Stewart Stevenson
Encyclopedia
Stewart Stevenson (born 1946) is a Scottish
politician who became a member of the Scottish Parliament
in 2001.
He was born in Edinburgh
, Scotland
, and brought up in Cupar
, Fife
where he went to Bell Baxter High School
. After studying mathematics at the University of Aberdeen
he worked in information technology
with Bank of Scotland
for 30 years retiring in 1999 as Director of Technology Innovation.
(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, 26 hours and 36 minutes after being sworn in.
- 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. Both teams comfortably surpassed the record low score of 25 achieved by the House of Commons team in 2003
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 and completed it at 17:12 on Thursday, 8 September 2004 nearly 24 hours later. However this was due to the failure of the Parliament's sound system just after he started to speak.
, Stevenson was appointed Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
. 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. and when he signed The Port of Cairnryan Harbour Empowerment Order 2007 he became the first SNP Minister to sign a piece of legislation. 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. He was also the first SNP Minister to lose a vote in Parliament on the subject of the Edinburgh Trams project.
He continues 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. 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
.
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. On 11 December Stevenson resigned following criticism of his handling of the issue.
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 in the Scottish Parliament 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 new Scottish Government he has been appointed as Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
Sport
Arts
Medicine
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
politician who became a member of 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...
in 2001.
He was born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and brought up in Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
where he went to Bell Baxter High School
Bell Baxter High School
Bell Baxter High School is a non-denominational comprehensive state school for 11-18 year olds in Cupar, Fife, Scotland.-School history:Bell Baxter High School was descended from the Cupar Grammar School and was founded in 1889 when the Madras Academy combined with the Sir David Baxter's Institute...
. After studying mathematics at the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
he worked in information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
with Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
for 30 years retiring in 1999 as Director of Technology Innovation.
In Opposition
He joined the Scottish National PartyScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
(SNP) in 1961. Elected to 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...
on 7 June 2001 he followed Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
, after his resignation, as 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:...
(MSP) for Banff and Buchan
Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Banff and Buchan was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2011 when it was substantially succeeded by Banffshire and Buchan Coast. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
.
He made his maiden speech on the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's Common Fisheries Policy
Common Fisheries Policy
The Common Fisheries Policy is the fisheries policy of the European Union . It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch what amounts of each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions...
, rising to his feet at 16:11 hrs on 14 June, 26 hours and 36 minutes after being sworn in.
University Challenge
In 2004 he was a member of the Scottish Parliament team in the TV general knowledge programme, University ChallengeUniversity Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
- The Professionals. He and fellow team members Richard Baker
Richard Baker (Scottish politician)
Richard Baker is a Scottish Labour politician, and member of the Scottish Parliament for the North East Scotland region. He was first elected in the 2003 general election, when he was the youngest sitting MSP, and since May 2011 is Labour's Finance spokesperson in the Scottish Parliament...
(Labour), Robin Harper
Robin Harper
Robin Harper FRSSA is a Scottish politician, and was a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Lothians region. He was co-convener of the Scottish Green Party...
(Green), Jamie Stone
Jamie Stone
James "Jamie" Stone is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was a member of the Scottish Parliament for the constituency of Caithness, Sutherland, and Easter Ross, which is the northern-most mainland Scotland constituency and one of the largest constituencies in Britain...
(Lib Dem) who was captain, beat a Welsh Assembly team by 110 points to 75. Both teams comfortably surpassed the record low score of 25 achieved by the House of Commons team in 2003
Responsibilities
In opposition he was 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. In addition he ended Session 2 as a substitute member of the Parliament's Health Committee 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 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 and completed it at 17:12 on Thursday, 8 September 2004 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 ElectionScottish Parliament election, 2007
The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999...
, Stevenson was appointed Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
The Minister for Housing and Transport is a member of the Scottish Government who works to the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment...
. 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. and when he signed The Port of Cairnryan Harbour Empowerment Order 2007 he became the first SNP Minister to sign a piece of legislation. 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. He was also the first SNP Minister to lose a vote in Parliament on the subject of the Edinburgh Trams project.
He continues a family association as the Minister for Transport through the planning and building of the replacement for the Forth Road Bridge
Forth Road Bridge
The Forth Road Bridge is a suspension bridge in east central Scotland. The bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth, connecting the capital city Edinburgh, at South Queensferry, to Fife, at North Queensferry...
which opened in 1964. His great uncle Sir Alexander Stevenson was Chairman of the Forth Road Bridge Campaign Committee in the 1930s. In March 2009 Stevenson apologised for the use of an "intemperate word" in Parliament when he said the word "bollocks
Bollocks
"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in British English and Hiberno-English, as a noun to mean "nonsense", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, or an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless"...
" in an off-mic remark in response to sedentary remarks by Liberal Democrat MSP
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:...
Mike Rumbles
Mike Rumbles
Mike Rumbles is a former Scottish Liberal Democrat politician, and was MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine until defeated at the 2011 election in the successor constituency of Aberdeenshire West.-Background:...
on the relationship between Scottish ministers and officials at Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland was created on 1 January 2006 as the national transport agency of Scotland. It is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government's Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and accountable to Scottish Ministers...
.
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. On 11 December Stevenson resigned following criticism of his handling of the issue.
2011 Scottish Parliament Election
Under the re-drawn constituency boundaries, Stevenson has been elected as the SNPScottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
member for the new seat of Banffshire and Buchan Coast
Banffshire and Buchan Coast (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Banffshire and Buchan Coast is a new constituency of the Scottish Parliament . It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
, It contains approximately 85% of the electorate of Banff and Buchan
Banff and Buchan (Scottish Parliament constituency)
Banff and Buchan was a constituency of the Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2011 when it was substantially succeeded by Banffshire and Buchan Coast. It elected one Member of the Scottish Parliament by the first past the post method of election...
and the remainder comes from the previous Moray seat's communities of Cullen, Findochty
Findochty
Findochty is a village in Banffshire, Scotland, 4 miles east of the town of Buckie.Findochty stands on the shores of the Moray Firth. The Gaelic name of the village was recorded by Diack in his own transcription method as fanna-guchti which is unclear in meaning...
, Portknockie
Portknockie
Portknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, in Moray. Portknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, in Moray. Portknockie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth in northeast Scotland, in Moray. (Family historians will note that this...
, Buckie
Buckie
Buckie is a burgh town on the Moray Firth coast of Scotland in Moray. Buckie was the largest town in Banffshire by some thousands of inhabitants before regionalisation in 1975 removed that political division from the map of Scotland...
, 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 in the Scottish Parliament with 67.24% but trails the actual votes of others such as Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
(19,533), John Swinney
John Swinney
John Ramsey Swinney is the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth in the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North, having previously represented North Tayside...
(18,219), Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop
Fiona Hyslop is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs and Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Linlithgow.-Family life and background:...
(17,027), Willie Coffey
Willie Coffey
Willie Coffey is a Scottish politician. He is a Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun since 2007....
(16,964), Fergus Ewing
Fergus Ewing
Fergus Ewing is the Scottish Government's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Inverness and Nairn.- Background :...
(16,870) and Richard Lochhead
Richard Lochhead
Richard Neilson Lochhead is the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Scottish National Party Member of the Scottish Parliament for Moray.-Background and early career:...
(16,817).
In the new Scottish Government he has been appointed as Minister for Environment and Climate Change.
Relatives
Politics- Alexander BerryAlexander BerryAlexander Berry was a Scottish-born surgeon, merchant and explorer who in 1822 was given a land grant of 10,000 acres and 100 convicts to establish the first European settlement on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.This settlement became known as the Coolangatta Estate and later...
(1781–1873) MP New South Wales, Australia - 1st cousin, 4 times removed - Keith LairdJohn Keith McBroom LairdJohn Keith McBroom Laird was a Canadian author, barrister, and solicitor. He was a member of the Canadian Liberal Party, a well-known tax lawyer in Windsor, and a law partner of Paul Martin, Sr., who was the father of Prime Minister Paul Martin.He served as Senator for Windsor, Ontario in the...
(1907–1985) Canadian Senator - 3rd cousin - Sir Alexander Stewart Stevenson (1860–1936) Edinburgh Lord Provost - Great Uncle
- James Stevenson, 1st Baron StevensonJames Stevenson, 1st Baron StevensonJames Stevenson, 1st Baron Stevenson , known as Sir James Stevenson, Bt, between 1917 and 1924, was a British businessman and civil servant.-Education:Stevenson was educated at the Kilmarnock Academy...
(1873–1926) Member of House of Lords - 1st cousin, once removed
Sport
- Jamie Alexander StevensonJamie StevensonJamie Stevenson is a British orienteering champion. He appeared on the TV sports quiz They Think It's All Over in 2003 after winning the gold medal in the sprint distance at the World Orienteering Championships....
(1975- ) World Orienteering Champion 2003 (Sprint), 2008 (Relay) - Nephew
Arts
- Marian LinesMarian LinesMarian Alice Lines is a British writer and actress. The majority of Lines' works are libretti for musical productions, and many are for performance by children.-Biography:...
(1933- ) Actress & Writer - 4th Cousin (both descended from David Berry, 1791–1854, and Catherine Scott, 1793–1875)
Medicine
- Professor David Berry HartDavid Berry HartDavid Berry Hart, M.D., F.R.C.P.E. was a Scottish surgeon and teacher.-Biography:David Berry Hart was born and died in Edinburgh. His grandfather, David Berry, had been a builder in Edinburgh. His wife was Jessie Smith Welsh Berry, a first cousin, and they had two daughters and two sons...
(1851–1920) Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology - 2nd cousin, twice removed