Alastair Ross (born 4 March 1981) is a former Unionist politician from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

representing the

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...

(DUP). Ross studied at Friends' School in

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

and at the

University of Dundee , mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord" , established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College , ...

before returning to study Irish Politics at

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

. While there, he became a

(DUP) activist. In 2005, he began working for Sammy Wilson as a parliamentary researcher, following a spell in DUP headquarters as a press officer in the lead-up and during the 2005 general election. For the

2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election The 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Wednesday, 7 March 2007. It was the third election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998. The election saw endorsement of the St Andrews Agreement and the two ...

, he was the campaign manager for the party's three candidates in East Antrim, all of whom were elected. Alastair Ross served in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2007 until its collapse in 2017. He was re-elected in 2011 and 2016. Ross was a junior minister in the Executive Office of the

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameral , house1 = , leader1_type = S ...

. He previously served on the

Northern Ireland Policing Board The Northern Ireland Policing Board ( ga, Bord Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlan Polisin Boord'') is the police authority for Northern Ireland, charged with supervising the activities of the Police Service of Nor ...

, as well as being Chairman of the Assembly Committees for Justice, Standards and Privileges, as well as the ad hoc Ctte for the Mental Capacity Bill. He also served on the Environment, Education, Justice, Regional Development, Employment and Learning, and the ad hoc Committee on Sexual Offences Committees. He was a member of the management committee of

Lisnagarvey Hockey Club Lisnagarvey Hockey Club is a field hockey club based in Hillsborough, County Down, Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1901 and was originally based in Lisburn. The club was named after Lisnagarvey, the townland that eventually expande ...

. His predecessor

George Dawson George Dawson may refer to: Politicians * George Dawson (Northern Ireland politician) (1961–2007), Northern Ireland politician * George Walker Wesley Dawson (1858–1936), Canadian politician * George Oscar Dawson (1825–1865), Georgia polit ...

, was one of the three DUP MLAs in East Antrim, and died shortly after the election. Ross was nominated by a closed list submitted by Dawson as his replacement. Ross was viewed as being on the more pragmatic and moderate wing of the DUP and was a regular media performer for the Party. In 2017 he announced he wouldn’t be seeking re-election to the 2017 Assembly elections and will be quitting politics completely."DUP MLA Ross announces decision to quit politics"
Belfast Telegraph 24 January 2017 Following his retirement from politics, Ross was appointed by the UK Parliament as one of ten UK Electoral Commissioners.

References

External links

DUP selects Dawson replacement

Official website

Northern Ireland Assembly official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Alastair Ian 1981 births Living people People educated at Friends' School, Lisburn Alumni of the University of Dundee Junior ministers of the Northern Ireland Assembly (since 1999) Democratic Unionist Party MLAs Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011 Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016 Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017