Sarah Boyack

Sarah Boyack MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothian
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 May 2011
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Central
In office 6 May 1999 – 5 May 2011
Preceded by	Constituency Created
Succeeded by	Marco Biagi
Personal details
Born	16 May 1961 (1961-05-16) Glasgow
Political party	Scottish Labour Party
Alma mater	University of Glasgow Heriot-Watt University
Website	www.sarahboyack.com

Sarah Boyack MSP (born 16 May 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Labour MSP for the Lothian region and formerly constituency MSP for Edinburgh Central in the Scottish Parliament.

Boyack is co-chairing the review of the Labour Party in Scotland, commissioned by Ed Miliband in May 2011, and due to report in the autumn of 2011.

Background

Boyack was brought up in Edinburgh where she was amongst the first female entrants at the Royal High School. She went on to study at the University of Glasgow in 1979, gaining an MA Honours degree in Modern History and Politics. She became active in the Labour Club, where she was a protege of Margaret Curran. She became chair of the Labour Club in 1981-82, and chair of the National Organisation of Labour Students in 1985-86. During her time at Glasgow University, she was involved in supporting the twinning with Bir Zeit University in the West Bank.

She then did a Diploma in Town and Country Planning at Heriot-Watt University.

Boyack's father was an important figure in the Labour Party and the campaign for Scottish devolution.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

She was elected to the new Scottish Parliament in 1999, and she was Minister for the Environment, Planning and Transport in the Scottish Executive from 1999-2000. Then Minister for Transport 2000-2001 during which time she introduced one of Scottish Labour's flagship policies of free bus travel for people over 60. She was elected Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Environment and Rural Development Committee in June 2003 and stood down in January 2007 when she returned to the Scottish Executive as Deputy Minister for the Environment and Rural Development.

In November 2004 Sarah received the RSPB Goldcrest Award for the most outstanding contribution to the development of environmental policy in Scotland since devolution and in December 2005 was named the Scottish Renewables Best Politician.

She lost her seat in the 2011 Scottish Parliament general election to Marco Biagi of the SNP but was elected on the Lothian Regional List.

External links

• sarahboyack.com Constituency website
• Scottish Parliament webpage
• 19 March 2011 Speech on environment and rural affairs at the Scottish Labour website
• Sarah Boyack Biography at the Scottish Labour website
• theyworkforyou.com
• Voting Record — Sarah Boyack MSP, Edinburgh Central

Scottish Parliament
New constituency	Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Central 1999–2011	Succeeded by Marco Biagi
Political offices
Preceded by Rhona Brankin	Deputy Minister for the Environment and Rural Development 2007	Succeeded by Michael Russell as Minister for Environment
Preceded by New offic	Minister for Transport and Planning 2000–2001	Succeeded by Wendy Alexander as Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning
Preceded by New office	Minister for Transport and the Environment 1999–2000	Succeeded by Abolished
Preceded by Alex Johnstone	Convenor of the Scottish Parliament's Environment and Rural Development Committee 2003–2007	Succeeded by Maureen MacMillan