Lorraine Barrett

Lorraine Barrett
Assembly Commissioner
In office 9 June 2007 – 25 May 2011
First Minister	Carwyn Jones Rhodri Morgan
Preceded by	New post
Succeeded by	Sandy Mewies
Member of the Welsh Assembly for Cardiff South and Penarth
In office 6 May 1999 – 5 May 2011
Preceded by	New Assembly
Succeeded by	Vaughan Gething
Majority	2,754 (10.3%)
Personal details
Born	1950 Ynyshir, Rhondda, Wales
Political party	Labour and Co-operative Party
Spouse(s)	Paul Barrett
Children	2

Lorraine Jayne Barrett (born 1950) is a former Welsh Labour & Co-operative Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Cardiff South and Penarth and an Assembly Commissioner from 2007 until 2011.

Barrett publicly announced in February 2009 that she would not be seeking re-election to the Assembly in 2011^[1] and would instead pursue her new vocation as a British Humanist Association-accredited humanist Celebrant. She now conducts humanist or non-religious funeral ceremonies for local residents.

Personal background

Barrett was born in Ynyshir, Rhondda, to Rosina and Donald Booth, a retired coalminer, and went to Porth County School for Girls. She married Paul "Legs" Barrett,^[1] the manager/agent of rock and roll acts such as Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets. They have a son, Lincoln Barrett (also known as drum and bass DJ High Contrast) and a daughter, Satellite City actor Shelley Miranda Barrett.^[1]

Barrett is a humanist and retired from constituency politics in 2011 to concentrate on her humanist celebrant duties.^[1]

Professional career

She was a nurse and a Councillor in the Vale of Glamorgan and Penarth Town Council and worked as an assistant to the current Cardiff South and Penarth Member of Parliament, Alun Michael for 12 years^[1] from 1987-99. She was a member of the Welsh Labour executive and the National Policy Forum.

Barrett is a member of the Transport & General Workers Union and chairs the Co-operative Party Group and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare within the Assembly. She is an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. She is also a member of the British Humanist Association and is now a trained Celebrant, conducting Humanist or non-religious funeral ceremonies.

Welsh Assembly Commissioner

Barrett was elected to the Welsh National Assembly as the member for Penarth and Cardiff South in May 1999 and has subsequently been re-elected twice. Her period as an Assembly member ended in 2011.

Barrett, in her new capacity as Assembly Commissioner for a Sustainable Environment, was involved in a 2007 row over genetically modified foods in the Welsh Assembly Canteen. The Assembly had earlier signed a document committing to "maximum restrictions on GM crops" when it later became apparent that the Assembly canteen was serving items containing GM ingredients. Barrett explained the situation saying "We have discussed this with our in-house caterers, Charlton House. They do not deliberately source GM foods and in fact make every effort to avoid using GM products." ^[2]

Barrett was critical of the planned Cardiff Bay expansion of "something like 1,250 apartments a year".^[3] Barrett suggested this might cause future problems with community cohesion and lack of affordable housing.^[4]

Barrett pressed for the Cardiff Bay Barrage to be opened up for pedestrian and cycle traffic. The pedestrian and cyclist short cut to Cardiff across the barrage finally opened to the public on Friday 27 June 2008. Barrett was one of the first to cross, walking to work at the Assembly and she described the experience as "invigorating".

References

1. AM to become humanist celebrant, BBC News, 14 February 2009. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
2. Senedd canteen in GM food storm, Wales on Sunday, 11 November 2007.
3. BBC (8 June 2008), "'Slum of the future' fear for Bay", BBC News, retrieved 2008-06-08
4. The Politics Show, BBC 1 Wales, Sun 8 June 2008

External links

• Profile at British Humanist Association
• Welsh Labour Party Website
• Website of the Welsh Assembly Government