Roy Beggs Jr
Roy Beggs Jr MLA (born 3 July 1962) is an Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician, who has been a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Antrim since 1998. Beggs is the son of the politician Roy Beggs, who was the UUP Member of Parliament (MP) for East Antrim from 1983 to 2005.[1]
Roy Beggs Jr | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| Assumed office 11 January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Danny Kennedy |
| In office 12 May 2011 – 12 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | David McClarty |
| Succeeded by | Danny Kennedy |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Antrim | |
| Assumed office 25 June 1998 | |
| Preceded by | New Creation |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 July 1962 Glenoe, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Ulster Unionist Party |
| Spouse(s) | Sandra Beggs |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Glenoe, County Antrim |
| Alma mater | Queen's University of Belfast |
| Profession | Engineer |
| Website | Official webpage |
He served as a local councillor on Carrickfergus Borough Council from 2001 to 2011. During this period he had been elected as Chairman of the District Policing Partnership and Vice-chairman of the Local Strategic Partnership and of the Community Safety Partnership.[2]
In 2011 Beggs was elected as a Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly. He serves as a member of the Assembly’s Social Development Committee and the Public Accounts Committee. He has served as a member of the Health Committee, Environment Committee, Finance Committee, Deputy Chairman of the Agriculture Committee and Regional Development Committee. He is the Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson on Social Development.
In 2003, Beggs succeeded in having Irish rebel music removed from the in-flight entertainment of Aer Lingus airplanes. He complained of the "blatant promotion of militant, armed republicanism" on a music channel during a flight from Dublin to Boston after seeing that Derek Warfield had a radio channel dedicated to his music. Beggs, it was the same as "the speeches of Osama Bin Laden being played on a trans-Atlantic Arabian airline."[3]
Aer Lingus removed the material from their flights stating: "It is something that should not have been on board and we removed it immediately we became aware of it."[4]
Election results
Beggs Jr has successfully contested every election for the Northern Ireland Assembly since 1998. In 1998 Beggs Jr polled 16.1% of the popular vote; 16.7% in 2003; and 10.2% in 2007. Beggs Jr topped the poll in 1998 and 2003 and the UUP returned two candidates.[5]
References
- Cullen, Paul. "Son of Beggs may find it hard to match father's share of UUP vote". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- Information Office, Northern Ireland Assembly (26.11.2003/). "Northern Ireland Assembly - Biography - Roy Beggs". archive.niassembly.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Archived copy". www.roy-beggs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 April 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Archived copy". www.breakingnews.ie. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - Nicholas. "East Antrim". Ark.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2017.