Eileen Bell

Born in Dromara and brought up in South Belfast Eileen moved to England in 1972 after being forced from South Belfast. She returned in 1978 to West Belfast but was forced out again in 1985 and moved to live in Bangor.

Eileen has worked in N.I. and U.K. Civil Service and Marks and Spencer as well as a number of short term placements. From mid 1980s she was employed by Alliance Party as General Sec, in the Peace People as Welfare Worker with Prisoner's families and people who suffered intimidation and with the Peace Train as Co-ordinator organising 4 of the 5 Peace Trains between Belfast-Dublin, Belfast- Derry and Belfast-London.

In 1980’s Eileen joined the Alliance Party and was elected Councillor to North Down Council in 1993. She stood down from that position in 2001. Eileen was also a member of the N.I. Forum for Political Dialogue and the Dublin Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. She was elected to the N.I. Assembly in 1998 and again in 2003. She was appointed Speaker to the Transitional Assembly in April 2006 and stood down as an elected representative on Devolution Day in 2007.
Eileen was involved in Peace/Political Negotiations since 1990 when she was part of the Alliance delegation in the Brooke/Mayhew talks and in all Negotiation initiatives until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

Eileen has at different times been, Party Spokesperson on Education, Human Rights, Equality, Social Development and Victims issues. During her time as Councillor she was a member of various committees including CAB Bangor, North Down Delors Partnership, North Down Community Network, Police and Community Liaison. She was the first Chair of the Community Relations Committee. Within the Assembly she was Member of the Assembly Commission, The Committee of the Centre and the Education Committee. Eileen was also appointed Deputy Leader of the Alliance Party in 2002, a position she held until she announced in 2005 that she would not be seeking re-election.

During her time as a political representative Eileen was also, at various periods, a member of the South Eastern Education and Library Board, N.I. Probation Board, The Local Govt. Staff Association Crumlin Rd. Prison Board of Visitors.
She currently continues her membership with NIACRO, N.I. Poverty Action Group, and is a Trustee of the Somme Association as well as supporting several victims groups. She is on the Boards of Women into Politics, Diversity Challenges and the North Down District Policing Partnership and is N.I. Vice President of Townswomens Guilds.

She is currently Vice President and Legislative Advisor of Autism N.I. and was awarded the CBE in the New Years Honours List 2008.