours later. However this was due to the failure of the Parliament's sound system just after he started to speak.

In Government

In the Scottish Parliament election of 3 May 2007, Stewart Stevenson was returned with a majority of 10,530, the largest in Scotland, over the Scottish Conservative Party candidate. After the SNP's victory at the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election, Stevenson was appointed Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change.^[12] This appointment covered: the land use planning system, climate change, building standards, transport policy and delivery, public transport, road, rail services, canals, harbours, air and ferry services, Scottish Water.

As Minister, Stevenson piloted the SNP Government's first Bill, Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill, to the statute book on 24 January 2008.^[13] and when he signed The Port of Cairnryan Harbour Empowerment Order 2007 he became the first SNP Minister to sign a piece of legislation.^[14] He also brought forward the SNP's first Legislative Consent Motion, previously known as Sewel Motions, on the subject of the UK Climate Change Bill.^[15] He was also the first SNP Minister to lose a vote in Parliament on the subject of the Edinburgh Trams project.^[16]

He continued a family association as the Minister for Transport through the planning and building of the replacement for the Forth Road Bridge which opened in 1964. His great uncle Sir Alexander Stevenson was Chairman of the Forth Road Bridge Campaign Committee in the 1930s.^[17]

In March 2009 Stevenson apologised for the use of an "intemperate word" in Parliament when he said the word "bollocks" in an off-mic remark in response to sedentary remarks by Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles on the relationship between Scottish ministers and officials at Transport Scotland.^[18]

During the December 2010 snowfall on 6 December, Stevenson, on Newsnight Scotland, called the response to people being trapped on the main Scottish Motorway Network for more than 10 hours, as first class, and refused to apologise, claiming the amount of snow was un-forecast. The next day he apologised to motorists.^[19] On 11 December Stevenson resigned following criticism of his handling of the issue.^[20]

2011 Scottish Parliament Election

Under the re-drawn constituency boundaries, Stevenson was elected as the SNP member for the new seat of Banffshire and Buchan Coast, It contains approximately 85% of the electorate of Banff and Buchan and the remainder comes from the previous Moray seat's communities of Cullen, Findochty, Portknockie, Buckie, and from a part of the previous Gordon constituency comprising Rothiemay, Knock, Deskford, Grange. A substantial rural area with a small number of electors is also included.

His 16,812 votes represents the largest share of votes cast in a Scottish Parliament constituency with 67.24% but trails the actual votes of others such as Alex Salmond (19,533), John Swinney (18,219), Fiona Hyslop (17,027), Willie Coffey (16,964), Fergus Ewing (16,870) and Richard Lochhead (16,817).

In the 2011 Scottish Government he was appointed as Minister for Environment and Climate Change.^[21] In the re-shufffle of September 2012, Stevenson was replaced as Minister by Paul Wheelhouse MSP.^[22]

References

Relatives of Note

Politics

• Alexander Berry (1781–1873) MP New South Wales, Australia - 1st cousin, 4 times removed
• Keith Laird (1907–1985) Canadian Senator - 3rd cousin
• Sir Alexander Stewart Stevenson (1860–1936) Edinburgh Lord Provost - Great Uncle
• James Stevenson, 1st Baron Stevenson (1873–1926) Member of House of Lords - 1st cousin, once removed

Business

• David Berry (1795–1889) Businessman & Benefactor, New South Wales, Australia - 1st cousin, 4 times removed (brother of Alexander Berry)

Sport

• Jamie Alexander Stevenson (1975- ) World Orienteering Champion 2003 (Sprint), 2008 (Relay) - Nephew

Arts

• Marian Lines (1933-2012) Actress & Writer - 4th Cousin (both descended from David Berry, 1791–1854, and Catherine Scott, 1793–1875)

Medicine

• Professor David Berry Hart (1851–1920) Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology - 2nd cousin, twice removed

External links

• Stewart Stevenson's personal web site
• Stewart Stevenson's Scottish Parliament biography
• Stewart Stevenson at They Work for You