REV ROBERT COULTER MLA (UUP)

Robert Coulter was born in 1929, making him the second oldest MLA after the Rev. Ian Paisley.  Educated at Ballymena College, Trinity College Dublin and the University of Ulster, he is married with one son and one daughter. Robert is a retired Presbyterian minister and a former lecturer in religious studies at Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education.  Robert was re-elected to the Assembly in 2007 as the only UUP representative in the constituency. He is a member of the Health, Social Service and Public Safety Committee and Party Spokesperson for Health issues.  Coulter also sits on the Committee for Standards and Privilieges.

DAITHÍ MCKAY MLA (SF)

Daithí McKay was born in 1982 making him the youngest of the MLAs elected on 7 March 2007 Assembly Election.  He polled over 7,000 votes and was elected on the first count.  Born in Ballymena and raised in Rasharkin, Daithí attended St Patrick's Primary School and continued his education at St. Louis' Grammar in Ballymena before he went on to take up a post within the Ulster Bank in Belfast.  He is a former Director of Publicity and Political Advisor to former MLA Philip McGuigan and Ballymena's first Sinn Féin Councillor Monica Digney.  Daithí is currently the party's representative on the Fire & Rescue Service Board.  Daithí is is a member of the Environment Committee in the Assembly and Party Spokesperson on the Environment. He also sits on the Policing Board.

DECLAN O'LOAN MLA (SDLP)

Declan O'Loan is a Counclilor in Ballymena and is married to former Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan. He is currently the Secretary of the Association of SDLP Councillors, the Chair of Ballymena District Policing Partnership and the Ballymena Community Safety Partnership. Declan also sits a member of the Board of Ballymena Citizens Advice Bureau, the Board of Ballymena Community Forum, the Ballymena Local Strategy Partnership and the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.  He was first elected as an MLA in 2007 taking over Sean Farren’s former seat. O'Loan is Party Spokesperson for Finance and Personnel and is a member of the Finance and Personnel Committee and the Committee on Procedures in the Assembly.

IAN PAISLEY JNR MLA (DUP)

Ian Paisley Jnr was born in Belfast in 1966. Educated at Shaftesbury House College and Methodist College, he graduated from Queens University Belfast with a BA Hons in Modern History. He pursued postgraduate studies in the United States, graduating as an MSSc Fellow from Maryland University, Washington DC. He is married to Fiona and they have three children. Between 1989 and 1996 Paisley Jnr was employed as political researcher and parliamentary aide for his father, Rev Ian Paisley MP MLA. He was a member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee in the 1998-2003 Assembly.  In the 2007 Assembly Election he was elected on the second count after his father’s surplus vote had been distributed. Ian was appointed a Junior Minister in the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister but resigned in February 2008 following a series of allegations about his dealings with the developer Seymour Sweeney, office costs allowances and other damaging incidents. A member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board from 2001-2007, Ian was reappointed to take Jeffrey Donaldson's place in February 2008, after Donaldson became Junior Minister.

REV. IAN PAISLEY MP MLA (DUP)

The Rev. Ian Paisley was born in Armagh in 1926, making him the eldest member of the Assembly. He was educated at South Wales Bible College and the Reformed Presbyterian College Belfast. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Bob Jones University, South Carolina. Paisley is the DUP Leader, Grand Master of the Independent Orange Order and was Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church until he stepped down in January 2008.  He was Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the 1998-2003 Assembly.  Paisley was made a Privy Councillor on 21 October 2005.  Hugely influential in his own party, Paisley orchestrated the DUP’s decision to enter into government with Sinn Féin after the 2006 St Andrews Agreement.  In the 2007 Assembly Executive Paisley is First Minister.

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MERVYN STOREY MLA (DUP)

Born in 1964 Mervyn Storey was educated at Ballymoney Secondary School.  He is married with three children.  Mervyn was elected to Ballymoney Borough Council in 2001 and is a board member of Ballymoney Local Strategy Partnership and the Regional Partnership for Northern Ireland.  He is a member of the Loyal Orders and is the DUP Party Spokesperson for EFinance and Personnel.  Mervyn has served as an MLA since he was elected in 2003 and in the 2007 Assembly Election he received an increase of 1500 first preference votes. He is Deputy Chair of both the Committee on Finance and Personnel and the Committee on Procedures. Mervyn also sits on the Education Committee in the Assembly.