Patricia Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Patricia Josephine Ferguson (born 24 September 1958, Glasgow
) is a Labour
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Glasgow Maryhill
, a seat which she has held since 1999.
in Public Administration
.
Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament
, she worked as a health service administrator, with the Scottish Trades Union Congress
and with the Scottish Labour Party
.
and, more recently, as a member of the Parliament's Standards and Procedures Committees. She led the British-Irish Parliamentary Body delegation.
She was first appointed to the Scottish Executive
Cabinet in November 2001 as Minister for Parliament when Jack McConnell
became First Minister
and was re-appointed as Minister for Parliamentary Business after the 2003 election. She became Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in October 2004.
In 2006, her name was included on a variant of a Nigerian scam
email after a high-profile trip to Malawi
as part of her Scottish Executive brief.
She is married to former Labour MSP Bill Butler.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
) is a Labour
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
for Glasgow Maryhill
Glasgow Maryhill (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Maryhill is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the plurality method of election...
, a seat which she has held since 1999.
Background
Ferguson was educated at Garnethill Convent Secondary School in Glasgow, and at Glasgow College of Technology, where she obtained an HNCHigher National Certificate
A Higher National Certificate is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom.In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the HNC is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel, and in Scotland, an HNC is a Higher National awarded by the Scottish Qualifications Authority...
in Public Administration
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
.
Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, she worked as a health service administrator, with the Scottish Trades Union Congress
Scottish Trades Union Congress
The Scottish Trades Union Congress is the co-ordinating body of trade unions, and local Trades Councils, in Scotland. With 39 affiliated unions as of 2007, the STUC represents around 630,000 trade unionists....
and with the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party
The Scottish Labour Party is the section of the British Labour Party which operates in Scotland....
.
Member of the Scottish Parliament
After being elected as MSP for Glasgow Maryhill in May 1999 she was Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and, more recently, as a member of the Parliament's Standards and Procedures Committees. She led the British-Irish Parliamentary Body delegation.
She was first appointed to the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
Cabinet in November 2001 as Minister for Parliament when Jack McConnell
Jack McConnell
Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale is a British Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007, making him the longest serving First Minister in the history of the Scottish Parliament...
became First Minister
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
and was re-appointed as Minister for Parliamentary Business after the 2003 election. She became Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in October 2004.
In 2006, her name was included on a variant of a Nigerian scam
Advance fee fraud
An advance-fee fraud is a confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to advance sums of money in the hope of realizing a significantly larger gain...
email after a high-profile trip to Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
as part of her Scottish Executive brief.
She is married to former Labour MSP Bill Butler.
External links
- Patricia Ferguson Personal website
- Scottish Parliament biography
- Patricia Ferguson Biography at Labour party website