Willie Hay, Baron Hay of Ballyore

William Alexander Hay, Baron Hay of Ballyore (called Willie;[2] born 16 April 1950, Milford, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland) is a Northern Irish politician, and Irish citizen.[3] He was the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 8 May 2007 to 13 October 2014. He attended Faughan Valley High School, Drumahoe, County Londonderry.

The Right Honourable The Lord Hay of Ballyore
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 December 2014 Life Peerage
3rd Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
In office 8 May 2007 – 13 October 2014
Deputy	David McClarty (2007–11) Francie Molloy (2007–13) John Dallat (2007–14) Roy Beggs Jr (2011–14) Mitchel McLaughlin (2013–14)
Preceded by	Eileen Bell
Succeeded by	Mitchel McLaughlin
Member of the Legislative Assembly for Foyle
In office 25 June 1998 – 13 October 2014
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Maurice Devenney
Personal details
Born	16 April 1950 Milford, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland
Nationality	Irish[1]
Political party	Democratic Unionist Party
Spouse(s)	Doris, Lady Hay of Ballyore (née McMorris)
Website	Profile, mydup.com; accessed 18 December 2016

Political career

Hay was elected to Londonderry City Council in Northern Ireland in 1981 for the Democratic Unionist Party. He served as Mayor in 1993 and Deputy Mayor in 1992. In 1996 he was an unsuccessful candidate in the Northern Ireland Forum election in Foyle.,[4] but was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998. He is a member of the Northern Ireland Housing Council and the Londonderry Port and Harbour Commission.[5] and in 2001 became a member of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

Hay was elected Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 8 May 2007 following the restoration of devolution. He also is a prominent member of the Orange Order[6] and Apprentice Boys of Derry.

He is an Irish citizen with an Irish passport to avoid having to pay an £860 UK naturalisation fee required for people, such as him, born in the Republic of Ireland after 1946.[1]

On 6 October 2014, Hay announced his retirement from the Northern Ireland Assembly as both MLA and Speaker. The role of the Speaker had been taken on by Mitchel McLaughlin in a temporary capacity in September 2014 because of Hay's ill health. However, in a letter read to the Assembly, he announced his retirement from the Assembly effective from 13 October 2014 in order to concentrate on returning to good health.[7][8][9]

In August 2014, it was announced that he would get a life peerage to sit in the House of Lords and he opted to sit there as a crossbencher, despite being nominated by DUP.[10] Hay was ennobled on 16 December 2014, later than usual for a peerage to be gazetted, and took the title Baron Hay of Ballyore, of Ballyore in the City of Londonderry.[11] He subsequently sat as a DUP member.[12]

References

1. Liam Clarke (8 July 2011). "Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness to make it easier to be British". The Belfast Telegraph.
2. Hay returned as NI Assembly speaker & Belfast Telegraph — Willie Hay to retire (Accessed 8 April 2018)
3. - 'DUP man not allowed British passport' - Belfast Telegraph, 20 June 2018
4. Northern Ireland elections
5. Personnel Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners
6. "Speaker misses out on the Twelfth.... to say I do". BBC News. 11 July 2010.
7. "NI Assembly Speaker William Hay to retire as MLA". BBC News. 6 October 2014.
8. "Assembly Speaker to stand down". Belfast Telegraph. 6 October 2014.
9. "William Hay retires as Speaker of Assembly". Newsletter. 6 October 2014.
10. "Karren Brady and Sir Stuart Rose among new life peers". BBC News. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
11. "No. 61081". The London Gazette. 18 December 2014. p. 24538.
12. "Lord Hay of Ballyore profile". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2016.

External links

• Londonderry Democratic Unionist Party
• NI Assembly – Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• DUP party website profile