Mervyn Storey


Robert Mervyn Storey is a Northern Ireland politician and a Democratic Unionist Party MLA for North Antrim. Storey was Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Executive, and in 2016 was appointed Minister for Finance & Personnel.

Biography

Robert Mervyn Storey was born in Armoy, County Antrim on 4 September 1964. His father Nat was a founder member of the Protestant Unionist Party and an election worker for Ian Paisley. Storey was educated at Armoy Primary School and at Ballymoney High School. On leaving school in 1980 he worked in a bacon factory, rising to production manager. In 2000 he left the company and joined Ian Paisley's constituency office in Ballymena.

Family

Storey is married to Christine and has three children.

Political activity

Storey is a former member of the Fire Authority for Northern Ireland. Storey was elected to Ballymoney council in 2001 and again in 2005. He is a member of the Ballymoney Local Strategy Partnership and Regional Partnership for Northern Ireland. In 2000 he served as campaign manager for William McCrea's by-election for South Antrim and also in 2001 for Gregory Campbell and Ian Paisley's elections in East Londonderry and North Antrim respectively. All three campaigns were successful.
Storey was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in the 2003 elections. From 2008 to 2014 he was chairman of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Education.
From September 2014 to January 2016 Storey was Minister for Social Development. He resigned from this post several times during September and October 2015 in the context of a political crisis.
In January 2016 Storey was appointed Minister for Finance & Personnel.
As a young earth creationist, and a member of the "Council of Reference" of the creationist Caleb Foundation, he petitioned the then Northern Irish education minister, Caitríona Ruane, to have intelligent design taught in schools in Northern Ireland, as well as objecting to an exhibition on evolution in the Ulster Museum and signs at the Giants Causeway in his North Antrim constituency.