Dr Steve Aiken OBE

Title: Dr
Official Last Name: Aiken
Official First Name: Stephen
Usual First Name: Steve
Party: Ulster Unionist Party
Constituency: South Antrim

Biography

Name History

Official Last Name	Official First Name	Usual First Name	Date Name Changed
Aiken	Stephen	Steve	17/08/2021
Aiken	Stephen	Steve	17/08/2021

Party History

Party	Role	Period
Ulster Unionist Party	Party Member	05/05/2022 - Present
Ulster Unionist Party	Party Member	02/03/2017 - 27/03/2022
Ulster Unionist Party	Party Member	05/05/2016 - 25/01/2017

MLA History

Date	Constituency	Designation
12/05/2016	South Antrim	Unionist, First Elected
13/03/2017	South Antrim	Unionist, Re-elected
13/05/2022	South Antrim	Unionist, Re-elected

Office/Committee History

Period	Position	Office/Committee
12/02/2024 - Present	Committee Member	Committee for Finance
12/02/2024 - Present	Committee Member	Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee
03/02/2024 - Present	Deputy Speaker	Northern Ireland Assembly
08/06/2021 - 16/06/2021	Committee Deputy Chair	Concurrent Committee of the Committee for the Executive Office, Committee for Finance and Committee for the Economy
19/10/2020 - 27/03/2022	Committee Member	Committee on Standards and Privileges
31/03/2020 - 28/03/2022	Committee Member	Ad Hoc Committee on the COVID-19 Response
20/01/2020 - 28/03/2022	Committee Member	Chairpersons' Liaison Group
14/01/2020 - 28/03/2022	Committee Chair	Committee for Finance
25/05/2016 - 25/01/2017	Committee Deputy Chair	Committee for the Economy

All Party Group History

Period	Position	All Party Group
30/05/2024 - Present	Assembly Party Group Chairperson	All-Party Group on Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space
06/10/2023 - Present	Assembly Party Group Vice-Chairperson	All-Party Group on Climate Action
08/07/2022 - Present	Assembly Party Group Chairperson	All-Party Group on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
29/06/2022 - Present	Assembly Party Group Vice-Chairperson	All-Party Group on Ethnic Minority Community
22/06/2022 - 05/10/2023	Assembly Party Group Member	All-Party Group on Climate Action
26/01/2021 - 27/03/2022	Assembly Party Group Member	All-Party Group on Arts
03/03/2020 - 27/03/2022	Assembly Party Group Chairperson	All-Party Group on Ethnic Minority Community
05/02/2020 - 27/03/2022	Assembly Party Group Member	All-Party Group on Climate Action
25/09/2019 - 27/03/2022	Assembly Party Group Chairperson	All-Party Group on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
09/05/2017 - 25/09/2019	Assembly Party Group Vice-Chairperson	All-Party Group on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
09/05/2017 - 13/10/2021	Assembly Party Group Member	All Party Group on International Development
19/04/2017 - 27/03/2022	Assembly Party Group Member	All-Party Group on Disability
22/11/2016 - 25/01/2017	Assembly Party Group Member	All-Party Group on Cancer
24/10/2016 - 25/01/2017	Assembly Party Group Member	All Party Group on Students
20/06/2016 - 25/01/2017	Assembly Party Group Vice-Chairperson	All-Party Group on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Contacts

Register of Interests

Assembly Questions

Session:

27 Questions, Page 1 of 3

Display All Answers

Note: [R] indicates a registered declaration of interest

AQO 1571/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of whether his Department's proposed allocation in the Draft Budget 2025-26 aligns with the draft Programme for Government 2024-27.

06/02/2025

To be answered on 18/02/2025

AQO 1510/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline any proposals his Department has to safeguard aerospace jobs.

View Official Report for AQO 1510/22-27

30/01/2025

Answered on 10/02/2025

AQO 1346/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for his assessment of the potential impact that the new EU-Mercosur agreement will have on the agricultural sector in Northern Ireland.

+ Display Answer

06/01/2025

Answered on 14/01/2025

AQO 1377/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister for the Economy, in the light of recent amber warnings on power outages from the System Operator for Northern Ireland, to outline his assessment of the security of Northern Ireland's electricity supply.

View Official Report for AQO 1377/22-27

09/01/2025

Answered on 20/01/2025

AQW 20072/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) whether his decision to seek appeal to the Supreme Court on the gas caverns ruling was based on constitutional issues; and (ii) whether he sought cross-cutting approval from the Executive to seek appeal to the Supreme Court on the gas caverns ruling.

+ Display Answer

07/01/2025

Answered on 16/01/2025

AQW 20071/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE [R]
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) any actions he is taking to increase spending on the aerospace and defence sector in Northern Ireland by His Majesty’s Government; and (ii) how his Department and Invest NI can help boost that spending, particularly for the Hi-Tech small and medium-sized enterprises sector.

+ Display Answer

07/01/2025

Answered on 23/01/2025

AQW 20070/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister for Communities whether he can confirm that no public money will be made available to the private provider for the Irish Football Association National Football Training Centre, in light of the publicly provided and agreed site at Birch Hill Road, Antrim.

+ Display Answer

07/01/2025

Answered on 27/01/2025

AQW 20069/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister for Communities whether he was aware that the Irish Football Association was engaged with a private provider on the development of a National Football Training Centre, whilst also in negotiation with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council on the previously agreed site at Birch Hill Road, Antrim.

+ Display Answer

07/01/2025

Answered on 04/02/2025

AQW 20068/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail the cost to the public purse of his decision to seek permission to appeal to the Supreme Court on the gas caverns ruling, despite having his request rejected by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland.

+ Display Answer

07/01/2025

Answered on 16/01/2025

AQO 1314/22-27

Dr Steve Aiken OBE
(UUP - South Antrim)

To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether he has had communication with the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs or the Minister for the Economy on incineration for power projects.

+ Display Answer

28/11/2024

Answered on 10/12/2024

Plenary Business

Plenary Item Title	Item	Tabled As	Tabled Date	Plenary Date
Hospitality VAT Harmonisation	Motion	MLA - South Antrim	28/01/2025	10/02/2025
First Minister's Recent Statements	Urgent Oral Question	MLA - South Antrim	07/10/2024
Budgetary Pressures - Amendment 1	Motion Amendment	MLA - South Antrim	04/09/2024	10/09/2024
Great Britain to Northern Ireland Trade	Motion	MLA - South Antrim	03/09/2024	16/09/2024

Votes On Division

Vote Subject	Division Date	Member Voted
Prayer of Annulment: The Direct Payments to Farmers (Cross-Compliance) (Amendment) Regulations (Nort	04/02/2025	AYE
Enhancing Accountability and Trust in Government (Revised Wording) [Mr Matthew O'Toole]	03/02/2025	NO
-#1 Enhancing Accountability and Trust in Government (Revised Wording) - Amendment 1: Motion Amendme	03/02/2025	NO
Protection of Rights and Safety in Custodial Facilities [Mr Doug Beattie MC]	20/01/2025	AYE
-#1 Protection of Rights and Safety in Custodial Facilities - Amendment 1: Motion Amendment 1 [Mr Ti	20/01/2025	NO
-#2 Relationships and Sexuality Education and Healthy Young Adult Relationships - Amendment 2: Motio	14/01/2025	AYE
-#1 Relationships and Sexuality Education and Healthy Young Adult Relationships - Amendment 1: Motio	14/01/2025	AYE
-#1 Ending Violence Against Women and Girls - Amendment 1: Motion Amendment 1 [Ms Joanne Bunting]	14/01/2025	AYE
Democratic Consent Resolution [Mr Philip McGuigan]	10/12/2024	NO
The draft Climate Change (2040 Emissions Target) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 [Minister of Ag	10/12/2024	AYE
The draft Climate Change (Carbon Budgets 2023-2037) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 [Minister of	10/12/2024	AYE
Delays to Flagship Maternity and Children’s Hospital Project [Mrs Diane Dodds]	26/11/2024	NO
-#1 Future EU Relationship - Amendment 1: Motion Amendment 1 [Mr Eóin Tennyson]	18/11/2024	NO
Breaches of the Ministerial Code of Conduct [Mr Matthew O'Toole]	18/11/2024	NO
-#1 Draft Programme for Government - Amendment 1: Motion Amendment 1 [Mr Brian Kingston]	07/10/2024	AYE
-#1 Mental Health Provision in Northern Ireland - Amendment 1: Motion Amendment 1 [Mrs Diane Dodds]	30/09/2024	AYE
Final Stage: Budget (No. 2) Bill (NIA Bill 06/22-27) [Minister of Finance - Department of Finance]	23/09/2024	NO
Amend Standing Order 30 [Committee Chair - Committee on Procedures]	17/09/2024	AYE
-#2 Budgetary Pressures - Amendment 2: Motion Amendment 2 [Mr Paul Frew]	10/09/2024	AYE

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