Children 1 son, 1 daughter Spouse(s) Louise | Nationality Scottish Role Scottish Politician Majority 2,025 Name Mark McDonald | |
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Residence Dyce, United Kingdom, Aberdeen, United Kingdom Profiles | ||
Mark McDonald (born 7 June 1980) is a Scottish politician who is the Minister for Childcare and Early Years in the Scottish Parliament. He is the Scottish National Party (SNP) Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Aberdeen Donside constituency. He previously represented the North East Scotland region between 5 May 2011 and 14 May 2013.
Contents
- Education and early career
- Aberdeen City Council
- Scottish Parliament
- Mark mcdonald speech at the scottish government debate scotland can do
- References
Education and early career
McDonald was educated at Dyce Primary School and Dyce Academy. He gained an MA in Politics from the University of Dundee (2002) and an MLitt in Strategic Studies from the University of Aberdeen (2003). From 2003 to 2011 he worked as a Parliamentary Assistant to MSPs Richard Lochhead, Maureen Watt, and Nigel Don. In 2004, he unsuccessfully contested a Local Authority by-election. He stood as the SNP candidate for Aberdeen South in the 2010 UK general election coming fourth in the poll.
Aberdeen City Council
McDonald was elected to Aberdeen City Council in 2007 at the age of 26 representing the Dyce/Bucksburn/Danestone ward. Twelve days later his colleagues elected him as vice-convener of the housing and environment committee and he was appointed the deputy leader of the SNP group on the council.
Scottish Parliament
McDonald was elected to the Scottish Parliament in the 2011 election from the North East Scotland regional list with the SNP taking 52.71% of the vote. As the Scottish National Party had already won all ten constituency seats in the region, it came as a surprise to McDonald, who famously appeared at the declaration wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He made his maiden speech on 2 June 2011 during a debate on Green Energy. McDonald has been a member of many committees in the parliament, but most recently sat on the Finance Committee and the Devolution & Further Powers Committee. In addition, he served on a number of Cross Party Groups (CPGs) including Oil & Gas, Carers, Epilepsy and Mental Health (which he co-convenes). He served as a Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney having previously been Parliamentary Liaison Officer to Alex Salmond during his tenure as First Minister.
In September 2011, McDonald announced he was to bring forward a Member's Bill on High Hedge Disputes, which was passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament on 28 March 2013, making McDonald's bill the first Members' Bill to pass in the current Parliamentary session.
Following the death of Brian Adam in April 2013, Mark McDonald was selected as the SNP candidate for Aberdeen Donside and resigned his seat as a North East Scotland Region MSP to fight the by-election. McDonald held the seat for the SNP with a reduced majority and was returned to the Scottish Parliament on 20 June 2013.
In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, McDonald contested the seat and was successfully re-elected winning 56% of the vote and increasing the SNP majority to 11,630 - the largest majority in the whole of Scotland.
Following the Scottish Government reshuffle on 18 May 2016, McDonald was appointed to serve as Minister for Childcare & Early Years.
McDonald has been a keen advocate for individuals on the autistic spectrum, leading members debates on the issue and asking questions of the Scottish Government. He has been a member of the Scotland Advisory Committee of the National Autistic Society and a trustee of the charity, Friendly Access, which looks to create a more accessible environment for individuals with sensory disabilities.