Irene Oldfather

{{Short description|Scottish politician (born 1954)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Irene Oldfather | honorific_suffix = | image = Irene Oldfather 2016 (cropped).jpg | caption = Irene Oldfather in 2016 | constituency_MP = [[Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Cunninghame South]] | parliament = Scottish | majority = | term_start = 6 May 1999 | term_end = 22 March 2011 | predecessor = ''new constituency'' | successor = [[Margaret Burgess]] | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1954}} | birth_place = [[Glasgow]], Scotland | death_date = | death_place = | birth_name = | party = [[Scottish Labour Party]] | spouse = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = [[University of Strathclyde]] | occupation = | profession = | cabinet = | committees = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Irene Hamilton Oldfather''' (born 1954 in [[Glasgow]]) is a [[Scottish Labour Party]] politician.<ref>[http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/msp/irene_oldfather/735/ About Irene Oldfather.] Scottish Labour 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017221410/http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/msp/irene_oldfather/735/ |date=17 October 2010 }}</ref> She was the [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSP) for the [[Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Cunninghame South]] constituency from 1999 until 2011, when she was defeated by the SNP's [[Margaret Burgess]].<ref>{{cite news |title=MSP Margaret Burgess says farewell to Holyrood as the election campaign begins |url=https://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/14382451.margaret-burgess-msp-this-week-stood-down-as-an-msp-as-the-campaign-for-the-2016-scottish-parliament-begins/ |access-date=30 May 2021 |work=Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald |agency=Newsquest Media Group |publisher=Gannet Company |date=27 March 2016 |language=en}}</ref>

During her time in Parliament, Oldfather served primarily on the European and External Relations Committee, acting as Convener for part of the 1999 and all of 2007 Sessions, and as Deputy Convener between 2003 and 2007. She was also co-chair of the Parliament's working group on prescription drug dependency.<ref name="sp">{{cite news |last1=Swindon |first1=Peter |title=Ministers urged to act to save chronic pain patients from prescription drug addiction |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/ministers-urged-to-act-to-save-chronic-pain-patients-from-prescription-drug-addiction/ |access-date=30 May 2021 |work=The Sunday Post |agency=DC Thomson Media |date=30 May 2021}}</ref> She served as a member of the Parliament's first Health Committee where she was strongly supportive of tobacco control.

She set up the Parliament's Cross Party Group on Alzheimer's and ushered a Charter of Rights for People with Dementia through Parliament.

She was a member of [[North Ayrshire Council]], being first elected in 1995,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bochel |first1=H M |last2=Denver |first2=D T |title=Scottish Council Elections 1995 |url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Scottish-Council-Elections-1995.pdf |website=electionscentre.co.uk |publisher=Election Studies |access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref> but was defeated in the [[2017 Scottish local elections]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dunn |first1=Ross |title=Tories to snub SNP but won't rule out coalition with other parties |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/north-ayrshire-conservatives-snub-snp-10363424 |access-date=30 May 2021 |work=Daily Record |date=5 May 2017 |language=en}}</ref> She served as the council's vice-chair for education.<ref name="tes">{{cite news |title=One-liners all round in North Ayrshire |url=https://www.tes.com/news/one-liners-all-round-north-ayrshire |date=2 February 1996 |access-date=16 June 2021 |work=Tes |language=en}}</ref>

She was a Scottish member of European Committee of the Regions (CoR) from 1997 to 2011 where she served as Vice President of the Socialist Group (PES) for 11 years.

After leaving Politics she was a Consultant writing the Business Case for Big Lottery's £25 million spend, Life Changes Trust for People with Dementia. In 2012 Oldfather became Director of Strategic Partnerships and External Affairs at the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland.

In 2015 she became a Scottish Representative of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) where she served until Brexit in January 2020.

in her earlier career,

<ref name="sp" /> She was a lecturer in government at the [[University of Arizona]].<ref name="tes" /> She also did an internship at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC working with Professor Richard Rose University of Strathclyde.

She attended Bank Street Primary and Irvine Royal Academy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dunn |first1=Ross |title=North Ayrshire Council elections: Meet the Irvine East candidates |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/north-ayrshire-council-elections-meet-10308721 |access-date=30 May 2021 |work=Daily Record |date=27 April 2017 |language=en}}</ref> She attended the [[University of Strathclyde]], graduating with a BSc (Honours) and MSc in Politics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Irene Oldfather |url=http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/irene-oldfather |website=Scottish Labour |access-date=17 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506143005/http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/irene-oldfather |archive-date=6 May 2011 }}</ref>

In June 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Strathclyde for national and international services to patients and carers.

She campaigned to Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum and in 2022 became a Member of the United Kingdom Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with Europe., where she was elected Vice Chair. In December 2024 she was re elected Vice Chair for a second term. In 2023 she set up the Scottish Advisory Forum on Europe (SAFE) which she Chairs. (2025).

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{SP-MSP}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|sct}} {{s-new|Parliament|reason=[[Scotland Act 1998]]}} {{s-ttl | title=[[Member of the Scottish Parliament]] for {{nowrap|[[Cunninghame South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Cunninghame South]]}} | years=[[1999 Scottish Parliament election|1999]]–[[2011 Scottish Parliament election|2011]] }} {{s-aft |after=[[Margaret Burgess]]}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldfather, Irene}} [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Labour MSPs]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 1999–2003]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2003–2007]] [[Category:Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011]] [[Category:Female members of the Scottish Parliament]] [[Category:20th-century Scottish women politicians]]