Member of the Scottish Parliament ( MSP ) since 1999 : for Inverness East Nairn and Lochaber in the Scottish Parliament
Fergus Ewing took which position from May 1999 to Mar 2003?
Fergus Ewing Fergus Stewart Ewing ( born 23 September 1957 ) is a Scottish National Party ( SNP ) politician who served as the Scottish Governments Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy from 2016 to 2021 , having previously held two junior ministerial posts . He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament ( MSP ) since 1999 : for Inverness East , Nairn and Lochaber from 1999 to 2011 , and for Inverness and Nairn since 2011 . Background . Ewing is the son of the veteran Scottish nationalist Winnie Ewing , who served as a Member of Parliament ( MP ) in the House of Commons , as a Member of the European Parliament ( MEP ) , and an MSP . His father was an SNP local councillor . He has long been active in the Scottish National Party . Educated at Loretto School , in Musselburgh , he read Law at the University of Glasgow where he was a member of the Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association . His late wife , Margaret Ewing , was the MSP for the neighbouring constituency of Moray until her death from breast cancer in March 2006 . His sister , Annabelle Ewing , was the Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Perth until the 2005 general election and has been the MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife since 2011 . He is now in a relationship with Dr . Fiona Pearsall with whom he had a daughter in 2008 . Member of the Scottish Parliament . He was elected to represent Inverness East , Nairn and Lochaber in the Scottish Parliament in 1999 and he held on to the seat in 2003 and 2007 . He , with his mother Winnie Ewing , abstained from the vote to abolish Section 28 via the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc . ( Scotland ) Act 2000 ; he also opposed an outright ban on fox hunting . After the SNPs victory at the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election , Ewing was appointed as the Minister for Community Safety . After the SNP victory at the 2011 Scottish Parliament Election , he was appointed as the Minister for Energy , Enterprise and Tourism , succeeding Jim Mather who stood down as an MSP . In February 2014 he voted against the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Scotland In November 2014 the portfolio became Business Energy & Tourism . In 2019 civil servants complained to senior managers that Ewing had bullied them . Speaking to journalists Ewing said : I completely reject all claims against me . A process is underway and that is entirely right and proper when such allegations are made . That process is at an early stage . I will make no further comment while that process is ongoing . The previous year Ewing apologised to an official for his forthright manner , after a bullying complaint was lodged against him . After the 2021 election Ewing was replaced as a minister by Mairi Gougeon and became a backbencher . In a public letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon , Ewing revealed : In our discussion yesterday , you indicated that you will form a slimmed down cabinet . Obviously , you have had to make some tough decisions and we agreed that this meant I should now step out of Government . External links . - Fergus Ewing.com Official Website