Biography:

Political Career:
  • Elected to Northern Ireland Convention, 1975.
  • Elected to Belfast City Council, 1985.
  • Served as Lord Mayor, 1989 and 1993.
  • Member of the Ulster Unionist Party Negotiating Team in Brooke-Mayhew Talks, 1991.
  • Member of the European Committee of the Regions from 1994 to 2002.
  • Member of the Ulster Unionist Negotiating Team at Castle Buildings Talks, 1996-1998.
  • Member of the New Northern Ireland Assembly, 1998.
  • Appointed as Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Assembly Party in May 2004
  • Elected as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party June 2005

    On Monday 29th November 1999, the Northern Ireland Assembly confirmed the appointment of Sir Reg Empey as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment with effect from 2 December 1999.

    Born in 1947, Sir Reg was educated at Hillcrest Preparatory School, Belfast, the Royal School, Armagh and Queen’s University of Belfast where he graduated from the Faculty of Economics.

    He has been politically active since his student days at Queen’s University when he was a member of the QUB Conservative and Unionist Association. In 1975 he was elected as a member of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention and also served as secretary of the United Ulster Unionist Council Policy Committee.

    In 1985 he was elected to Belfast City Council on which he still serves. He was appointed to the office of Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1989, and again in 1993.

    Sir Reg is married to Stella and has two children, Julie-Anne and Christopher.


    Special Interests:
  • Leader, Ulster Unionist Party, 2005-date.
  • Vice President Ulster Unionist Council, 1996-2004.
  • Awards: O.B.E. in 1994 for Sevices to Local Government.