Patricia Ferguson (born 24 September 1958) is a Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill, a seat which she has held since 1999. September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Labour Party is a a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics), and one of the United Kingdoms three main political parties. ... Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. ...

Ms Ferguson was educated at Garnethill Convent Secondary School in Glasgow, and at Glasgow College of Technology, where she obtained an HNC in Public Administration. A Higher National Certificate (HNC) is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom, and is a BTEC qualification awarded by Edexcel, in England. ...

Prior to entering the Scottish Parliament, she worked as a health service administrator, with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and with the Scottish Labour Party. The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Scotland. ...

After being elected as MSP for Glasgow Maryhill in May 1999 she was Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament and, more recently, as a member of the Parliament's Standards and Procedures Committees. She led the British-Irish Parliamentary Body delegation.

She was first appointed to the Scottish Executive Cabinet in November 2001 as Minister for Parliament and was re-appointed as Minister for Parliamentary Business after the 2003 election. She became Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport in October 2004. The Scottish Executive (Riaghaltas na h-Alba in Gaelic) is the executive arm of the Scottish Parliament. ... Dewar Government Donald Dewar, Scotlands first First Minister, obtained the Scottish Parliaments approval to the first slate of members of the Scottish Executive and Junior Scottish Ministers on 19 May 1999. ...

External Links

• Scottish Parliament biography (http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msp/membersPages/patricia_ferguson/index.htm)
• Scottish Executive (http://www.scotland.gov.uk)