The agriculture, environment and rural affairs committee at Stormont has a Sinn Féin chair and deputy chair, with mid-Ulster MLA Linda Dillon in the top seat, and east Derry MLA Caoimhe Archibald as her understudy.
Both women are new to Stormont. Dillon comes to the job having previously worked alongside former Minister for Agriculture Michelle O’Neill out of the Sinn Féin advice centre in Coalisland. Archibald has a background in horticulture, with a PhD obtained from Queen’s University in molecular biology and, in recent times, has worked for Teagasc in mushroom research.
The remainder of the committee is a mix of old and new faces. Returning to the committee are Sydney Anderson (DUP), Edwin Poots (DUP), Oliver McMullan (SF) and Robin Swann (UUP). Joining them are David Ford (Alliance), Maurice Bradley (DUP), George Robinson (DUP), Patsy McGlone (SDLP) and Harold McKee (UUP).
ADVERTISEMENT
That leaves a committee without an MLA from strong farming areas such as Fermanagh and south Tyrone, west Tyrone or Newry and Armagh.
Role
The role of the committee is to ‘‘advise and assist each minister in the formulation of policy’’. They also sign off on any changes to legislation, so can make life difficult for the agriculture minister and their officials.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The agriculture, environment and rural affairs committee at Stormont has a Sinn Féin chair and deputy chair, with mid-Ulster MLA Linda Dillon in the top seat, and east Derry MLA Caoimhe Archibald as her understudy.
Both women are new to Stormont. Dillon comes to the job having previously worked alongside former Minister for Agriculture Michelle O’Neill out of the Sinn Féin advice centre in Coalisland. Archibald has a background in horticulture, with a PhD obtained from Queen’s University in molecular biology and, in recent times, has worked for Teagasc in mushroom research.
The remainder of the committee is a mix of old and new faces. Returning to the committee are Sydney Anderson (DUP), Edwin Poots (DUP), Oliver McMullan (SF) and Robin Swann (UUP). Joining them are David Ford (Alliance), Maurice Bradley (DUP), George Robinson (DUP), Patsy McGlone (SDLP) and Harold McKee (UUP).
That leaves a committee without an MLA from strong farming areas such as Fermanagh and south Tyrone, west Tyrone or Newry and Armagh.
Role
The role of the committee is to ‘‘advise and assist each minister in the formulation of policy’’. They also sign off on any changes to legislation, so can make life difficult for the agriculture minister and their officials.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS