Peter Weir, Baron Weir of Ballyholme
The Lord Weir of Ballyholme | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Education | |
| In office 11 January 2020 – 13 June 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Himself (2017) |
| Succeeded by | Michelle McIlveen |
| In office 25 May 2016 – 2 March 2017 | |
| Preceded by | John O'Dowd |
| Succeeded by | Himself (2020) |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 16 November 2022 | |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Strangford | |
| In office 2 March 2017 – 28 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Bell |
| Succeeded by | Nick Mathison |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for North Down | |
| In office 25 June 1998 – 26 January 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Member of North Down Borough Council | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 22 May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Patricia Wallace |
| Succeeded by | Council abolished |
| Constituency | Ballyholme and Groomsport |
| Northern Ireland Forum Member for North Down | |
| In office 30 May 1996 – 25 April 1998 | |
| Preceded by | New forum |
| Succeeded by | Forum dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter James Weir 21 November 1968 |
| Party | DUP (2002–present) UUP (until 2001) |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Profession | Barrister |
Peter James Weir, Baron Weir of Ballyholme (born 21 November 1968), is a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) politician who served as Minister for Education in the Northern Ireland Executive from 2016 to 2017 and from 2020 to 2021. Weir was the first non-Sinn Féin legislator (following Martin McGuinness, Caitríona Ruane, and John O'Dowd) to head the Department of Education since the department came into existence on 2 December 1999.
He served as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) from 1998 to 2022, originally being a member for North Down, which he represented from 1998 to 2017, before being elected as a member for Strangford in 2017. He lost his seat at the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election. Since 2022 he has been a member of the House of Lords.