Patricia Lewsley

She stood unsuccessfully for the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) at the 1997 local elections in Belfast.

In 1998, she was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly representing the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Lagan Valley, a seat she held in 2003. During her time as an MLA she chaired All-Party Assembly Groups on Children and Young People, Disability, Diabetes, Anti-Poverty, and Ethnic minorities. On the day the Assembly was suspended in 2002, she had been due to introduce a Private Members Bill to strengthen child protection arrangements in Northern Ireland, by placing Area Child Protection Committees on a statutory footing.

In 2001, she was elected to Lisburn City Council. She was a co-founder of Shopmobility in Belfast and initiated the appointment of the only Disability/Equal Opportunity Officer in local government.

On 19 December 2006, Lewsley resigned from the Assembly in order to take up a post as Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People,^[1] and took up that post on 8 January 2007. She served two four-year terms as Commissioner and her final term came to an end in January 2015.^[2]

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to children's rights in Northern Ireland.^[3][4]

• Northern Ireland Assembly – Biographies – Patricia Lewsley
• http://www.niccy.org

Northern Ireland Assembly
New assembly	MLA for Lagan Valley 1998–2007	Succeeded by Marietta Farrell
Party political offices
Preceded by Alex Attwood	Chairperson of the Social Democratic and Labour Party 2004–2007	Succeeded by Eddie McGrady

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