Emma Pengelly: DUP's new MLA promoted to junior minister role

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)'s newest MLA has been promoted to the post of junior minister exactly a month after taking her assembly seat.

Emma Pengelly replaced her party colleague Jimmy Spratt as South Belfast MLA on 28 September after he retired.

Mrs Pengelly had previously worked as a special adviser in the Office of the First and deputy First Minister.

She has said she will bring a "great deal of experience" to her new role in that department.

Mrs Pengelly added she was "really enthusiastic about the opportunity".

Election

Earlier this month, a DUP spokesman confirmed Mrs Pengelly would receive a five-figure severance payment from her previous job as First Minister Peter Robinson's special adviser.

Asked about that payment on Tuesday, she said she intended to spend a "considerable amount" on her constituency work.

She said she had neither applied nor asked for the severance payment, and that it would be paid automatically on a statutory basis after she spent almost nine years as a special adviser.

Mrs Pengelly has not yet stood for election but said she was an "incredibly hard worker" and people should judge her on her actions.