PAUL BUTLER MLA (SF)

Paul Butler has served as a Councillor for Lisburn City Council since 1997 and is a member of their Strategic Policy, Planning and Finance Committees.  Paul stood in the General Election in 2001 and 2005 in Lagan Valley but was not elected.  He was elected to the Assembly in March 2007, polling the highest ever number of first preference votes for a Sinn Féin candidate in this constituency.  Butler previously spent 15 years in prison for the killing of a reserve RUC officer. Paul is a member of the Employment and Learning Committee and in May 2008 as part of a party reshuffle he stood down from the Education Commitee and became a member of the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee.

JONATHAN CRAIG MLA (DUP)

Jonathan Craig was educated at Dromore High School, Friends’ School Lisburn and is a graduate of the University of Ulster. He was first elected to Lisburn City Council in 2001 and has served as Mayor in 2006/2007. Presently he is Chairman of Corporate Services in Lisburn City Council, and Chairman of the Board of Governors at Laurelhill Community College. He also serves as a director of Voluntary Services Lisburn, Lisburn Citizen Advice Bureau and serves on the Ulster Grand Prix Steering group.  He is a member of the Apprentice Boys and Deputy Master in the Orange Order. Craig is married with two children living in Lagan Valley. Jonathan is a member of the Social Development Committee and the Public Accounts Committee in the Assembly.

JEFFREY DONALDSON MP MLA (DUP)

Jeffrey Donaldson was born in December 1962.  He is married with two daughters and lives in Moira. In 1985 Jeffrey, then 22, was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly with the distinction of being the youngest person ever to win a seat at Stormont. From 1988-2000 he was the Honorary Secretary of the Ulster Unionist Council. In 1997 he won the Lagan Valley Westminster seat, and retained it in 2001.  Donaldson joined the DUP in January 2004 after the UUP failed to move against Trimble in light of the poor results in the 2003 Assembly elections.  He retained his seat in 2005 for the DUP, and became MLA for the same constituency in 2003.  Donaldson was elected again in 2007 with the highest number of first preference votes across the whole of Northern Ireland. In 2007 Donaldson was made a member of the Privy Council. He is Party Spokesperson on Policing and Justice. In February 2008 he was appointed as Junior Minister in OFMDFM, replacing Ian Paisley Junior who had resigned after months of intense media scrutiny about his links with north Antrim businessman Seymour Sweeney. As a result of this extra workload, Donaldson stood down from the NI Policing Board and was replaced by Paisley Jnr.

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TREVOR LUNN MLA (ALL)

Trevor Lunn is a former chairman of the Alliance Party but resigned in November 2005 over his opposition to civil partnerships.  He has been a councillor for Lisburn since 2001 and was was Lord Mayor from 2006-2007.  Trevor was elected to the Assembly for Lagan Valley in the 2007 Assembly Election, holding the seat of former Alliance MLA Seamus Close. He is Party Spokesperson on Education. Trevor is a member of the Education Committee and the Public Accounts Committee in the Assembly.

BASIL MCCREA MLA (UUP)

Basil McCrea was educated in Belfast Royal Academy, University of Birmingham and University of Ulster. He holds degrees in Chemical Engineering and Advanced Computer Technology, and has large amount of international business experience, having worked in Germany, US and Middle East. He unsuccessfully contested the 2005 General Election in Lagan Valley for the UUP. He is a UUP Councillor on Lisburn City Council and was until his election to the Assembly a Party Officer.  McCrea was elected to the Assembly in the 2007 Assembly Election, displacing party colleague and former MLA Billy Bell. McCrea is Party Spokesperson for Education and Employment and Learning. He is a member of the Education Committee and the Employment and Learning Committee in the Assembly.

EDWIN POOTS MLA (DUP)

Edwin Poots was born in 1965 and was educated at Wallace High School and Greenmount Agricultural College.  He is married with four children.  He is a farmer and serves on Lisburn City Council.   Edwin was a member of the Environment Committee and Chaired the Committee of the Centre in the 1998-2003 Assembly. First elected to the Assembly in 1998, Edwin was re-elected in 2003 and although his share of the vote dropped significantly in 2007 he was re-elected again as the sixth and final MLA for the constituency. Edwin is Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in the Executive.